30/10/2007

Digital as a creative territory, distribution format and thus market resource represents the future, everywhere. At least in those countries in which it’s not already the present. API and ANICA dedicated a conference to this important subject – entitled Le Goût des autres ou bien l’autre défi numérique - “World Going Digital: New territories of creation & distribution” – on October 22, as part of RomeFilmFest Business Street market.

The numbers and estimates speak clearly, according to research conducted by Screen Digest in 2006 (commissioned by the EU and entitled “Convergence”) and presented at the forum by Vincent Letang. “Even though Europe is very much behind the US and Japan in the broadcasting of broadband audiovisual material,” he said, “we predict that in 2010 there will be 120 million broadband home-users. The estimates on revenue from cinema content in Europe from Video on Demand are approximately €1.2bn”.

However, there are still numerous and not easily solvable problems. The main ones to emerge from the daylong event were protection of rights, cost adjustments and, above all, online piracy.

Nevertheless, optimism and proposals abounded for new creative and business models, especially in the use of the web as a production source and destination distribution of audiovisual material.

One highly original example came from Finland, with the presentation of the case history of Timo Vuorensola’s film The Starwreck. Conceived, created, produced and distributed entirely online, it had a budget of €15,000, took seven years to make, featured a screenplay half written by the web community and was subtitled in various languages. With its online visibility its download earnings have been $5m so far.

Also of note was the announcement of the upcoming launch of Tiscali’s IPTV, which through a decoder attached to a DSL modem and television set makes TV content interactive, and an initiative announced by Lazio Region Cultural Councillor Giulia Rodano – a competition (“Million Euro Challenge”) for the creation of cross-platform projects aimed at promoting regional cultural patrimony.

(Translated from Italian)