Indie Filmmakers Use VHS and One-Night Screenings to Counter Streaming's Frictionless Model
By
Dana Harris-Bridson
Summary
Independent filmmakers are turning movie distribution into a performance art by using dead formats (VHS), one-night-only screenings, and long lines as a deliberate counter to streaming's frictionless convenience. The article argues that scarcity, physical presence, and shared experience are becoming valuable products in an era of digital abundance, with examples including a VHS-only film release, Criterion's traveling closet, and sold-out one-night screenings.
Source
IndieWireIndie Filmmakers Use VHS and One-Night Screenings to Counter Streaming's Frictionless Modelindiewire.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledStreaming spent a decade engineering friction out of viewing; this strategy puts it back.
One night only, VHS or nothing, hours in line: Presence is the product.
Finally there's something that makes Netflix look weak, studios can't touch, and leaves algorithms clueless: Independent film is turning distribution into the performance.
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