The New, New Media.
We have no idea what the real impact of social media will be on the film community. We can get our panties in a bunch over the number of twitter followers, or blog reviews, but we need to get beyond social media as a distribution channel. People use social media because they reserve the right to have a voice. This is Generation C, for Create. I still believe there is a market for ticket sales, DVDs, etc. but the purchasers will part with their money if and when they feel their needs have been addressed. And those needs are to participate, not just to consume.
So...this fantastic experiment Star Wars: Uncut (thanks, Scott Hoffman.) People pick their own 15 second clip and remake it according to their liking. When it's done they'll knit the clips together and have a completely remade Star Wars. What is it, then? A fan film? A new kind of commentary?
Tarkovsky defined art as "taking a personal truth and making it universal." Each person working on Star Wars: Uncut is taking fifteen seconds and making it personal. The parts will be added together into a body which will be universally unerstood.Maybe this is a glimpse at what's in store for us: Social Media = Social Art.
