MovieMobz - Cinema on Demand

Half social-networking, half movie distribution, MovieMobz could be a revolutionary new advancement for cinema-goers worldwide.

Or at least in Brazil, which is where the company founded by Fabio Lima, is based.

Their concept is fairly simple; users sign up to the MovieMobz website, pick their local cinema and are then able to make a ‘wish list’ of films they would like to be shown there. Once a film has enough votes from different users, a screening will be booked and an email is sent out to the users who voted for it, letting them know the details such as the time and date.

The idea is to get more independent and art house films being shown in more cinemas, so that they can reach communities that would not normally get to see them. But why stop there? If enough users want to revive a classic film back on to the big screen, or see a recent hit that’s finished screening they can do so. MovieMobz can provide all this while creating additional profits for the cinemas themselves.

So how does it work? The movies are distributed to the cinemas digitally, with the company using their own private BitTorrent system to speed up the process. Using digital copies saves on the cost, as it only costs one tenth what it costs to make a 35mm copy.

The way in which cinemas currently work is to book films from their distributors for a number of weeks. Although this is the way it is commonly done, it is not always practical. For example, if a film was booked to screen daily for three weeks but the seats were all empty after the first week, the cinema would obviously be losing money. With the MovieMobz concept, films are shown as individual screenings, so the cinemas would be able to fit the number of screenings around public demand.

Although this idea of cinema on demand may not be life changing, it could have some impact upon society. Small and independent cinemas could become much more profitable, as these are the kinds of places the MovieMobz concept is aimed at. If the company were to spread globally, digital distribution may also become much more popular, pushing out the old 35mm film, especially since it’s also a cheaper option. Also, the makers of the actual independent films could take in more revenue if there was public demand to see their films in more cinemas. Lastly, the public themselves may benefit from having access to movies that they may normally not have access to, such as foreign films or documentaries.

With plans for the company to move in the UK and US, we may just have to wait and see.

What have I been doing in my first week at Trent?

Not a lot. It's a lot different being a local student. I moved away to Lincoln University last year and did the whole freshers thing, but hated the place so I decided to come here instead. Last year I was out til all hours of the morning, drinking myself silly etc. as everyone else here seems to be doing now, but to me it just seems strange doing that in my hometown. Like, I've done it all before here, it's not as much of an experience. Plus I'm not living in halls like last time, forced into the situation where you have no choice but to make friends with the people you're living with. It's nice meeting the people on my course though, I'm sure they're all lovely. And I'm sure I'll go out and get wasted at some point...

What do I want to get out of my course?

The most obvious answer to this question is a degree, haha. But aside from that I want to improve the skills I have already attained in the different multimedia areas. I think I mainly want to concentrate on website design, though I am eager to learn other things. I would like to become capable at using 3d Studio Max because that program hates me and the feeling's mutual. Animation, film/video and photography are also things I want to try out, as I've only had a bit of experience with these.

Making some new friends would be nice too.