Yet another original creator is fighting with selfish monopolists, except this guy isn't taking it anymore
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120326/10583318247/distributor-neglects-indie-filmmakers-movie-so-he-asks-fans-to-pirate-it.shtmlIndie filmmaker Jordan Michael Thomas, is asking fans to please pirate his movie Corpse Run.
Thomas explains how, after success on the festival circuit, he came head to head with the unfortunate realities of getting a film distributed the Hollywood way:
The first thing we had to do was get a Rep for our film, this Rep would then try to sell it to different distributors and take a small fee. We had many offers for Representation and ended up going with the most prominent one that had the lowest fees. They took a retainer fee to pay for their expenses. – of course this retainer would never be returned. They did find us a few different distributors and we ended up going with the one that they recommended the most. This was exciting, as our film was about to get released, we would soon see it on netflicks, on some cable stations and in video stores!
And then what happened? Our film was shelved. We had no recourse, it just sat on the shelf doing nothing, sitting there for years! In fact, They still have it for two more. Recently it has been released on Amazon as a print on demand title. And that is it. Well I don't think my distributors should make any money for doing nothing.
So I am asking you, begging you, please steal my movie.
Entertainment industry gatekeepers have long profited from the cultural myth that once an artist has their blessing (a record contract, a distribution rep, a publishing deal) then they're on the fast-track to success and possibly stardom. That's never been true for any but the tiniest minority of creators, and now that the rest have the tools to expose the reality of these deals, gatekeepers are rapidly losing their status.
This is a classic tale of fat cat middlemen and greedy monopolists intent on squeezing every last drop of juice out of anyone stupid enough to think making original content was something worthwhile, I hope this guy has learned the simple lesson that delivering control of your work to a bunch of parasites might seem sensible if your following the "traditional" exposure route but when the reality hits home its a trap for those who are not trained lawyers.
