Week Five: 'Camp Takota'

Resource
NAB: ‘Camp Takota’ Filmmakers on Using YouTube to Make the Indie Hit

Citation
Lang, B. (2014, April 9). NAB: 'Camp Takota' Filmmakers on Using YouTube to Make the Indie Hit. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.thewrap.com/nab-camp-takota-filmmakers-making-audience-co-star/

Summary
     The article explains how Camp Takota, a film produced by Youtube 'celebrities', who already had an audience to market the film to. Since each one of them has a huge following on their youtube channels and some other social medias, there wasn't much need to advertise the film even though they also strived to reach a broader audience. Due to their 'social media wattage' it sold nearly as well as 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyers Club. 


Quotes
• "Thanks to the social-media wattage of Grace Helbig (pictured), Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart, “Camp Takota” sold nearly as well as Oscar-winners such as "12 Years a Slave" and “Dallas Buyers Club” when it debuted on-demand and on digital platforms last February."

• "The filmmakers may not be household names, but on the internet, they’re platinum. As a sign of their clout, the film debuted third on iTunes’ independent film chart."

• '“I think it’s harder to get someone from a traditional media audience over to YouTube than it is to rally people that watch you on YouTube to go to a different platform,” Helbig said'

Reflection
      Camp Takota isn't really a film that I would consider to win or be nominated for an Oscar, but it definitely sold like one. The Youtubers didn't really need to go out on a limb to advertise their piece, incomparable as to how much other independent filmmakers need to. This comes to show how strong the social media community is, especially from platforms like these where your able to gain such a huge fanbase.  

     I definitely think that its something many independent filmmakers can rely on when in search for a big audience. Traditional media typically ignore this side of social media and only recently is where I see that they are trying to use it to their advantage.