Off the Tracks is apparently done.

[Andrew Kimery]

[Bill Davis] “But it isn’t available for rental – exactly like virtually all movies in the period directly adjacent to their initial release.
So why is that relevant?
“

You mean movies that initially release theatrically and, per distribution deals with the theaters, are contractually barred from offering day-and-date rentals, sales, VOD, etc.,? And then they go through the various release windows so each distribution partner in the chain has a chance to monetize the movie? How is the Hollywood model of staggered release windows relevant to self-distribution via the Internet?

An indie self-distributing their own movie online and not offering a rental option at the start is really odd to me (and I’ve been in this space since since the mid 2000’s). Most people want to have the lowest barrier of entry so they can reach the widest possible audience, and try make the most money, upon initial release because initial release is when they’ll have the most hype/word of mouth. I mean, it’s not like they are going to have a major marketing push in 6 months to remind people that the movie still exists and that it’s now available for rent.

So coming back full circle, for a couple of bucks I’d rent it right now, but I’m not going to pay $10 for it. I rarely buy movies in general though.

[Bill Davis] “Oh, so then you saw it after all? Else how can you know what issues it actually ended up raising? “

From their website:
“In 2011 Apple ended Final Cut Pro as we knew it and started over with a brand new video editing application: Final Cut Pro X. The disruption this change caused is still being felt by the film, television, and video industries to this day.

With misinformation run amok, Off the Tracks is a documentary that aims to clear the air once and for all.

Featuring exclusive interviews with the creative professionals who use the software and the developers who created it. Why did Apple make Final Cut Pro X?”

I’m going to go out on a limb and say they talk about why Apple did what they did, how people reacted, why people reacted they way they did, how the program changed over the course of time, how it impacted the NLE space, how people’s perceptions of it changed/didn’t change over the course of time, reasons as to why people’s perceptions changed/didn’t change over the course of time, etc.,.

I think I know just a wee little bit about all of that… ????

I don’t have to see the documentary to be knowledgeable about the real life events that the documentary talks about. This is like saying I can’t talk about the corporate malfeasance at Enron unless I’ve seen “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”.

And at no point in time have I voiced an opinion about the documentary itself. Just an agreement with Shane that the trailer feels like a corporate hype piece that would be right at home at an Apple event.

EDIT: cleaned up a copy/paste error.

[Joe Marler]

[Andrew Kimery] “An indie self-distributing their own movie online and not offering a rental option at the start is really odd to me”

Frederick Wiseman has long self-distributed his independently-produced documentaries on line, not in streaming but DVD form. You could only buy, not rent. I just checked and his famous 1968 documentary “High School” was put on Vimeo last year; don’t know if that’s legit or not.

Wiseman’s recent documentary Ex Libris also cannot be rented — and it was only released a few months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddjnbbjl0kM

Wiseman plans to put his entire back catalog freely on line, but only for library patrons.

So in the independent documentary world, I’m not sure you can say not offering a rental option at release time is unusual. Whether they release it on DVD, stream it, rent it, sell it or give it away is up to the filmmaker.

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[Bill Davis]

I think you (and maybe Shane too) are going to be very surprised when you finally see it.
Cuz you aren’t describing the movie I just saw very accurately at all.

Go figure.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Andrew Kimery]

[Bill Davis] “I think you (and maybe Shane too) are going to be very surprised when you finally see it.
Cuz you aren’t describing the movie I just saw very accurately at all.”

Possibly, of course you and I have different opinions on FCP X, Apple, the botched launch, X users being victims, etc., so I wouldn’t be surprised if we have different opinions on the doc.

Go figure.

[Andrew Kimery]

[Joe Marler] “So in the independent documentary world, I’m not sure you can say not offering a rental option at release time is unusual. “

Some musicians (like Prince, the Beatles, etc.,) didn’t want their music made available for online streaming or download but I don’t think that was representative of musicians as a whole. ????

[Joe Marler] “Whether they release it on DVD, stream it, rent it, sell it or give it away is up to the filmmaker.”

Yup. All I said was that I’d rent it for a couple of bucks.

[Tony West]

[Andrew Kimery] “Most people want to have the lowest barrier of entry so they can reach the widest possible audience”

I have to agree with this.

As an Indie producer, there are two types of audiences for your film. 1) The people who are really hyped to see it because they have a personal connection to the topic, 2) The person that has a casual interest in the topic.

There are a ton of people in that number 2 slot and they are not gonna pay what the first group will. (You can see that playing out here)

What’s the solution? For me it is Amazon Prime. (not selling them, just is what it is in the industry right now)

When I tell people about my film they say “Where can I see your film?” In many cases that translates to “where can I see your film for free (or not pay extra than a membership they already have).

So many people have an Amazon Prime membership because they shop on there all the time. (I think more people have that than Netflix or HBO.) They can watch the film for free as part of their membership but the filmmaker still gets paid by Amazon. That’s pretty much the best deal I have seen out there.

I have my film on iTunes also and and people can get the DVD from the main site.

I have business cards with the film site on them because “The Safe Side of the Fence” is a long title for folks to remember.
You want to make it as easy as possible for your audience to find it and you don’t want to leave the money from the 2 group on the table.

Hopefully he will get a lot of folks right off the bat and it works for him.

Just wanted to share what I have learned as I traveled this path.