Open content film

An open content film is a movie or film produced using open source software and open source methodology. It may be released with samples or source material (screenplay, script, footage, etc.) that are released under a license which permits other parties to create other derivative works or fan fiction. Its production is either an open call system in which a changing cast and crew collaborate in movie production, a system in which the end result is made available for re-use by others or in which mostly open source products are used in production.
History
The technology required to produce open content films was a limiting factor until recently. This has changed due to the availabiltiy of Open Source film production software, digital filming equipment, fast internet connections, websites for collaborative film production and simple licensing schemes such as the Creative Commons. The first open content film to be released was , a Swiss production published in April 2004. It was shortly followed by other open content films, such as (2004) and the well known (2005). (see also List of open content films)
Today more and more open content films are being produced which use free licenses or release the movie's sources. In 2006 the combination of these concepts has led to the production of Open Source films which apply Open Source Software methodologies and licensing schemes to film production and distribution. The first Open Source Film was Elephants Dream an animated short produced by the Blender Foundation which premiered in March 2006. Published in October 2008 Valkaama became the first Open Source feature film. In the same month, has been published in Italy Torno Subito which is the world's first free movie to be available in HD.
Definition
There is currently no commonly accepted definition of the term Open content film. However, in order to be considered as an open content film, it has to be produced and/or distributed through several distinct, but related concepts:
# The production of films using the majority of open source software such as Linux, The Gimp, Kdenlive, CinePaint, Blender, Genie Workbench and Celtx.
# The release of source material from a film under a license which allows other parties to create derivative works.
# The release of movies under free content licenses, including the Creative Commons by and by-sa or the GNU General Public License.
# The release of movies under licenses which are more permissive than traditional copyright, but which would not satisfy common definitions of free content or open source (such as licenses prohibiting commercial use or the creation of derivative works).
# The production of films through open, collaborative processes, such as the editing of a script using a wiki and Celtx.
# The production of an Open Source Film.
Open content filmmaking
The introduction of digital video technology, combined with the releases of numerous open source software like Celtx, The Gimp, CinePaint, and Blender, has made the means of open content movie production become more democratized. Like independent filmmaking, open content filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit a movie, create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer, but through open collaborations. However, while the means of open production may be democratized, financing, distribution, and marketing remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system. Open content filmmakers sometimes rely on film festivals to get their films noticed and sold for distribution under free content licenses. However, the Internet has allowed for relatively inexpensive distribution of open content films; many filmmakers not only release their films online for critique and recognition, but also post the samples and source materials online under the license that permits for fan fiction creation and other derivative works.
In the media
Like fan filmmaking, open content filmmaking is still in its infancy, and is probably still occurring below the radar of much mainstream media. As recently on November 7, 2006, Newsforge reporter Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier wrote an article which implies that the open source methods will not map successfully to film-making.
On April 10, 2007, five months after the Brockmeier article which stated that open source video was already having an impact even on at least one major Hollywood studio, New Line Cinema, which it has reportedly changed the title of Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson, in response to pressure from the Internet audience during the run-up to the film's release. This article also cites the existence of three open source video projects and two completed feature-length films as examples of the growth and viability of open source methods for producing films.

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