As we discuss a bit in the episode, BB isn't available in any form of general release yet.    Right now John's making the rounds of festivals and conventions etc, which is standard practice as the first step for an indie project.     

The goal is to collect as many "Grand Prize in the _________ Festival" and "Official Entry in ___________ Festival" as you can, in order to make the project seem all the more worthwhile to a potential distributor and encourage them to want to pick it up for release.

I've managed to completely miss this thread due to work the past week, but I'm going to make a few points - some may be pithy, some may be uncivil, but by ghod, they're going to be said, so Mike, please hold off on the ban hammer.... :)

Regardless of what TheGreg thinks, Backyard Blockbusters is MY movie. I, and I alone, control the hows, whys, and wheres of how it will be viewed and distributed.

This will never happen - if anything, at this point, it will never happen to stop leeches like you. And right here, this also destroys your argument - I do not choose for it to be freely available on platforms like Bitorrent. If it were to be placed on some freely available service without my permission, it will have been done so illegally and without my permission, and your downloading of such would be an illegal act.

One way or another, if you want to see this movie, Greg, you're going to pay for it.

What about something like iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, or something like those, you might ask? Well, if the film were to end up on such a service, someone's going to have sent some money or consideration my way first, and then you as a user would have the right to view the film on that service. Plus, you will have paid (either in money or your time viewing commercials) for that right, so no problem. However, if someone were to rip that file/stream and place it somewhere where you can download it for free, then again, this would have been done so illegally, and your downloading of such would be an illegal act.

You wanna buy a DVD/BluRay/implantable corneal projection system eventually? No problem, I'll be happy to sell or rent you one when that day comes. However, if someone were to rip that disc/data and place it somewhere where you can download it for free, then again, this would have been done so illegally, and your downloading/acquiring of such would be an illegal act.

One way or another, a legal exchange will be made where I receive something of value from you in exchange for the right to view the film.

Now, this is not to say I'm in this for the money. While I'd like to make back what I put into this, I've been lucky enough that I've not had to support myself with my films - although that year and a half I spent unemployed except for finishing the film was starting to get rough...  Moving forward, I would prefer to be able to support myself with these kinds of projects, as I have other movies I'd like to do - but I can't continue to make them without at least recouping my investments in the prior projects. Greg's poorly thought out vision of the future of media and content distribution removes that option for me. Under Greg's immature worldview, my freelance filmmaking ends here.

And that, my friends, ain't an option, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, I will clarify something - as much as Backyard Blockbusters is my movie, it's also not. It's Trey Stokes' movie. It's Sandy Collora's. It's James Cawley's, Chris Hanel's, Eric Zala's, Kevin Rubio's, Dan Poole's, and on and on... it wouldn't exist without the original creative works of, along with the help and cooperation of all these people, most of whom I'm happy to be able to call friends after all this. I have to protect not only my film, but their films as well, as all were generous enough to let me have access to their materials. Yes, in all cases, it was free - no one charged me for the use of clips from their projects in the film.

But the difference here, and the one Greg seems to ignore in his Bitorrent argument, is that it was done with permission. If I didn't have permission to use a clip, I didn't use it - end of discussion. I wanted so much to include footage of George Lucas from the official fanfilm awards, but I didn't, because I didn't have the right to those clips. Yes, those clips were freely available on the internet, but to use them would have been foolish, and potentially actionable - except in Greg's fantasyland were all ideas and content are free, apparently. But Torrents are, for the most part, illegally duplicated without the permissions of the original copyright holders - those types of files have no legal right to exist, and in downloading them, you are committing an illegal act, Greg. Doesn't matter if you disagree or not - you are, and you could be held liable. Will it ever happen? Probably not - but it doesn't change the fact of the legality, no matter your ill-informed opinion of the matter.

You say you charge an hourly rate for your services, Greg? Why do you feel I'm not entitled to the same? I'll be happy to screen the film for you at my standard freelance rates, since you seem to feel that's the only equitable way to compensate someone for their work. I have created a tangible product, although you foolishly disagree - Backyard Blockbusters exists. The experience of watching this film, either alone or with an audience, exists. You are paying for that experience - the method of delivery (online, theatrical, DVD, screening it on the side of a barn, me shoving an iPad playing it right up in your face) may vary, but the experience does not.

So one way or another, you're going pay to see it. It may be a pittance, it may be only your (or my) time, but you will contribute or convey something of value to me (or intermediaries acting legally on my behalf) to have that experience.

Or you won't get to see it. It's that simple. Just because I made a thing, does not entitle you to view it. You don't wanna pay? I'm fine with that. Keep your money.

But I'll be damned if you'll still get to see the movie for free, Greg.

As for everyone else - I hope you enjoyed the discussion in the episode, and forgive me for unloading. I hope I get to screen the film near all of you soon... in the meantime, I've uploaded quite a few excerpts from cut sequences to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ZTeamProductions/videos) for you to view...

I don't have any real news on future screenings yet, other than a rejection letter from Sundance that arrived this week... :(   It was always a longshot - but then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

I helped a bit, does that get me any points?

This may have been asked somewhere in the hoopla that was the last 11 pages, and I may have missed it but is there a e-mail list or something where we can find out when/if this is going to be playing at a film festival near us?  I'm sorry I missed this in Atlanta as that's probably the closest you'll get to me, but I would like to see it.