While YouTube and online
video is all the rage currently, I often wonder if there’s anything on these video
websites other than mentos-coke
explosions and bad singing.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy YouTube as much as the next person – but I am also a bit
artsy-fartsy, so I like to see artistic stuff being done on the Web too. One such project
is Stray Cinema, which describes itself as “an open
source film project”.
Stray Cinema invites
people to create short films, based on raw footage that was filmed in London on a digital
camera. The idea is that participants download the footage and edit parts of it
into their own 2 minute film. Links to free
editing software is provided – e.g. Avid, Windows
Movie Maker, Video Edit
Magic and
Wax. The films are then uploaded onto YouTube and embedded into the Stray Cinema
website.
Stray Cinema is also contacting independent musicians and bands, via social networking
sites like MySpace, to incorporate their music into the process.
Once there are 30 film submissions on the website, the community of Stray Cinema users
will vote for their favourite films. The top 5 films will be screened in London alongside
the directors cut. There will be VJ’s at the event, mixing film footage to live music.
Also there will be a live audiovisual webcast, live web-chat, vodcasting and blogging.
The date for the event is yet to be determined.
Stray Cinema is aiming to be an annual event, repeating the process with raw footage
filmed in a different city each year. All of this is being run by 7 people and there are
479 registered users. OK so it’s not a trendy startup with millions of users, but to my
mind it’s excellent use of Web technologies. Check it out if you’re interested in film
and how web 2.0 technologies can be used to create and promote independent
film-making.
