If
the DVD business is dying - due to increasing digital distribution, cloud
storage and piracy - if the Box Office collection has to remain under the
shadow of piracy threats – then why can't cinema be taken to more and more
people – people who see the online access as the preferred reference point for
their cinema-watching experience?
Why
restrict cinema only to theatres?
Why
can’t a movie be released simultaneously in theatres and on the internet?
Why
can’t it be made available on cable television's on-demand services - the day
it is released in theatres?
According
to a recent Google India report, one in ten online searches on Google is cinema
related. Movie junkies on the internet frantically search for downloadable
links whenever a new film hits the theatres. The next stage is obviously about
sharing the file and in no time the film is all across the internet.
Even
China could not prevent images of Wukan protests from going viral on the
Internet and therefore in the whole world. Wukan is a Chinese village that was
the epicentre of the anti-corruption protests in 2011 and had seen months long
police-villagers standoff. Villagers alleged that their land was taken from
them by the government officials and they were not paid proper compensation.
Even
Russia could not effectively censor political bloggers and activists like
Alexei Navalny for writing against Vladimir Putin. The internet is a maze where
monitoring content is a tiresome process with no guarantee of results.
If
China and Russia cannot stop the internet sites from hosting the material that
they do not want, how can we expect the same from filmmakers - even if they
have formed specialized agencies for the purpose and regularly hire top ex-cops?
Then
why can't it be used to advantage then? It is better to befriend an adversary
whom you know you can never win.
Many
people would come forward to pay for downloading a film on their smartphones or
computers if they get the chance to have an authentic print with on the same day the film is being released in
the theatres. Many would jump to this prospect of getting a original BluRay or
HD-DVD quality digital print - as everyone loves a hassle free cinema-watching
experience.
When
filmmakers cannot stop online piracy, whatever they get by making their films
simultaneously available on the internet platforms will only increase your
revenue.
©SantoshChaubey