Bringing Sundance to Your iPod
01.16.07 - 02:46pm
This Thursday thousands of movie goers and celebrities will join the skiers in fabulous Park city, Utah for the annual Sundance Film Festival.
The population of Park City runs only about 7,700, yet when filmmakers representing over 32 different countries come to preview their films, the population explodes to around 50,000. Movie enthusiasts descend on the city from every part of the world. Movies abound and are the star of the festival as around 200 are seen during the ten day event.
Heading in to Park City to join in the fun can be out of reach, however watching the movies is not. Itunes is now adding half of the short films showed at Sundance to their movie collection. The movies will run for $1.99.
This represents one of the first ventures iTunes has taken into the unknown as the short films will be something the public has not yet seen and whether they will purchase something they know little about is the question.
For Sundance it is a matter of getting these movies out to the public in a way that will benefit the artist as well as educate the consumer. The filmmakers will be given far greater reach as well as revenue. Director of programming for Sundance John Cooper says the goal is to export the festival beyond the multitudes who already descend on Park City. Cooper stated “In a way, we’re not that interested in talking to the people who are at the festival because we’re already at a max with them. We want to talk to people who don’t come to the festival.”
A variety of the shorts have always been available for free on the Sundance Channel Website and will continue to remain so. ITunes will also host podcasts of panels and other events that will be available for free.
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