FILM AHOY: British filmmaker Dean Fisher Creates Innovative British Digital Platform Launches to Showcase Independent Films

BRAND NEW BRITISH DIGITAL PLATFORM LAUNCHES TO SHOWCASE INDIE FILMS

British filmmaker Dean Fisher and his company Bow Street Media have created an innovative new digital platform to showcase independent films, giving film-makers a direct route to their audiences with real monetised views. Fisher and his team are currently looking for films to be included on the site, and hope to meet with sales agent, producers and other digital content providers at the upcoming American Film Market in Los Angeles.

While similar to Netflix and Amazon, which acquires and also produces their own content, Film Ahoy is unique in that viewers can watch films for free, with revenue generated through advertising, product placement and pay per view.

Film Ahoy has been stringently developed over the past twelve months and is the perfect podium for independent filmmakers to take on the pirates. The model is very simple. People have the option to watch any of the films for free, but with commercial breaks every twenty minutes. If they prefer to watch the films ad-free, they will pay just £1. The model is based on volume of views and by removing the cost of watching films our hope is that we will thwart the pirates! If you add the revenue generated from the £1 per view advert free, this model could prove to be very lucrative for film makers, distributors and sales agents.

Fisher says “As a film maker, I felt the need for more options in the digital world for independent filmmakers. If your film hasn’t got the named cast that everyone is looking for you struggle to find a home for your film and the offers do not cover the budget. I believe there is a need for more models to showcase low budget independents. We are currently looking for more films to go up onto the site – we already have around 50 titles. This can be from your latest releases to some of your back-catalogue titles. We can also be location specific, so if your title has been released in certain territories we can isolate them from the site. This will generate revenue not seen otherwise.”

The site will go live in November with a strong marketing campaign in place to ensure the site is visible.

How it will work
All revenue will be split 50/50 with the filmmakers / distributors, which will generate revenue back to the filmmaker, thus creating a more sustainable industry. Like with Netflix we will also be looking to produce some of our own content. In addition to the streaming revenue we would look to tie up with brands for product placement. Our platform is non-exclusive. Some films will have small theatrical releases and then be exclusively available on the platform. We will not be offering a subscription service as the site is about simplicity and high volume. With our model, we can also be IP specific and isolate any territories which the licence has already been taken. All revenue will be reported quarterly.

In order to get a project up and live on the Film Ahoy platform, there are a number of deliverables required should it be selected for exhibition.