Why am I telling you this? Because sometimes the folks who shove off the mainstream way of doing things and wave goodbye to traditional methods of storytelling might just have the next big idea. In fact, the idea might be so fresh and new that we don’t know that it’s the next big thing because our heads are clogged full of patterns and structures that have been defined over and over again.
What I am getting at is independent films and independent games generally start the spark that erupts into something new and something big. I’ve been writing and reporting on movies and games for almost two decades now and I have seen these things play out before. I’ve seen the Blair Witch-type camera work and story forms bloom into big blockbusters like the Paranormal Activity series. It generally starts out unconventional and forms into normality.
Again, why am I yammering on about all of these things? Because all moviegoers and gamers should look for things off the beaten path. Should shun normality once in a while and try to find fresh content. One place has taken that strategy and built its entire structure around delivering new, fresh, and sometimes classic movies for the indie crowd.
Welcome to Fandor.com.
It’s a website that blends the streaming capabilities of Netflix with a large database of information like IMDB.com. It’s a website that is dedicated to the independent filmmaker, and that brings a variety of films, shorts and documentaries from around the world to you in one nice portal. You get a blend of movies that are put together from people who don’t have to deal with the egos of the big named stars and that are solely and most likely telling a unique story in generally an unconventional manner. It’s the type of material that won’t make it to your local theater or be instantly considered for Netflix or Hulu streaming.
Fandor.com houses fresh material that gives you a large spectrum of entertainment choices. It’s pretty amazing having spent the last few weeks checking it out.
Features, Indies and Classics
The first thing I noticed upon logging in is that I had no idea about any of the films on the homepage. I had no idea what Danton (1983) was about, nor would I have gone searching for it prior to Fandor. I had no idea that a 2010 film called Coyote existed, which is about the inner demons of a heroin addict coming to life. From Asian cinema to animated films, most of what I witnessed was all new to me, mostly because it wasn’t mainstream and there was little to no marketing budget to make it close to being mainstream.
Guess what? That is completely okay.
Some of the best material that you have never seen resides on Fandor. This is like the Steam of streaming sites, where you can find independent material that is just waiting to bud into a giant amount of success, even the stuff that is past its prime. Again, lots of unfamiliar film faces on Fandor, which put me out of my movie comfort zone.
Having said all this, Fandor does also cater to classic films that have been on the radar for most movie goers. For example, the first film I streamed on the site was Buster Keaton’s The General, which looked superb in high-definition. As a youngster in college, this was a film that was consistently kept and repeated in multiple film classes. It’s a classic movie that displays the prowess of Buster Keaton and his amazing stunts. Another feature that was mainstream, at least by the casting, was Zulu Dawn (1979) featuring Burt Lancaster, Bob Hoskins, Peter O’Toole and Simon Ward. Certainly there is a star-studded cast there, but you may not have been searching for a film about The Battle of Isandlwana, but it’s there and you could probably learn a thing or two from it.
Anyway, the streaming films featured on Fandor are a wide variety that are mostly made up of the foreign and independent types. Some of them have been out before on various formats (Kino Lorber released The General on Blu-ray a few years back), but most are new to the world, the streaming world and schmoes like me. Finding hidden gems within a sea of creativity on Fandor is what makes the site interesting on one level.
What’s the other level of interest for this site outside of streaming? The info!
A wealth of information
Each film comes with a synopsis, as well as some detailed information about the production (nothing too in-depth). You also get a full cast listing, awards that the film has won and an opportunity to do a review for the film. It’s a neat concept, especially the last part, where people can chime in about their feelings towards the movie. This is like a mini-version of IMDB that is embedded directly onto the movie page. Information and opinions are certainly abundant.
Now, what’s particularly interesting about the movie pages is that they connect you to other films that are related to the film you just watched. For example, while I love Buster Keaton, I don’t have all his movie titles memorized (I can barely remember my kids names some days). On The General’s movie page, there is a category called ‘Related Films’, which details almost all of Fandor’s Buster Keaton movies — and it is an extensive list. You can jump from one Keaton film to the next pretty easily. I like that convenience and I’m sure fans of Keaton will as well. The metadata used by Fandor must be picked and pulled with a fine-tooth comb, so kudos to the site for having a nice searchable database.
Outside of related films, there is an option for Keyframe articles (Fandor runs an online magazine called Keyframe) related to the production. Keyframe contains articles, videos and podcasts in relation to productions, genres, filmmakers, influences and just a bevy of different types of topics. Honestly speaking, this is probably a film teacher’s dream when it comes to unique content and perspective. While I can’t say the metadata matches up perfectly with the movie you may have just watched, it still brings some great topics to the table.
All about the audience
One of the more unique aspects of Fandor, and something that might set the tone for future Netflix/Hulu services, is the community that it has built. The big part of it, at least the most easily accessible, is the review portion that the community can participate in. Having the ability to give your two-bits to the world is a big deal (ask Metacritic). If the reviewer is good enough, and apparently watches many films on Fandor, they might get the opportunity to have their words pushed out in a more open and prominent manner by being featured on a page called ‘Top Movie Reviews’. Taking those reviews, picking the best of the best and then openly advertising/publishing them to the world is just an easy invite to attract a talkative movie crowd — and we know how talkative movie goers can be (editor’s note: ask DC writers Brandon Parker and Frank Hummel).
Outside of reviewing, Fandor also offers up an open door policy for budding filmmakers to submit their work for streaming consideration. That is absolutely amazing and certainly a big draw to join the site. Hell, you may not even have to join the site for that luxury. Getting one’s name and potential moving making talents out there for the world to see is a great step towards a bigger horizon. I’m not sure how the selection committee works and how pieces are judged, but the fact that Fandor provides that option gives great incentive to be a part of the community it has built. I know a lot of students would probably drool at the opportunity to have their work shown on this type of audience scale.
On top of all this, Fandor also has community events and a presence at quite a few film festivals, so whoever is their branding directors, they do a great job with being where they need to be to get the name out.
Anyway, Fandor seems to really want to open up for its audience. The way it looks currently, it’s paving new ground for a community and indie filmmaker experiences. Mark it down, Netflix and Hulu will follow suit once this takes off — and it will take off.
A bit of a ‘Fan’ now
Like I stated previously, I didn’t know what to expect from this indie film site beyond that it streamed movies I may not have known existed. The brilliance of Fandor isn’t solely within the independent, international or classic films it brings to the table. Certainly that brings new perspective to people, like myself, who have been riding the mainstream movie wave for some time. The real underlying genius with Fandor.com is how it has been constructed to serve as a movie theater, a movie database and place where people can come together to discuss and dissect movies. Having the ability to stop one place for all your information and needs is what will make Fandor great, as it will set new standards for streaming sites everywhere.
More to come, good folks. Check this site out when you have time.
