With online video being as popular as it is whilst the DVD market dwindles and only a minute portion of films breaking big at the box office, it is no surprise to see Hollywood trying some new tactics when it comes to delivering entertainment to your living room. If you have read my previous article on the subject then you will know that the large studios are fully embracing the On Demand technology that has been championed in recent times by pretty much every other domain of the entertainment industry. Web videos, downloadable content, social networking plugins and interactivity are the future for the products of the silver screen.
There have been two new developments in this rather experimental domain from two of the largest studios in Hollywood. One is something of a good idea that could set an amazing precedent for the future of streaming films online, the other is probably one of the worst ideas since Pluto Nash, and ironically also involves Eddie Murphy.
Firstly we have Paramount, whose summer robot battle bonanza Transformers 3 has just been released on DVD and Blu-Ray. In an effort to test the water of the on demand market the studio have placed the film on their website and enabled viewers to stream it for a fee of $3.99 or $4.99 when watched in HD quality. Once you pay you will be given 48 hours to watch the film, if you choose HD it will be powered by Microsoft Silverlight which unfortunately means no HD for Mac users and also no support for mobile or tablets...yet.
Though this is obviously an almost beta attempt at what will in the future be a much more well rounded service you can defiantly see that Paramount are on the right track. The price is competitive and comparable to popular online video outlets such as Netflix and Hulu but not having to give those providers the content will be the key to making this venture a success for the studio. Why should they use a middleman when they can host their own content? Bad news for the rental sites, especially Netflix who have lost a million users already this year due to their price increase. That Arrested Development deal can't come soon enough.
Across Hollywood, Universal Studios have a plan of their own to get into the web streaming market. Tower Heist, the latest Ben Stiller/Eddie Murphy vehicle is their crash test dummy in an experiment that will almost certainly end in disaster. When the movie comes out on November 4th don't worry about visiting your local multiplex with its sticky floors, vacant staff and glutinous patrons, you can watch the movie on the day of release in your own home! What a great idea, you'll save so much money! If you're in the US you can stream the movie with Comcast cable for the utterly reprehensible price of $60...seriously. Universal genuinely believes that for the ability to watch a brand new film from the comfort of your own home people will pay six times the price of a regular ticket.
The price aside the choice of this particular film is quite a bizarre one considering it looks like it's going to absolutely tank at the cinema. A definite hit such as The Dark Night Rises or the next Twilight film would surely be a better test of a system that pretty much only appeals to desperate cinephiles with more money than sense anyway.
The following directors have taken a stand against this 'Home Premiere' format citing the end of the movie going experience as well as a blatant opportunity for piracy as reasons: Michael Bay, Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Roland Emmerich, Peter Jackson, Jon Landau, Shawn Levy, Michael Mann, Todd Phillips, Brett Ratner, Robert Rodriguez, Gore Verbinski, Robert Zemeckis...and many, many more.
Whatever happens it seems that online video streaming is here to stay and just as the music industry has had to rapidly adapt and bow to the infinite power of the Internet so must the film industry. It seems sad that with the focus on such technology the cinema going experience is destined to come to an end; the romanticized image of going to see a movie is fighting against a barrage of endless advertising, gimmicks and endless remakes, and whilst the names above are supporting a noble cause by standing up against a terrible idea it is in their hands to make sure people still go to the cinema every week and enjoying films as they were meant to be viewed.
The potential upshot for studios keeping their own content and streaming for their home sites means that online rental providers like Netflix and Hulu will be looking for a lot more original content for their sites and even creating their own. This means great opportunities for filmmakers out there who may have been unable to get onto the TV schedules to have a platform for their content.