For Kannada cinema, the idea that one can never be forgotten on the internet actually has interesting implications.
Sample this. The Kannada film industry, on an average, witnesses three to four releases a week. Most films, once released, viewed and replaced, are eventually lost.
There is television but filmmakers say that it is not always easy to ensure their film actually airs on TV. What is left is an occasional pirated copy online. “The problem is that many Kannada films in the last 75 years, therefore, have been lost. How do you access them if you want to?” asks filmmaker Pawan Kumar. “In other film industries individual producers are exploring the global digital platform space, the in-flight entertainment space, both to increase revenue and to get a wider viewership. So far, in Kannada, we have only explored theatre and satellite rights. The presence of Kannada cinema on digital platforms is negligible,” he explains.
Come October, his film, U Turn , will be available on digital platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes and Vimeo. Simultaneously, he is also in the process of signing the rights for in-flight entertainment.
Director Hemanth Rao whose film Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu did rather well both in India and abroad, says that a digital platform will definitely benefit filmmakers. “What about people who want to watch the film again? What about those that couldn’t catch it? If we’re looking to increase our viewership, the online space is crucial,” he says.
So what is the process of going online? “Broadly, there are two ways you can go online, especially with global platforms. One is Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD) in which you put your film out online and based on the film’s sales, you get your percentage. The other is Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) in which one of the platforms will buy the license to air it. It could be on a revenue-sharing basis or a one-time license fee. Here, the platform may scrutinise your film for quality. Generally, the know-how regarding this is low and hence we are yet to make the best use of this space,” explains Kumar.
Both Kumar and Rao acknowledge that while the digital space is tempting, it will still only cater to a tiny percentage of the audience.
“In India, internet penetration isn’t great. So the audience that actually has a subscription to a digital platform is really small. But we filmmakers should look at it as creating more access and viewership rather than generating revenue. Let people get used to it first,” explains Kumar.
Now, the bigger viewership base actually comprises those sitting in front of the television. But most filmmakers argue that they face a number of problems in getting through to a television channel. These range from television channels buying Kannada films at a drastically low cost to buying the rights and then not airing the film. “If a Kannada film is bought at Rs.60 lakhs, a Tamil film is bought at Rs. 1.6 crore,” said a filmmaker who did not wish to be quoted.
“Perhaps the film chamber could help filmmakers screen their films or make their content available?” wonders Kumar.
“We are in an interesting phase though. With a lot of young people making films and entering the television industry, things are changing and we are headed in the right direction,” he adds.
