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New Distribution Models: The Journal of Short Film

Published on December 12, 2005

by Karl Mechem

I had a film-related epiphany in West Africa last year. While shooting documentary footage in Mali with a cheap digital camcorder and a couple of friends, I came across another American doing the same thing (but by herself). Suddenly my edgy documentary about globalization and the Paris-Dakar Rally was a little less exotic. It occurred to me how filmmaking has changed: what once was an impractical art form is quickly becoming the way that many of us express ourselves and document the world around us.

The first volume of the Journal launched in October of 2005.

But while filmmaking is being revolutionized by digital technology, film distribution is not. Without a new venue, many of the products of this democratic wave of filmmaking are going to sit on shelves and collect dust. Soon, if not now, we might be able to see films made by soldiers in Iraq, Buddhist monks, the janitor at the White House, or Bolivian coca farmers. Don't we want to see these films? And don't we need to hear these stories?

The Journal of Short Film (JSF) will be one new outlet. We will publish a collection of independent films on DVD four times a year, hoping to bring this work out of the dark. In addition to promoting short films, JSF will support diversity -- almost half of Volume 1's filmmakers are women, and a wide range of film genres are represented -- narrative, documentary and experimental work. JSF is employing the literary journal model to distribute short films. Rather than reinvent the wheel we are using a familiar format to introduce a new audience to the power and enjoyment of short form film and video.

JSF also seeks to challenge the marginalization of short film. Why should shorts be treated any differently than short stories? The short story quickly became both literary art and entertainment, yet short films are often relegated to museum galleries and the opening nights of film festivals. Perhaps this is starting to change -- Participatory Culture's DTV, Current TV, the Media That Matters Film Festival and other outlets are shortening attention spans and validating the DIY movement. In this same spirit, JSF believes that there is a market for thoughtful, entertaining short films.

But JSF doesn't just want to increase the reach of short films; we are also committed to furthering political consciousness. The Journal's first spin-off publication will be The Journal of Political Film. It will not be a proponent of the Left or the Right, but instead focus on exploring political communication. This collection will be of special interest to activists, political scientists, pirate broadcasters and anyone with a message to get across.

JPF will try to bring political art back to the public sphere. Identity politics is still important, but we think the public could use the services of political filmmakers. How is it that during an election campaign 95% of political ads look the same? Professional advertisers deliver most of our political messages using one focus-tested style. And it keeps working: political power is as entrenched as ever. American politics needs a new vocabulary both visual and verbal. JPF will try to foster such innovation by presenting more varied and more realistic styles of political communication.

The Journal of Political Film is coming soon! Stay tuned for submission guidelines.

JSF wants to bring diversity and innovation to the entertainment industry, too. There are clear monopolies in media distribution, and mainstream TV and Hollywood movies have the majority of the public neutralized. The entertainment industry is making money, and it has very little interest in independent work. Just as the oil industry resists alternative enviro-friendly energy sources, we can't expect the corporate media system to support independent film. We must create our own methods of production and distribution if we want to bring much-needed reform.

But this is not news to MediaRights members.

JSF shares MediaRights' commitment to supporting independent work. We do so as a publisher developing a new distribution model for art, entertainment, and documentary -- though we want to eventually erase the boundaries between these labels. There is no reason to be believe that short films are not entertaining. And there is no reason that short documentaries should be considered as less legitimate than journalism.

We envision a new publishing sector of film periodicals, ranging from pop entertainment to academic journals. The Journal of Music Videos? The Journal of Short Documentary? The Journal of Avant-Garde Film? JSF might not get around to publishing all of these titles, but it is clear that we won't be alone. In December the literary bunch at McSweeney's launched their own film quarterly, Wholphin and RES Magazine has been inserting sophisticated DVD collections of short films and music videos into their publication for several years. A new medium has been created, and we think that many stand to gain -- not just independent filmmakers and their audiences, but perhaps event art and democracy themselves.

Submissions to JSF are viewed by the Journal's three editors. The first volume received several dozen submissions from around the world, New Zealand to Utah. There is no fee to submit and filmmakers who are published receive $50. Although this is admittedly a token amount, it will hopefully increase in the future. A 1-year subscription (4 DVDs) costs $36 and can be ordered online.

Visit The Journal of Short Film to submit your film or to subscribe to this new innovative new publication.