Going Digital and Why It Helps Make You A Better Filmmaker

If you were to take a closer look at the landscape of Hollywood today you will notice something different. These days it seems like more and more musicians, actors, writers, directors and producers are getting their start on site like YouTube and Funny or Die. Those new outlets have given people a voice that no one can really ignore and are being rewarded for their talent. People like Justin Beiber, Freddie Wong, Epic Meal Time and many others all got their start by uploading a video to the internet and letting the viewers do the rest.

Now one might say that the main reward is getting noticed and getting that big Hollywood deal everyone dreams of, but in reality there is a lot more behind it. By adopting the Do-It Yourself attitude most of these people are getting a crash course in the entertainment industry. With one simple video they will experience things like copyright infringement/protection, digital distribution, creating something that has a lasting impact and taking advantage of a growing technology.

Last year YouTube wanted to give their uploaders a crash course on copyright infringement with their “YouTube Copyright School.” With a short 4 minute video YouTube gave uploaders the dos and don’ts of using music, images and video that fall under copyright law. This simple video would help you avoid having your work taken down due to it infringing on someone else’s work. YouTube itself took advantage of itself by giving everyone this video. One of the things YouTube did to protect itself is that if you were found to be in violation of copyright infringement you were mandated to watch the video and take a short quiz before you can publish a new video.

Another great thing about using YouTube as your means of distributing your content is that they allow you to take advantage of their partner program. By being a YouTube partner you are able to get paid for all the content you upload to your channel. This allows users to make money through advertisements, likes and comments. YouTube is giving their users a way to monetize their channel and help them create better content. Of course, this isn’t going to allow everyone to experience the full perks of being a YouTube partner, but it is a start to getting people noticed and rewarded for their hard work.

However, just like with everything else new Hollywood has taken a stand for and against the internet. Now up until a few years ago Hollywood feared and hated the internet due to it allowing anyone free access to their content. Most of those means weren’t “legal” so Hollywood took advantage of what was out there. Services like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, iTunes and Amazon offered Hollywood a way to get their content to the masses and get paid for it. Still you can tell the entertainment industry is afraid of the internet and as President of Participant Television Evan Shapiro put it, “The current and perhaps scariest Bogey Man yet is the INTERWEBS.” Little by little the entertainment industry is taking advantage of these new outlets. These outlets are the future of the industry.  

All of this wouldn’t be possible either if it weren’t for technology helping people get their content out there. Professional cameras are available to anyone for a few thousand dollars and even Hollywood is using them. Back on May 17^th 201o the season finally of House was shot on the Canon 5D Mark II. Most recently the Canon 5D Mark II helped out on a little movie entitled The Avengers. By taking advantage of these great and somewhat cheap cameras just about anyone can create professional looking content.

I don’t know why the entertainment industry is slow to fully taking advantage of the internet and the technology out there. The means of copyright protection and distribution services like YouTube and Hulu offer allow Hollywood to take more risks on creating more original content. Instead of worrying about bottom line they can use the internet as a means of testing material before committing huge sums of money to a project. I honestly look forward to how they will continue to embrace everything available to them.