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Mark Smith wrote:
>
>Does anyone have any specific examples of the use of the Internet by
>film and television companies, and/or comments on what is possible and
>what may become possible?
 
It seems a little early for the major media networks to do anything
significant, but you can tell they are all keeping an eye on developments
in networking.  All the news networks include quite a few reports on what's
happening in R&D and consumer-level products.  This is particularly true of
PBS shows on new technology.
 
As for actual use of networking, I can't think of much.  CNN advertises an
internet talk site that Simpson addicts can subscribe to.  Beyond that,
there was the Rolling Stones concert broadcast on the net.
 
Japanese media seems to be doing more, despite the clear lag in internet
use when compared to Europe and America.  This can be attributed to a
"boom" in multimedia, meaning an explosion of media interest and not
necessarily an increase in actual useage.  There are constantly
demontrations of internet on network television.  These range from
entertainment shows that simply mimic the interface of Mosaic to real-time
demostrations by a stodgy Department of Education bureacrat on the NHK
education channel.
 
I think you're looking in the wrong place.  These examples (along with the
home pages for films and studios) are pretty lame.  What is really exciting
is the way small groups ---- fans, artists, activists, festivals, etc. ---
are using networking.  The experiments with C You C Me (spelling's wrong, I
know), mini-FM, locally networked TV-phones, and the like are far more
significant, as it shows how high-tech is coming within the reach of
anyone.  It will be some time before the major entertainment conglomerates
can do anything besides magnify what they are already doing (what's the
*real* difference between 50 and 500 channels, between a video game and
interactive tv?).
 
Finally, by far the most impressive experiment with networking on a global
scale and on major television networks _predates_ the internet, and
ultimately shows how unimaginative the majors are:  check out Nam June
Paik's *Bye Bye Kipling*, if you can find it.
 
Markus
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival