Crowdsourcing Indie Movies

Henry H. Perritt, Jr.

Abstract

Internet-centered technology developments are revolutionizing the ways in which movies can be made. The use of crowdsourcing to make indie movies is a possibility that has not yet been explored fully, although the use of crowdsourcing to raise money for artistic works is growing. Crowdsourcing can be used for every step of making a movie, increasing the range of collaboration available to creators and reducing capital requirements. The article uses a fictional account of a team of young moviemakers to explain how they can use crowdsourcing for each step of making their movie, considering what plans they should make for crowdsourcing, the available Web-based and software tools, and the business and legal issues that arise from that use of crowdsourcing. It concludes by identifying desirable technology developments and legal reform.