If you're reading this right now, you are probably aware of the strong presence and the vast opportunities the new media and web distribution bring to your artistic door.

Most of the time, people are in the dilemma of whether or not they can find "quality" films online. Yes, the times are changing, and people are realizing that some films they stumble upon on the internet are in fact gems that they could have never found had they not double-clicked on their web browser.

From the selection of films being shown online to the responses online distributors get from their viewers, Daniel Watts answers our questions with a unique understanding of this new method of distribution.


F.A: Can you tell us a little bit about how your team came up with the concept of Underground Film? What were some of the influences and factors that contributed to the birth of this project?

D.W: A famous Hollywood director predicted years ago that "one day kids will be able to fit everything they need to make a movie in a backpack." In 1998, that day had arrived. Cheap digital cameras, desktop editing software, a booming economy; these factors drove a huge surge in filmmaking and film studies. The film industry, however, was having nothing of it. Digital distribution was looked upon as poisonous by the studios and most film festivals were still only screening celluloid.

A group of film and computer geeks in New York City recognized this huge Revolution Without a Venue. They had been screening obscure short films in basements and back rooms for years-----now they had the technology and skills to bring this underground scene to the world. Undergroundfilm.com was born. A few weeks later, iFilm and atomfilms also launched. Those companies, however, focused immediately on the only demographic that advertisers recognized for the web: 18- to 34-year old white males. The founders of Undergroundfilm did not have the stomach to turn their creation into an outlet for breast and bathroom video clips. So the site remained essentially a no-budget non-commercial operation for many years.


F.A: New media is definitely the new frontier for many filmmakers. What is the response you get from your viewers, regarding the presentation of independent film on the internet? How do you merge internet distribution with in-theatre productions or live events?

D.W: Internet distribution still faces many challenges from viewers and filmmakers alike. Viewers still prefer their Internet film experience to be brief and mindless; for long-form entertainment and 'serious films' they generally look elsewhere. This has also colored filmmakers' perception of the medium. Old media is still hammering the notion that your film is cheapened by being shown on the Internet. Short film distributors everywhere are locking up the current wealth of material in exclusive deals that give them profits by limiting exposure to the films. Savvy filmmakers, however, are catching up to the fact that the best currency for their work is eyeballs, not a $500 check for being shown once on Canadian Television. So the truth is that the best work being produced today is being shown on the web. Undergroundfilm audiences still express surprise and delight at the quality and depth of the films we show. On the web? Impossible!

We participate in theater screenings and audiences love these films on a big screen. Some may have previously seen it on their favorite online video site, be it myspace or youtube or joost or downloaded from itunes. Seeing it on the big screen just validates their choice of brand. . .


F.A: What goes into the process of selecting the videos you choose to present on your website? What do you look for in the submitted material?

D.W: Our films are selected by reverse committee. If one of us finds a film to be indisputably good, it gets shown. If there are doubts, it gets passed on for a second viewing, then possibly a third. The irony is that the poorer the film, the more likely it is to get multiple viewings. That keeps us honest. And strong of stomach.

Essentially we are looking for films that display true intent and make the best use of available means. An intersection of creativity and pragmatism. Then, of course, we have to like it.


Interview by Eren Gulfidan