David Lynch Online
Dateline: 3/26/00How real is this new online movie craze? Should you take it seriously? And if you are a filmmaker, talented and smart but without backing of a studio or a trustfund, do you worry that the Internet might be a bad idea to showcase your work?
Let's talk David Lynch.
David
Lynch is without question an important filmmaker. Lynch is most famous for his
dark, independent pictures. Severed ears, anyone? He is considered a master
for films such as Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man. He kept an
entire generation of college students in their dorms on Saturday nights to watch
the newest installment of Twin Peaks. More recently, he shocked his fans
with last year's G-rated, Disney produced The
Straight Story. Now David Lynch is taking another turn in his career:
breaking into the online film scene. Lynch has agreed to develop a series of
animated shorts exclusively for the Internet company Shockwave.
The new series is scheduled to debut this summer.
"The Internet is our future and Shockwave is a very important part of it," says Lynch.
Shockwave already hosts an impressive array of online film. Filmmakers with shorts on this site include Tim Burton and Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park). Harry L. Brooks, producer of the Simpsons, has also signed on with Shockwave to produce short films. So, if you are new to the idea of online film, it's time to start streaming the reel.
Some of the best new work in the independent film business is being shown in your own home. In addition to Shockwave, check out other influential sites such as Atomfilms or Ifilm. And please, don't be intimidated. You don't have to be David Lynch to show your work online. There are numerous other sites that will promote your films, Always Independent Film, the Binary Theater and many more. To be a filmmaker in the twenty-first century, you don't need a film degree or a pedigreed name. A video camera, a computer, and some artistic vision is plenty to get you rolling.
Related Sites
Online Links
Your guide offers links to the best in online films.How to Watch an Online Movie
Don't worry. It's simple. But you might have to download some software first.Lynchnet
Lynch Films site devoted to the innovative director.
picture courtesy of Disney films
