Nidhi Taparia

Goodbye PR, hello RealVideo. That's the message aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers can now give out, if websites like Dekhofilm.com have their way. Going online is currently the next big thing after mise-en-scene, with bigger audiences and potential partners simply waiting in the wings.

The Net has moved beyond the parameters of mere research and entertainment, becoming a viable, and lucrative, showcase for abilities. Ask Jalva Media, Mumbai-based filmmakers who, along with other filmmakers, decided to exhibit their audio and video streaming capabilities at Dekhofilm.

For the uninitiated, the film making industry, by and large, still sticks to either commissioned or commercial cinema. Experimental cinema therefore remains a Do-It-Yourself project. Which is where Dekhofilm comes in. What the site does is simply act as a platform for filmmakers to display their movies online.

Explains the CEO, Shailendra Singh, "The site hopes to fill in the huge vacuum that currently exists, for indie film makers from India, acting as a showcase where they can exhibit their works to a worldwide community of film buffs and film makers." The aim is to provide the filmmakers with a calling card in cyberspace that, in turn, could lead them to more enterprising ventures. For example, a foreign studio could be interested in funding a filmmaker after a look at his portfolio. The fact that these portfolios can be viewed without barriers when put online makes it easier for different studios or funding organisations worldwide to get in touch with the creators themselves, in order to commission future projects.

Unlike Hollywood, where filmmakers and artistes have come together to form similar sites, Dekhofilm is playing it the other way round. They have first launched the site and are now getting filmmakers to have a look and form a community online. A big name among them is Satya director Ram Gopal Verma, who has seen the movies being streamed online, and has enjoyed watching the work of these independent filmmakers. "He even took the name of the editor and filmmaker of a five minute documentary that he liked very much," says Singh.

What about the site's fabled counterparts in Hollywood, like pop.com and den.com, which ran out of steam? Dekhofilm is far from worried, because it has no plans of producing content or shorts. "We have had offers by production companies to produce shorts, and the site has generated a buzz. However, we plan to remain just a showcase platform. We may partner niche sites that would like to attract eyeballs using Dekhofilm," answers the CEO.

"Despite being technology-savvy, most filmmakers in India are not net savvy. In fact, many of them anticipated a certain charge for the service. We intrigued them by showing similar international sites for independent filmmakers," explains Bulbul Mankani, Content Manager, Dekhofilm, talking about the modus operandi.

The sole disappointment in this interesting story comes from film schools. Though presentations have been made to harness the creative efforts of students, the institutes seem forbidding. "It's a pity how these film schools seem so indifferent to the progress of their students. The lack of enthusiasm to showcase the ready material and provide a platform for their work has been disheartening," laments Mankani.

Planning to go the Hollywood way, where similar sites have helped small filmmakers and studios tie up, the Dekhofilm process has already begun. "Makrand Deshpande has already been commissioned to do short film for them. So it is simply a matter of time before the popularity of the site snowballs," says Singh.

The winner hands down, is the film buff, for whom it's a free film fiesta any time, any place, all at the click of a button. Plans for a pay-per-view as a business stream cannot, however, be completely ruled out for the future. The films do not require any downloads, as they are video streamed on Real and Windows Media Platforms. "Dekhofilm simultaneously attempts to give film lovers the ease of watching alternative and experimental films that are near impossible to see except at occasional festivals. We are open to the idea of streaming commercial movie clips, but nothing that has been shown on television before," says Bulbul. The interactive element is also strong, as viewers can rate films, review and post their comments -replicating the audience-film relationship in the real world.

The site has 35 movies in five different genres, currently. From documentary, to animation and fiction, there are also promotional movies with a social message. Adds Bulbul, "What we aim to showcase is movies that may not necessarily be hallmarks of excellence, but which are crisply made and appeal to different kind of audiences. It is what we are hoping to sustain. Besides, a lot films have been rejected because of bad audio and video quality standards that the Internet will not make allowances for!"

Movies have been eliminated as much on content as on the basis of copyright. "Most movies in India are either commissioned or sold to different channels. Out of the 60 movies that were submitted to us initially, we lost out on 30 to 40 films because their copyrights were not with the makers but with channels that refused to part with them. But, now that the site is up, we hope it will be easier to get these copyrights more easily and update our number of movies every two weeks. Though most films are from Mumbai-based filmmakers, we would like to tap regional filmmakers in the next few updates," says Bulbul.

If the people behind Dekhofilm are excited, the feeling has spread to others using it too, like Fahad Samad. Streaming his documentary 'Timeless Warps' on the site, Samad believes that movies cannot be made simply to satisfy one's own creative indulgences. They must be shown to an audience. "Its an extension of movies moving beyond just a screen. And, like the Net playing an important role in movie making internationally, I am hoping that this will bring about not just a forum or fraternity between common minded people. Maybe at some time in future, there will be movies made for the net alone!"

Where there are films, there are bound to be awards. In keeping with the Cannes and Sundance traditions, Hollywood now boasts awards for movies screened on the net alone. Shailendra Singh has similar dreams for Dekhofilm, "We plan to hold online film festivals, forums and more. A priority, however, is garnering the right numbers. We may, over the next six months, grow from our current 35 odd films to about 250 films."

As if being the first mover in this field wasn't challenging enough, the all-important issue of bandwidth also looms large. "Bandwidth is definitely an issue. However, despite net congestion and quality constraints, the movies still make for interesting viewing," maintains Mankani.

Looking at things objectively, then, one can safely say that streaming movies are definitely in. Our grandparents and wizened relatives will shake their heads in collective disbelief but, the question undoubtedly playing on their minds today is 'What will they think of next?'