'Rage' premieres on mobile phones
Updated on 24 September 2009
Not only is new film Rage shot in a unique style, it is being distributed in a unique way - by mobile phone.
They are calling it the first interactive, multi-venue film premiere, streamed online tonight, with viewers able to join in the Q&A via laptop or phone.
Episodes have been released via phone download all week. So is Rage, a film about the fashion industry in New York, proof that a mobile phone doesn't have to ruin your movie?
The story follows the point of view of a teenage boy who is backstage at a fashion show recording interviews on his mobile phone. When an accident prompts a murder investigation the characters begin to unravel. Familiar faces are among the cast and some are surprisingly unrecognisable.
This is the first time a feature film is having its premiere on mobile phones. It is being split into seven segments which can be seen on consecutive days this week and according to the director people are viewing it.
But critics from within the mobile industry say users are unlikely to watch a whole film on their phone.
The movie industry like the music industry is concerned about piracy and file sharing. This film attempts to circumvent that and has been encrypted in a certain way so that it can only be viewed, not recorded.
The director, Sally Potter, is so hopeful the experiment will work she has remortgaged her property to pay for it.
