05 Jan 2010, Posted by Takashi Doscher in Articles,Filmmaking, 0 Comments

SnagFilms

For any independent filmmaker, specifically for any independent documentary filmmaker, the land of distribution can be an extremely daunting and unforgiving place.  You don’t have to look through many articles (here and here) to see that independent film distribution is becoming more difficult every year and more unfavorable to the ones actually putting their heart and soul into the project.  (After all, the director of the Sundance Award-Winning film, Ballast, elected to self-distribute because the offers were so unfavorable.) While every now and then we hear of the rags-to-riches story of something like Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity, there are thousands and thousands of films that never get picked up or even worse… never get seen.

In the land of documentaries, the climate is even more brutal.  Unless your name is Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock, chances are your film will be seen by a few of your closest friends and maybe a couple hundred people at the festivals you worked so hard to get into.  Enter SnagFilms.  SnagFilms looks to take the “youtube model” and apply it to quality feature-length documentaries.  They stream the full-length doc straight to your computer screen for FREE.  You just have to sit through a few ads placed throughout the film.

This is great for any fans of documentaries, but it is even better for the filmmakers themselves.  This is a brand new method of distribution that serves to provide an audience for your film and pay you for it.  Get enough hits and you may finally be taking a step toward paying back your production costs.  If your documentary seeks to educate about a certain topic or bring light to a specific cause, Snag will provide links so viewers can donate to that charity.  Even better, you can “snag” your film or your other favorites, and embed them anywhere on the net.

In their own words:

SnagFilms can be summed up in four words: Find. Watch. Snag. Support.

Find. Whether using our custom search tools, browsing by topic, or tuning into one of the great channels provided by our partners, with a few clicks you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.

Watch. By streaming films worldwide, on-demand, 24×7 and with no software installation or downloading required, we have radically expanded the audience for documentary films. All you need is a decent broadband connection. Just click play, go full-screen, and lean back and enjoy our films.

Snag. Widgets let you take your favorite SnagFilms with you wherever you like to go online. Open a virtual movie theater right in your webpage, blog, Facebook or MySpace page, or just about any other place online you can think of.

Support. At their best, documentaries don‘t merely entertain us, they engage and inspire us to action. We provide a link for you to a charity related to the topic of each film (many of them selected by the filmmaker) so you can get involved, immediately.  And just by embedding our widgets, you’ve donated your pixels and helped support independent film.

To watch a doc, support a cause, or find out how your film can play on the site, go to www.snagfilms.com .