Film and Digital Media @ Messiah

Frank Chindamo writes on his Mobile Phone Video website, Mobi—lize, that most film schools don’t teach how to monetize on students’ creativity. The secret to trapping the elusive “Income Stream” according to Mr. Chindamo is to make a series of very short, small films to be viewed over some network (like his company). There’s a big condition, however:

If you’re really smart, it’s a killer concept, cheap to keep going, and you make enough episodes to start getting revenue checks on it in 3, 6 or 9 months, and you’re not yet homeless.

With this pretty substantial caveat, you “can grow an audience and grow distribution revenues over time”. Sure. Right.

Of course, Mr. Chindamo would love there to be a surfeit of bone-hungry, fire-in-the-belly, sketch-comedy-wonks who’ll start cranking out cheapy yuk-yuk series for his company to pick over. It would lower his licensing costs after all. But saying “this is a lovely place to find an Income Stream” doesn’t make it so. Here’s a bit of Lewis Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark” to place us in the proper mood:

“Just the place for a Snark! [read Income Stream]” the Bellman cried,
as he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on top of the tide,
By a finger entwined in his hair

“Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice;
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true.”

…

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

…

In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away —
For the Snark [read Income Stream] was a Boojum, you see.

Does anyone remember the Dot-Com craze and its subsequent correction? Not to mention umpteen other examples of “hunting the Snark”? Maybe Mr. Chindamo is right, but given the extremely weak nature of the mobile-phone video market at present, I wouldn’t bet the farm on this sure-fire Snark [read Income Stream].

On the other hand, short, small films watched alone seems to be the direction of at least some of the media trajectories at present. Whether anyone can make any money on them remains to be seen. Google still hasn’t made a dime on YouTube. Take care you won’t vanish away by hunting the Snark!