The Blair Witch Project is now available for download from the iTunes Store. I doubt anyone will get motion sickness from watching it on their 2.5" video iPod screen, so I recommend viewing it on a bus, train, or plane to get the full effect.

Link to The Blair Witch Project at the iTunes Store.

The disappointing opening of Snakes on a Plane was an excuse for fearful Hollywood executives to declare the internet, and blogs in particular, as unable to open a film. Some claimed the power of blogs is overvalued and used the Snakes numbers as proof. Variety took the opportunity to compare Snakes to The Blair Witch Project and point out the "perils" of internet marketing.

But there is one important difference between BWP and SoaP, and all these bullshit pronouncements about the "failure" of the blogosphere to open a movie only obscures the real lesson Hollywood needs to learn.

It's hard to see past the massive Blair Witch backlash, but when BWP was released it was met with a chorus of favorable reviews. People were anticipating BWP before it came out and loved the movie after they saw it.

Once people saw SoaP, word of mouth about the film spread faster than the hype that fueled its anticipation. Whatever desire I had to see SoaP was quickly eliminated by the chorus of reviews that could be summed up with the words "it was all right."

The deafening buzz over Snakes on a Plane proves the power of the internet to generate heat. The disappointing opening of Snakes proves that you still need to make a good movie.

I've been ignoring my indieWIRE blog. I admit it. Truth is, I have found the state of movies the last few years rather, well, unexciting. When I think back on the entertainment that has moved me the last couple of years, it's all been Television:

Deadwood
Sopranos
Lost
Arrested Development
The Office (UK & US)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
30 Days
Spike Lee's amazing HBO doc When the Levee Breaks

Hard to get me into the cinema when most flicks can't compete with the above list. But I'm back, and the movie responsible? Snakes on a Plane. I'll explain in the next post.

According to Ad Age, both Sundance Channel and Independent Film Channel are turning marketers like Target, Heineken, and Acura into content producers, in the hopes of developing a "TiVO proof" environment.

I guess like anything it all comes down to execution, but it will be interesting to see how the content changes as advertisers burrow themselves into the production process.

Following the lead of other indieWIRE bloggers, I've decided to place ads on my blog. I've been told these ads are highly targeted to appeal to the kinds of people who read this blog, so I'm sure you will all enjoy the many fine products advertised here by the fine folks at Reemco.

Thanks!

Responding to the MPAA's decision to give Fahrenheit 9/11 an "R" rating, Lion's Gate Films President Tom Ortenberg had this to say:

"We are adamant about overturning this decision in an expeditious manner to ensure that as many people as possible, including young adults who represent the future of our nation, are able to see one of the most important and thought-provoking films of our time in theaters on June 25."

What, no show times or theater locations?

Here is further proof via the New York Times that the current state of media consolidation is a disaster.

Here is indieWIRE's story on the unfolding situation and of course filmmaker Michael Moore has something to say on the subject.

This only reinforces my belief that we as filmmakers must figure out new ways to distribute films and find our audiences.

What the hell IS a big idea chair anyhow?

Adweek has reported on the awards won by a campaign I directed and cowrote with my partner at Haxan, Ed Sanchez. It was a three-month online narrative campaign for the ESPN NFL Football console video game. Check out this 9-minute video on iFilm for an overview of the story, and then go look at Beta-7's blog for more of the story.

A creative director at another agency had this to say:

"It's so ahead of its time it's almost unjudgeable," added judge Guy Seese, creative director at Cole & Weber/Red Cell in Portland.

Awwww, shucks!

This kind of marketing is a natural for films... I wonder why more independent filmmakers don't sit up and take notice? More on this subject soon...