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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE First Feature Film in History to Have Worldwide Commercial Debut on Internet Award winning NOTHING SO STRANGE to have theatrical premiere on the same day. October 23, 2003, Orlando, Florida -- NOTHING SO STRANGE, the critically acclaimed and award-winning faux documentary about the assassination of Bill Gates, will be the first feature film to have its worldwide commercial debut on the Internet. The film will be available as a high-quality QuickTime Player download at www.nothingsostrange.com on Friday, October 24, and will open a limited theatrical run exclusively in Seattle at the prestigious Consolidated Works cinema (www.conworks.org) on the same day. The makers of NOTHING SO STRANGE thought that this ground-breaking strategy was the perfect match for their ground-breaking film. "The technology has advanced in two keys ways to make this e-premiere possible," said the film's director, Brian Flemming. "The Web versions of NOTHING SO STRANGE, compressed with Apple's latest MPEG-4 technology, have incredible visual and sound quality at reasonable file sizes. Second, BitPass' micropayment system makes it simple to charge for access to this type of content. Through a standard browser, users are able to access and view the file from literally anywhere in the world.” "This is an exciting application of the BitPass payment system," said Kurt Huang, BitPass CEO. “We are pleased to participate in a ‘first’ that is changing and shaping both the film and online worlds. The ability to easily access and pay for unique content provides an important Internet-based revenue model for independent films like NOTHING SO STRANGE." From the start, the makers of the innovative THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, Haxan Films, have been consultants on NOTHING SO STRANGE and its Web strategies. "This is probably the most exciting time in history for independent filmmakers, especially ones with controversial films," said Haxan Films' Dan Myrick, the director of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. "Given the rapidly advancing state of technology, we know that other feature filmmakers are going to start doing their premieres this way, and we're excited to be part of the first one to do this worldwide." The NOTHING SO STRANGE e-premiere can be viewed on virtually any Windows or Macintosh computer using the free, cross-platform Apple QuickTime Player 6. The movie is available as a small progressive download for US$3 (130 MB, about 20 minutes from a broadband connection) or a large progressive download for US$5 (466 MB, about one hour from a broadband connection). The file is not crippled by any "digital rights management" technology. Once the user downloads the movie, he or she owns it and can watch it an unlimited number of times, and the file will never expire. Free sample excerpts are available at www.nothingsostrange.com MORE ON NOTHING SO STRANGE A complete press kit and high-resolution images are available at: www.nothingsostrange.com/press ABOUT THE TEAM BRIAN FLEMMING wrote and directed NOTHING SO STRANGE. Also a playwright, Flemming co-wrote the Off-Broadway hit "Bat Boy: The Musical" (Best Off-Broadway Musical 2001--Lucille Lortel Awards and Outer Critics Circle; 8 Drama Desk nominations), and produced and directed segments for the Independent Film Channel's former newsmagazine show "Split Screen." He is the co-founder of Slumdance, an alternative festival that appeared in Park City in 1997. www.brianflemming.com GMD STUDIOS, executive producer of NOTHING SO STRANGE, is a groundbreaking new media production firm based in Orlando, Florida. Since its founding in 1994, GMD Studios has engaged in a number of areas of Internet and media production, with an emphasis on the experimental nature of the Web and what it means for independent media producers. www.gmdstudios.com HAXAN FILMS, the production team behind THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, has been a consultant on NOTHING SO STRANGE from its inception. Haxan helped to create the film's enormously popular Web "universe"--a collection of dozens of web sites that treat the Gates assassination (and conspiracy theories about it) as real. The sites have received over 45 million hits over the past 18 months. www.haxan.com BITPASS, INC. provides a micropayment system for online content and services. Founded in 2002 and funded by Garage Technology Ventures, Cardinal Venture Capital, and Amicus Capital, BitPass is based in Palo Alto, California. The system allows users to purchase access to the file through a prepaid debit card and is available, through trusted third parties including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and PayPal, for most internationally recognized currencies. The company is working with a variety of content providers in areas such as music, comics, and photography. Contact BitPass at 650-354-1844. www.bitpass.com HISTORY OF "E-PREMIERES" NOTHING SO STRANGE marks the first time a feature film has debuted in this manner in the United States and worldwide. However, the first-ever feature-film "e-premiere" occurred last month in the U.K., with the release of the thriller "This is Not A Love Song," which was available only in Britain. That film is unrelated to NOTHING SO STRANGE. More on that premiere: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3144775.stm ### All company and product names referenced are the trademarks of their respective owners. |
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