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Short Film Gets Pixoff, a new distribution channel for short films, opened in the Internet in early February this year. It's a web community aimed at Finnish movie makers and media artists. Producer Jari Hyttinen and project manager Lassi Tarajärvi are the driving force behind this wide project of development, which incorporates several associations, companies and the Ministry of Education. Although the Internet is full of multimedia, the distribution of films has so far not taken off the way it was expected to. Digital technology facilitates and cuts the costs of producing movies, but up to now, the distribution channels have been missing. The initiative to build this new web service came from AVEK, the Finnish Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture. Pixoff is a pioneer in developing a copyright- and royalty fee system for multimedia material distributed through the web. It works together with producers, copyright associations and hardware manufacturers in building up new contract systems for the new medium.
– Money isn't always the most important thing for the film makers. It's not worth making short films if no one gets to see them and the maker doesn't receive any feedback from the audience, Hyttinen points out. Public Has Found the Service – At Pixoff, the public gets to see the kinds of short films that they can't get to see anywhere else. The viewers have found their way to the site despite the fact that the service has only been available for a few weeks. On the opening day, February 5, we received hits from over 800 different locations, Hyttinen recounts. The web theater aims high. According to Hyttinen, the anticipated number of viewers is 20,000 to 30,000 per month. The volume is however not central, for Pixoff is not a commercial portal based on advertising. All Styles Are Welcome – Pixoff's goal is to have as wide a content as possible. The service is divided into sections for fictive, documentary, experimental and animated films. We don't want to rule out any single genre. Different subcultures and marginal movies, such as trash- or independent films, are also welcome, Tasajärvi states. There is a large number of short film makers in Finland. They range from amateurs to professional production teams. The Pixoff community now has over two hundred registered members, some of whom publish their own films over the service. – The basic idea of the service is to serve the basic needs of the short film. As the public visits the site for information and films, the registered community uses it as a place for discussions and meeting other people. Networking is the key, Tasajärvi says. Viewing Short Films Stays Free – Financial support for the project ends after its initial phase at the end of this year. After that Pixoff should have a sound business plan and it should be financially profitable. However, viewing short films through the web will remain free for the public, Hyttinen promises. – Instead of having only one channel, we are envisioning a system of multi-channel distribution. In addition to the Internet, mobile devices also look promising. Hyttinen believes in increasing DVD production of short films and states that the visual means of cinema are so plentiful that a small screen will not suffice for watching films. Pixoff is also starting to collaborate with art schools. One of its objectives is to bring different actors of the institutions together. The schools produce lots of short films as both exercise assignments and final diploma works, and these movies could have a chance to find their audience through Pixoff.
TEXT: Inkeri Salonharju |
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Festival News 2002 festnews@uta.fi |