"The internets are a vast and mysterious thing; who knows what wonders their tubes may bring." -- Eljon Hubbard, Inventor of The Hubbard Space Telescope
This blog is intended to be a discussion of all things online video, so I will first discuss its nature and value, as this speaks directly to the need for this blog to exist.
If the internet and online video were just a burgeoning venue for studio content (as in the cases of sites like Hulu or Veho), then this blog would be better suited critiquing film and general. However, we believe that this is not the case.
It is clear to the writers of this blog that online video is entirely its own entity. The the Internet offers filmmakers and the creative generation a new opportunity for free distribution and exhibition on a large scale; a scale more massive and rapid than can be effectively controlled. This is something the studios have made considerable efforts to reign in. And while they have every right to protect the content that they paid to create, they have no jurisdiction over the content creators themselves, nor where their future lies.
What the writer's of this blog see is a worldwide Wayne's World effect: young kids with a passion literally setting up production in their parent's basement, and, in a very short period of time, going global. We are talking about groups of people who circumvent film school, film festivals, unions, agents, and spending five to ten years getting shit on by the higher ups, but still find their content in demand. The temptation to sell out may be very strong after a relatively short period of struggle and hard work. We believe that this constitutes a separate industry.
Unfortunately, the only variable that remains constant is the lack of talent and inspiration in the industry. The paucity of well acted films produced and broadcast for Internet viewing can not be stressed enough. What's more, despite the relatively small production costs, the vast majority of online video is simply captured footage--security camera footage, home video footage, news camera footage--all capturing those rare, coincidental moments where something funny or remarkable happens.
Don't get me wrong, I love that shit. I laugh my ass off at the goat with huge balls that says "what?!", or the lady that falls through the trapdoor in the convenience mart, and rightfully so, because that shit is fucking hilarious. But so much of it is redundant, so much. I feel like I have seen ten thousand of the same car accident, the same drunk guy getting hurt and the same skateboard nut shot, and it is just not as satisfying as it once was and yet, it is more prevalent than ever.
This is indicative of a general laziness in modern society. Technology has given us the opportunity to be filmmakers without spending tens of thousands of dollars or a dozen years fetching coffee; the chance to be actors without being objectified, discouraged and humiliated by the current studio process; the chance to produce something, tell our stories, to be artistic, and we are squandering it in exchange for sitting passively and watching blurry figures rob a gas station, from the viewpoint of a ceiling tile.
So, Pennyreel Presents is a call to action: If you are a serious filmmaker, or a serious member of the creative generation, and you are involved online, we will treat you with respect. You are a founder of what will soon be a massive global industry that will redefine modern entertainment and we salute you for your entrepreneurial spirit and for your willingness to share with the online world your work that is so personal and important to you. Furthermore, we want to know about you. We want to know who the online video people are and what they are holding for the future; that is the goal of this blog. Pennyreel Presents online video. Pennyreel Presents the creative generation. Pennyreel Presents itself.
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