ABSTRACT
You have a completed film, and it is time to deliver it to your audience. Although theatrical exhibition is still the ultimate goal of most filmmakers, it remains one of the most elusive goals for many independents. CD and DVD distribution are a more realistic alternative for most, though cost factors may still loom large for reaching the potential of sizable audiences. Thus, Web delivery has emerged as one of the best ways to reach large audiences at little cost. Web exhibition is not the ideal medium, however, for several reasons. Bandwidth still dictates small files, often at less-than-ideal frame rates. A computer screen is not the first choice of exhibition venues for most filmmakers. And, like it or not, downloaded movies often become the property of the user. Thus, it may be appropriate to reevaluate the function of the QuickTime movie on the Web. A good example of QuickTime being perfectly suited to distribution is the movie trailer. In most cases, these are advertisements for full-length films that film distributors hope users will copy and replay and even send to friends. In this case, the QuickTime movie is just a part of a film’s overall promotion.
