Cinematographic sytem | Cinecrazìe, originally uploaded by densitydesign.
Italian Cinema System is afflicted with problems and unsatisfied needs. These cause the movies to reach a really small audience, to be screened just as a technical issue or to be unable to find a distributor. Creating a new alternative distribution channel could help these movies in changing their status from “non-dead”, giving producers and directors the chance to reach a larger amount of audience. Problems slowing the distribution process are usually economic ones. Therefore, it is really important to figure out a way to cut expenses.
The printing of the film is a fixed cost for all distribution companies and it’s so high to it results in just a few films being in a few theatres around the country.
Promotion is another expense that’s usually difficult to manage for a small distribution company without funds from others.
It’s so obvious to consider digital media as the perfect answer to these distribution problems.
Converting movies in a digital format is a fast and cheap alternative, which allows an unlimited distribution in time and spaces, thanks to Internet.
The Web will be the new distribution channel, allowing all users to download movies which are now esclusively property of the Government. With the approval of conductors, producers and the Minister of Culture, movie files can be downloaded from different sources and reproduced across different players, suiting the appropriate format.
Cinecrazìe
In order to push the Government to applying the strategy, this new possibility for funded movies has to find a large resonance.
We can argue without doubts that if a movie is pubblically funded so it is a movie of the community and everybody is its owner.So why isn’t it possible to see it? Cinecrazìe want to satisfy this claim: projecting movies all around Italy for free, without an advanced notice in areas in suburbs, where cultural events are sledom promoted and where citizens are abandoned by institutions. Bringing Cinema of everybody to everybody, especially to people who will difficulty have other cultural possibilities, is the mission of the initiative.
This will make of the projections a temporary channel and an alterative to the traditional theatres, waiting for its place to be taken, or at least helped, by the new digital distribution model.
Replacing the Dêmos (people) of Democracy with Cinema, Cinecrazìa (Cinecracy) makes them synonyms: where the people is there is cinema of people and for the people.
The movement is designed to allow easy imitability and virality along the national territory.
Each single Cinecrazìa group has an autonome life, but is linked to other ones throught a web of blogs affiliated to the central one, supplying them instruments supporting their organisation and communication.
Who? What?
The many subjects involved in the Cinema System build up a pretty simple network.
Production, director and movie together mold a triangle. The movie links up to the Distributor.
With activities diffused all along the country, the local Cinecracies may temporary replace traditional distribution companies. Cinecracies can effectively broad the audience for minor movies, forgotten production and unreviewed directors. Cinecracies should establish relationships with directors, in order to obtain the leave to screen the movie, approving and some legal coverage.
The director, by allowing the local screening, raises his and his movie’s popularity. Media can no more ignore the movement once achieved the necessary critical mass. They will make possible confrontation between Cinecrazìe and the istitutions. The ‘screenings volounteers’ will be the audience’s spokespeople and representative of Italian cinema’s issues. Directors inside the the protest legitimate it and amplify its reach.
