All of Smith’s previous movies, save, perhaps his initial hit, Clerks, have been released to the theaters first, as is the standard Hollywood way. Now, however, thanks to the increasing quality of streaming video, releasing a first run title to the video-streaming audience first is a growing trend. Initially, the video on demand avenue has been reserved for foreign films that have built up some buzz in the United States. This includes movies like 13 Assassins, [REC] 2, and Monsters, to name a few.

Now, you can add Kevin Smith and his Red State movie to this list. Smith is, at least in terms of United States audiences, one of the most well-known, or at least infamous, movie makers to go the video on demand route. Red State is Smith’s first foray into the horror genre–unless you consider Cop Out to be a horror movie–and the during the film’s creation and subsequent rounds at various film festivals, Red State had to deal with some distribution issues.

As a result, Smith decided to self-distribute the movie, relying on word of mouth and the viral power of the web to help promote his latest film.

Part of this promotion includes the video on demand route, as Red State’s VOD release was announced on the Red Statements blog. With that in mind, Red State is now available to U.S. audiences on sites like YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon.

Red State is also available for your Android device as well.

To get access to Smith’s latest movie, would-be video on demand renters must pay $9.99, for which you are allowed access to the film for 48 hours. While the film has already had a limited engagement theatrical run–mainly to kick-start the word of mouth movement–the VOD release is considered a pre-theatrical release, something Amazon indicates, even in the title’s URL:

http://www.amazon.com/Red-State-Pre-Theatrical-Rental…

Because the film was released to the VOD world today (September 1st), it has enjoyed something of a Twitter trend. By and large, the buzz appears to be good. Meanwhile, Smith also went on Twitter to notify the masses and answer a few questions about the non-standard release.

As indicated, reaction to Smith’s newest movie has been largely positive, although, not all of it.

That tweet was made after a theatrical screening.

And then there’s this very astute nugget:

Considering Smith’s already-solid popularity and the fact that a lot of people are talking about it right now, don’t be surprised if Red State sets some kind of VOD record. If you’re unsure about whether or not to join in on the fun, start with the trailer first:

I was not aware that Hulu had filmmakers guest posting on their blog, although there was a post the other day that I evidently missed from David Modigliani, director/producer of "Crawford" as well.

Smith, a man whose dialogue I’ve quoted more times throughout the years than I can count, has used his post on the Hulu blog to tell a story about a movie called "Slacker" that was apparently one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) influences on Smith’s filmmaking career. Of course, he also uses this opportunity to tell us this film is available to watch via Hulu.

I’m writing about this for a couple of reasons. For one, I’m a fan of Kevin Smith’s work (for the most part), and I just found it interesting that he was blogging for one of the big online video players. Secondly, I find this to be a good example of how a business can use a blog to market itself. It’s not a new strategy by any means, but it highlights a good example of it.

Smith says, "If you hate me and my films, blame Richard Linklater’s Slacker. And if you love me and my films, thank Richard Linklater for Slacker." What we have here is basically a testimonial for a movie. A movie that I have never heard of, but now admittedly has me intrigued. I will probably check it out when I have time.
From this simple celebrity blog post, Hulu will gain views for this particular film (meaning views for the ads that accompany it), a reason for readers to keep up with their blog, a credible celebrity endorsement of their service, and frankly, just an enjoyable blog post.

Businesses could use this as an example of how to market themselves with a blog. Not everyone’s going to be able to get a Kevin Smith to write for them, but a well placed guest post from someone well-known within your niche, or even from someone who just knows what they’re talking about can increase awareness and best of all interest in your product. There are some pretty good guidelines on guest posts here as well.