I recently had a chance to chat with Glen Cohen, who is in the final stages of putting together ClickFlick Entertainment, an online video-on-demand (VoD) service. As high-speed internet and iPods have become more easily obtainable, it opens up even more possibilities for the microfilmmaker. Glen has some great ideas for this new venture:
KM: Where are you based out of?
GC: New Canaan, CT
KM: What made you want to start ClickFlick?
GC: I original started it as an online film festival but it evolved into a music and movies on demand. I have a filmmaking background and I feel that independent films are not properly showcased, especially on the internet and they should be financially compensated for their work.
KM: How do you want to distinguish ClickFlick from other VoD services that are out there and/or ones that will come along (since VoD is an emerging field)?
GC: I cater to a wide range audience from the MySpace crowd to the baby boomers. My content features about 800+ older public domain movies and 300-400 newer independent movies. The users have the option to access content on their PCs, televisions (IP set top box), pocket PCs (Palm Pilots, iPods, PSP) with 7 day downloads and 7 day streaming rentals with the option to own. Everything is protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management) that protects all content from being burned and/or file shared.
KM: Are there specific genres that you would like to focus on?
GC: There are a lot of categories on my network but I would focus on horror and sci-fi mainly as they have the biggest draw. Old film noir and westerns as well.
KM: What do you want to bring to the independent film arena?
GC: Like I stated before, independent filmmakers are improperly showcased and seldom receive royalties for their work. I provide a music and movies on demand system that anyone who has music or movies to showcase can use this network for that.
KM: What are the criteria for submitted films?
GC: As of now there isn’t a criteria. We accept all types of content and everything gets viewed before uploaded so not every piece of content will be showcased. There aren’t any submission fees.
KM: You had previously mentioned having an online film festival; how often will it take place and how will winners be chosen? (Panel of judges, viewer votes, etc.)
GC: We have yet to implement the festival into the network as we are working out the details now. We would like to run it twice a year and we’ve even talked about renting a space here in the NYC area and having a mainstream festival showcasing the online content.
KM: What is your vision for ClickFlick Entertainment? (i.e. what do you want it to accomplish?)
GC: My ultimate vision is bring online content to the mainstream with the network and provide the greatest array of content around.
KM: You mentioned in your press information that the filmmakers retain the rights to their films, you're just helping them distribute it. What are the specifics on that?
GC: Anyone can feature their movies through a detailed contract that states that everything is non-exclusive. We want to compile the largest library of content and give the content supplier the flexibility to do what ever they want with their content.
