Short-Form Videos Linked To Movie Revenue

If less than ten percent of the world’s population demonstrates an interest in something, "something" may suck.  Or it might just not have caught on yet, and a new white paper expresses this opinion of short-form video clips for mobile devices.

John Barrett- Director Of Research: Parks & Associates

The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, along with Parks Associates, feels that short-form videos could help the entertainment industry.  "Rather than just sell digital content, offer free movie previews and clips as advertainment to encourage people to buy a theater ticket or talk about the movie," stated John Barrett, the director of research at that second entity.

And his excerpted idea seems like a decent one.  It’s only when handheld devices come into play that we’ve got a problem.  At a time when so many people are either sitting in front of or lusting after 50-inch plasma TVs, we remain unsure how cell phones and MP3 players can ever become popular video players.

Still, the devices are everywhere, and thus present a tempting target.  Laurie Sullivan points out, "Short-form videos as free promotional tools . . . can lead consumers toward more traditional channels as the entertainment industry prepares to distribute full-length movies and premium content on portable devices down the road."

Again, we take issue with the second part of that statement (or more accurately, the vision – Sullivan herself isn’t to blame).  But no one should be too surprised if special movie trailers and other extras become available through mobile devices in the not-too-distant future.