“Independent producer opens a window on the filmmaking process”

Now this is interesting:

The producers of this ultra-low-budget romantic comedy about a deadbeat actor and his sister who becomes mixed up with the mob took an unorthodox approach: They decided to turn the cameras on themselves, using a live video stream to let viewers watch the production from beginning to end and interact with the film’s cast and crew through a chat room.

For a fee of about $10, viewers can log onto the website SulSet.com and “see everything that happens behind the scenes on a real Hollywood movie set,” said Kim Sarubbi, president of Saddle Ranch Productions, a Los Angeles company that is producing the film. Saddle Ranch, a newcomer to feature films, is better known for making documentaries and short videos about pet care and healthcare that are shown in the offices of veterinarians and doctors.

Sarubbi initially launched the website as a way to recoup some of the $200,000 invested in the film, which doesn’t have a distributor and features a cast of unknown actors. She figured it would mostly be of interest to friends and family of crew members who were curious to follow the production.

“I thought if we could create a built-in audience and an additional revenue stream, why not?” said Sarubbi, a veteran advertising and marketing executive.

She said about 800 subscribers have signed up since the service went live Saturday. She hopes to eventually attract 20,000 subscribers by marketing to film schools and other groups.

I like this type of innovative thinking. In fact, it’s just these kinds of thing that keep me hopeful some combination of ideas are going to evolve into a coherent and viable funding, marketing, and distribution plan for indie films.

For more information, you can go SulSet.com.