Little Johnny The Movie is a new Australian animated comedy premiering at Melbourne's Comedy Festival on April Fool's Day.
Digital distribution plus clever marketing targeting a niche audience - with a streaming option available in the US by the looks.
Australian content being pumped out over an Australian digital channel - this is the kind of activity that is under threat, if you heard Robert Tercec speak at the XMedia conference in Sydney last week. Tercec, one of the world's most prolific creators of online content, spoke about Comcast's takeover of AOL as the start of the end for an open internet. I'm more concerned about national sovereignty versus multi-national corporations - & whether governments can learn to withstand the mighty dollar.
With the networks building their channels online they will go into business with the Telcos to control not just programming but the quality of delivery - according to your ability to pay.
Little Johnny seems to embody so much possibility of a great future on an open web - where anyone can produce content find an audience.
While many Australian program producers are still looking to the networks and other traditional distribution models, Instinct Entertainment has taken a giant leap into the unknown it seems with this project - though it really is great content so from that perspective it's not a risk. Though it is in the native Aussie twang which is a no-no for international markets.
The cinema page of the website has a demand widget that tallies votes by towns and cities so you can keep track - though I don't know how many votes it will take to get screenings.
Distributor Instinct Entertainment has a swag of merchandising online for the Melbourne Comedy Festival Premiere. They are not, it seems, spending money on P&A (Prints & Advertising) to put the film into cinemas without any guarantee of an audience. Perhaps they are as wary of Australian audiences as Australian audiences are as wary of Australian films.
"He's cute as a button and has a mouth like a sewer."
Not only is there merchandising on sale online but you can stream the whole movie for just $US4.95 - the Aussie dollar is still on par with the USD.
Well, I'm assuming it will go up soon because it's not there at the moment.
If you want to meet the kid from Gallangatta on the big screen in your hometown then you have to raise a posse.