Blowtorch, a new Hollywood studio, is inviting movie-goers to leave their cell phones on. The startup asks characteristically opinionated Gen Yers to give feedback about films (even in theaters as the movie is playing) and contribute plot points and video clips that could be incorporated into future features. The brainchild of digital advertising executive Kelly Rodriques and movie producer Paul Schiff, Blowtorch has already garnered $50 million in investment capital and plans to make and release films that appeal to the 18 to 24-year-old market. Theatrical releases in major college markets will coincide with on-demand TV offerings, Web downloads, mobile video, DVD sales, and events. This type of multi-format media onslaught will capitalize on college students’ ability to simultaneously manage many information streams and tap into their affinity for digital communication. Reuters reports on Blowtorch’s plan to generate revenue not only from ticket sales but also from advertisors hungry to reach 18 to 24-year-olds:
“What we do contemplate is to give our audience the ability to be involved,” Schiff told Reuters. “Our audience is fragmented and less reliable, harder to find.” A key element is to bring viewers into the process by soliciting video clips or production ideas that have a chance of appearing on the big screen and by asking the audience to share their reactions on movies. Its creators hope to tap into the energy fueling popular Web video site YouTube or social network MySpace. “We want to create a hybrid of a content distribution or media business with … a place where opinions are valued,” Rodriques said. Audience participation could include voting on supporting cast members for a production, helping select costumes or even sharing thoughts on a film while in the theater, he said.
It remains to be seen whether college students will embrace participatory movie-making, especially when it is packaged in advertising that will hit everything from on-campus bulletin boards to cell phones and Facebook pages. Blowtorch will most likely need to rein in some of their initiatives, but props for stepping up the game in a floundering industry currently besieged by piracy, a writer’s strike, and inflated participation deals.
—Sherrie Hui
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