This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online. "The old way of distributing movies worked well for blockbusters, but wasn't hugely documentary friendly," explains Jess Search, chief executive of the BRITDOC Foundation, which funds and supports independent documentary-makers. "You'd sell to a distributor who'd struggle to book you into a full week in a cinema."
Search is optimistic about the future. The advent of digital means films are cheaper to make and distribute, and indie cinemas have realised that showing a popular documentary for one or two nights -- instead of a full seven-day run -- can bring new audiences to dead weekday evenings. "The old distribution model is dying and the new models aren't replacing it," Search says. "iTunes and Netflix aren't delivering the kind of money the old models offered."
Many are turning to self-distribution through sites such as Assemble and Vimeo, which allow filmmakers to set their own price, charging fees of £30 and £120 per year respectively. Docs like Detropia, Ping Pong and Forks Over Knives made a big return by doing it themselves. Meanwhile, in Spain, creatives have come together around Acuerdo, aimed at users of tablets and large Android phones. Downloaded as a master app, Acuerdo runs huge themed stories -- on piracy, for instance -- and allows graphic novelists, documentary filmmakers, photographers and writers to contribute individual stories or collaborate. "One of our challenges is working out an effective interaction between the documentary footage and the rest of the formats," says cofounder Maruxa Ruiz del Árbol. "The films should work in their own right, but also link with the rest of the elements -- which means shooting in formats our coders can work with."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
