Popcorn Taxi hosted the world premiere of the highly anticipated, much-hyped film The Tunnel.
Here's a blog by Chris Murray, Creative Director of Popcorn Taxi, entitled "Gettin' off your arse!"
“Oh, it’s so hard making a film in Australia…”
“There’s no industry here, it’s just not worth it…”
“You’re better off going to the States and making something there…”
Bullshit.
A couple of guys, editors by trade, have managed to garner more hype for a low-budget film than any other in recent memory.
Officially launched last night at Popcorn Taxi, ‘The Tunnel” is the result of a unique model asking punters to spend $1 on purchasing a single frame from the film, sight unseen. The film is then ‘given back’ to the public via Bit-Torrent for a legal and free download. A fair trade if ever there was one.
Enlisting an enthusiastic first-time director; the comforting advice of a group of people who know their stuff, and an innovative online agency with a difference; the wheels were in motion and the pre-production plus a calculated hype campaign kicked into high gear.
In-the-can in a staggering non-sequential 14-day shoot (including pick-ups), the post-production process (edited completely by the writer/producers) melted into the wee hours and with a teaser and a few behind-the-scenes offerings plus an opening credit sequence, the film was launched to the media on Dec 7, 2010.
Fast-forward to May 2011 and much has happened. A sneak-peak at A Night of Horror Film Festival to a packed house; a DVD distribution deal with Transmission Films inked, a sales agent in Cannes, a Showtime release schedule and an exclusive deal with Bit-Torrent to be actively promoted to their 100 million plus subscribers. Not bad.
To read the rest of this brilliant blog, go here: http://www.popcorntaxi.com.au/2011/05/blog/gettin-off-your-arse/
