Options for film exhibition:

"Film makers can digitize their content, showcase it for free, distribute it across a variety of Internet platforms, and earn money.

We make the entire experience very simple, very visible and hopefully very profitable!"

Pictured, Preetam Mukherjee, CEO, Marcellus LLC.

Have you made a film but don't know how to distribute or exhibit or broadcast it on the Internet, besides YouTube? India-EU Film Initiative brings you an exclusive interview with the man who has pioneered a new concept in showcasing your talent to millions of people around the world.

An interview with Preetam Mukherjee, CEO & Founding Partner, Marcellus, LLC, by Pervaiz Alam.

'We are India.TV', a venture of California-based Marcellus LLC, is an Internet video platform, specifically targeted towards non-mainstream Indian film. The platform helps film-makers publish their videos at no cost, and also shares ad revenues with publishers on a monthly basis. 

Q- Why does the name ('We Are India') sound like a Govt. of India programme?

A: You know, that's the first time we've heard that said! We represent more of India than what is conveyed by Bollywood. We’re about differentiated film, the variety of subject matter, the diversity of our publishers, and equally importantly- the diversity of our audiences. The Indian diaspora extends far beyond geo-political boundaries, from larger nations like the US and the UK, to smaller nations like the Caribbean and Fiji islands. We wanted a name that encompassed all of those considerations.

Q- Let's talk those filmmakers who are looking for a distribution channel. Either their film has not been picked up by the market or there are no buyers/distributors/exhibitors interested in their work; how could you help them?

A: The Internet has completely re-defined the concepts of 'markets' and 'distribution', and unfortunately, very few filmmakers have actually been able to successfully exploit the new ecosystems that have come up as a result.

We're here to provide the tools for publishing, create an avenue for exhibition, and be the distributors for their work.

Now, film makers can digitize their content, showcase it for free, distribute it across a variety of Internet platforms, and earn money. We make the entire experience very simple, very visible and hopefully very profitable!

Q- OK, you can show their films on your network. These filmmakers are also interested in approaching the conventional platforms for their screenings e.g. theatres, TV channels, film festivals. Would you be able to help them on this front as well? Would you sell their product in international markets such as Cannes/MIPCOM etc.

A: That's a very interesting question. Are we going to actively forge alliances with TV channels, festivals and such? Probably not. It's entirely possible, though, that over time, you will see on-demand relationships, developed via web services, that'll bridge the gap between conventional institutions and publishers.

Convergence across different platforms and services is always a hot subject for discussion, and I think a logical first step for us to solve this would be to extend the capability to distribute, to our publishers. Then comes the question of what the publisher does with that capability, and therein lies the actual problem. The barrier here is enabling a dialogue between the publisher and 'the conventional platform'.

If you're publishing your videos to blogs, MySpace, Facebook, then yes, that's possible today, but what if you wanted to submit the same videos to 3 film festivals, a TV channel, and to a distribution firm that's probably going to be interested in your work?

There isn't a seamless way for you to do that. In theory, you should have access to a centralised asset management service on the web that lets you pick out the information about you and your videos that is relevant to each avenue you're submitting your videos to. And to complement that, festivals et al. should be equipped with technology platforms that simplify the submission process for content.

The ideal outcome, of course, is a standards-based information and content exchange mechanism that makes things easier for the publisher to publish/submit/distribute, and for the avenue to receive/showcase/qualify.
We're actually working on solving the 'avenue' problem at Marcellus- how do we help build Internet video avenues that are receptive to content/information that is specifically tailored to their business interests?

Q- Do you have some quality controls in place..such as scanning a film through a criterion...or any film that has been rejected by the market is welcome on your network?

A: Oh, I really think we'd be naïve in trying to judge art. That's the beauty of doing all this on the Internet. Decisions and commentaries on the quality of work are made by viewers..we simply enable them with a forum to decide for themselves what they enjoy, and what they don't. Again, we try to keep in mind that over a diverse enough content repository, there ought to be something for everyone, and so we're happy to showcase hits, misses, and everything in between.

Films being rejected by the market..I don't believe "the market" is a valid phrase any more, and so "rejection" doesn't quite apply. In fact, if I was a filmmaker, I'd be out there finding as many different markets to showcase my work in, as possible. I'd be on the Internet(social networks, YouTube, We are India), and I'd also be knocking at the offices of Saregama, Adlabs, Star TV etc. Each market has its own economics, and as a film-maker, it's just a matter of spreading my bets.

That being said, yes, Internet markets definitely offer a clear cut advantage- the cost of distribution and showcasing is drastically lower, and because you're digitizing, you're also naturally increasing the life-span for your work.

So we're making it economically viable for a filmmaker to showcase their work for as long as there's some demand for their content(and even 1 person viewing 1 video counts as demand). That they might be 'rejected' by another market is not our concern- we want to give everyone an opportunity to discover new markets on WeareIndia.

Q- That sounds very noble. A good cause, indeed. But let's get realistic. Why are you helping them? What's your revenue model?

A: To us, profitability is a clear factor of how fruitful someone's time spent on our site is, and how well we've served our users. Our revenue model is a derivative of that idea: provide commercial services(ads, content) that actually hold personal meaning for the viewers on our site.

In parallel, we are in discussions with IPTV/mobile TV service providers, and are looking to make our content library available on 3rd party platforms as well.

Q- Have you decided about the revenue sharing with your filmmakers? Let me get specific. What percentage of money would be offered to a filmmaker?

A: If your content generates $100 in ad revenues every month, we share $35 with you every month. We don’t start issuing checks until your total accumulated revenue reaches $50. So, 35% of ad revenues, distributable once you’ve made your first $50.

Q- Are we going to see a level playing field or 'show me the filmmaker and I will tell you the rules' basis?

A: Oh that (situational discrimination) would be sacrilege! Of course it's going to be a very level playing field for all filmmakers. All 'rules', 'risks', 'rewards', and 'benefits' apply across the board to all filmmakers subject to terms and conditions.

Q- What are those terms and conditions?

A: We're trying to keep this a very hassle-free experience. So you'll see non-exclusive distribution agreements, ownership of copyright claims from filmmakers, social policing for pirates, and that's pretty much it. The message we want to convey is this is a terrific distribution opportunity for you, but you have to promise to be responsible, transparent, and be overtly diligent about giving credit where its due.

DRM is something we are actively exploring, but our efforts there are geared towards simplification of fair use, and not making DRM out to be a haughty policing tool.

Q- The name of your venture suggests that you're interested only in an Indian film. We are called 'India-EU Film Intiative' but for all practical purposes we cover all cinema whether it comes from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Ukraine. How about screening some good Pakistani or Sri Lankan films as well?

A: We are India is a reflection of the India that exists today. We are an India that is less concerned about geography and more concerned about co-existence. From that perspective, we’ve opened our doors up to any film-maker from the Indian sub-continent to participate and publish on ‘We are India’.

In our ideal world, we'd have Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, and Afghan folk collaborating on WeareIndia.TV and producing films which remind us that while Bolly/Lolly/Tolly/Kolly are only about 60-odd years old, we collectively share a history that goes back a few thousand years, and maybe we ought to be celebrating that history as well.

However, yes, our onus will be on Indian film because we would be doing our publishers(or ourselves) a disservice by diluting our focus this early on.
But to re-iterate, if a Pakistani(or any-stani, any-deshi) film-maker came to us tomorrow, we’d love to publish her/his work as well.

In the meantime, we do have the technology and tools in place to build a WearePakistan.TV, or a WeareSriLanka.TV, so if there are folks ready to build any of those services, we can help them take their ideas live.

Q- Who are your target audiences/clients?

A: We'll keep this one simple: any broadband equipped region with folks interested in watching films from the Indian subcontinent. Obvious audiences are Indians abroad, but then India is increasingly being discussed by non-Indians as well, so if you've got a fast Internet connection, do check us out and see if you find something entertaining or informative for you.

Q- Would you accept films with or without subtitles?

A: We’ll accept both, of course. Making content accessible(by adding subtitles, by adding meta-information about the content) is to a publishers advantage, and we'll definitely be adding in a variety of tools over time to enhance accessibility.
   
On our website(http://www.WeAreIndia.tv/), we mention that ours is “A world you’ve never known, but an inspiration you’ve always felt”.

We want independent film-makers to understand that the Internet brings with a new wave of possibilities. Unlike conventional television models, which relied on pushing content to audiences, the Internet offers a platform for audiences to pull the content they want.

This seemingly minor shift from push to pull, has radically changed the way we think about business models in the  media world.

WeareIndia.TV has embraced this evolving dynamic wholeheartedly. We believe that because we are India- the largest democracy in the world, we are empowered with the means to build the largest media democracy on the Internet.

So we are India, we are very inspired, and we welcome you to a new world of entertainment.