It’s a little over 2 weeks since COF released online. Its been something alright. Initially I just caved in to the pressure and the comments. I didn’t know how to react and sort of went into a shell. Also what was bothering me was I never had a chance to sit back and just enjoy the fact that I’d released my movie. There was tremendous backend support work which I had to do and am still doing.
I understood what it takes to have a pay-movie-site….things go wrong…people don’t get passwords….they don’t know how to login…there are video buffering problems,all kind of shit happens, I have had customers call me direct to my house…etc etc.
Through all of this I was trying to upload a higher quality video…but have failed so far…the uploads speeds just aren’t good enough here in India…but that’s alright.Anyways….so, it took a couple of weeks for everything to be streamlined….and now with almost minimal backend support, the movie is doing fine, no great!…
Its a small piece of history, maybe in telugu cinema, if not Indian cinema...a full length feature film...shot on hi-definition....
it had a blog running, building a community around it....released trailers on youtube and finally released the film itself on the web....small but siginificant....I wonder who can claim to have made some decent money on something like this too?
Meanwhile, its been wonderful connecting with every single person who has paid and watched my movie….thats a privilege very few filmmakers have….its also a privilege to hear the choicest abuses right at your face….but the compliments that come through, more than make up for the former. :)
Anyways….so, it took a couple of weeks for everything to be streamlined….and now with almost minimal backend support, the movie is doing fine, no great!
The feedback I have been getting has been tremendous….people have either loved it or hated it….and that’s fine…I have tried to write back to most of them…
The number of hits has been gratifying,overwhelming…..33,000 hits at the time of writing….thats great!...
ofcourse a small percentage of people have decided to pay $5 and watch too…. I’ll keep you guessing on the actual number :)….but I’ll admit its enough to pay off my credit card bills for now….I know for a fact that 1 out of 5 people have shared passwords...which is great for the movie...not that great for my purse though :) oh well, you win some you loose some,right?
So yes….what does a filmmaker go through once his film is released huh? Well I think its unique in each case….I believe my movie has been a success, more for me personally…I made a movie…I said what I had to say…and I got a few people to watch it…and some of them loved it….thats good enough for me…for now.
Made on a budget of 4.5lakhs, in 30 days….shooting for not more than 4 hours each day…editing and other post work for nearly 3-4 months, depending on when studios were free…I feel vindicated whenever I read or hear from someone who has understood the movie and what it stood for….I have put a lot more at stake professionally than financially.
In the PFC community, I would like to thank ‘Striker’ and ‘OM’….the very first reviews which came out were from them….their views and thoughts gave me a lot of confidence in the initial days….when more such reviews poured in, I felt vindicated.
And ofcourse, OZ….thanks for just having the vision to build a site like this….What a community of people these are….what a collective passion for cinema!. By taking up a cause like ‘confessions’ and several others, you truly stand by what you say your site is all about.
lol...this is beginning to sound like an award acceptance speech....so yeah, I'll continue..stop the music, let me finish...
thanks to everyone at PFC....we may not know each other by faces....but we know each other by our collective passions for cinema.
thanks to everyone who followed my blog....you didnt know me or my film then....but decided to spend some time on it.
thanks to everyone who wished me well....every great review and every bad review....if someone feels for your movie....good or bad....its an honour either ways.
thanks to my friends and family....for not questioning why I decided to do this...and supporting me all the way through.
thanks to anurag kashyap...I dont know you personally and I dont think you have watched it...but your outlook on cinema has been inspiring to me...a scene in my movie was based on your feelings.
(PFC viewers take the trouble to guess which one :))
thanks to kamal, for living the role and carrying the film on his shoulders....(remember guys, just one actor in a movie and 1hr:45mins, its not as easy as it sounds,its fucking tough.)
and finally....
thanks to our constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression, for which PFC and my blog is evidence of...
ciao.
for now...
Anish Kuruvilla
