9
2009
Toto, We’re Not in Movie Theatres Anymore
The first movie ever to be released on a mobile phone is premiering on September 21st. The movie, entitled Rage, will be released in episodes- as in one episode per day for seven days. The movie, available through a free Babelgum application, can be seen on iPods and iPhones in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Spain. U.S. viewers will also be able to see the movie when it becomes available on DVD September 22nd. Viewers in the U.K. can watch it interactively on September 24th or on DVD September 28th.
The movie, taken from the perspective of a schoolboy recording on his cell phone, is a fictitious behind-the-scenes story of a New York fashion show. The plot includes an accident on the runway and a murder investigation, all shown through interviews with the characters. Although the way the film is being released makes it seem like it was created by and stars college students, it actually has an A-list cast, including Steve Buscemi, Lily Cole, Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, Jude Law, John Leguizamo and Dianne Wiest.
The question of course, is will this work? Will people actually watch a movie on their iPod/iPhone? Their approach seems right. By breaking it up into smaller segments people might be more likely to tune in. I think they would have a hard time selling someone on watching a full-length movie, all at once, on their phone. We’ll just have to wait and hope that someone writes about the response this film receives.
What about you? Do you think you would watch a movie (either full-length or in episodes) on your iPod/iPhone?
