Massify, the online collaboration site for film makers, recently reached its goal of creating the first ever fan-created film with the completion of Perkin’s 14, a horror flick scheduled to premier January 9 – 15 during Horrorfest III.
Most exciting is the process; from selecting the story to post production and launch, the Massify community was involved in making decisions every step of the way.
Massify, a young startup out of New York, was conceived by Kenneth Woo and Brett Icahn [yes, the son of Carl Icahn] as a network for filmmakers to connect and collaborate.
Earlier this year, Icahn told the New York Times: “Online networks should apply a democratic process to the creation of content, not just the distribution of it.”
Similar to MeDeploy, a company we’ve written about before, Massify provides tools for indie filmmakers. The biggest difference is in the level of community participation. Massify offers members a platform to share ideas with like minded folk with a goal of creating films that the community wants to see. By way of online competitions and community voting, ideas turn into films that Massify and its partner’s fund. Perkins’ 14 is their first group effort.
Perkins’ 14: The First Fan Created Horror Flick
Earlier this year after partnering with After Dark Films, Massify held a competition to find the first film to produce. Three months and 400 pitches later, Massify member Jeremy Donaldson, an aspiring filmmaker from South Carolina and his film Perkins’ 14 were declared winners.
The second competition for this film involved asking actors to upload audition videos and members to vote for the semifinalists who would be flown to Los Angeles for screen tests. By June, the casting contest was over, and the actors had been selected:Katherine Pawlak, Josh Davidson, Shayla Beesley, and Trey Farley. The final competition saw Justin Osbourn win the design competition for the official poster for Perkins’ 14.
While the premier is still a few weeks away, you can take a look at behind-the-scenes footage and read up on the making of the movie on the new Perkins’ 14 Web site. And if you’re a filmmaker that wants to avoid jumping through the traditional hoops of the filmmaking business, why not take a look at Massify.
Whether the Massify dream of democratizing filmmaking is successful or not remains to be seen, but, the idea of power flowing in the opposite direction to what Hollywood is used to is just the beginning of this exciting time in media. The Internet generation has arrived and it is clearly a welcome departure from the other forms of traditional media we have become accustomed to.
We’ve embedded the short trailer below for you to take a look if you’re not squeamish, and as always, we’d love to know what you think.
