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David Cross releases film on ‘pay what you want’ basis

Kai Ryssdal and Tommy Andres Feb 13, 2015
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David Cross releases film on ‘pay what you want’ basis

Kai Ryssdal and Tommy Andres Feb 13, 2015
HTML EMBED:
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Actor and comedian David Cross has entered the directorial game with an independent feature film called “Hits,” and he’s releasing it on a pay-what-you-want basis through BitTorrent.

Rather than follow the traditional route of independent film releases, Cross has decided to cut out sales agents and distributors in hopes of reaching a broader audience.

“The offers for this kind of movie, a low-budget indie with no real recognizable stars, were the very traditional idea of… ‘You play for a week in LA and New York, and maybe three other cities,'” says Cross. “Then it’s straight to video on-demand and Apple iTunes. That wasn’t appealing to me.”

Instead, he teamed up with BitTorrent and the video-streaming site VHX to offer a bundle that will include interviews, videos and photographs.

BitTorrent has been closely associated with online piracy, but the file-sharing service has been making an effort to go legit. “Hits,” a black comedy that satirizes millennial fame seekers, is the first feature film to be distributed through a BitTorrent Bundle. 

Cross is glad that his film is available online, but he also wants people to experience it in a theater. That’s why he created a Kickstarter campaign that surpassed its $100,000 goal to fund the film’s screening in 50 cities across the U.S. and Canada. These screenings will also be pay-what-you-want.

Watch the “Hits” trailer below.

 

A few rewards offered by Cross on the “Hits” Kickstarter page:

  • DAVID CROSS GODFATHER: David Cross will become a Godparent to your child.
  • STORY TIME WITH DAVID CROSS: David Cross will come to your house and read two chapters of your choosing of Fabio’s memoir … yes, someone pledged for this.
  • TWITTER COUNSEL: David Cross will run your Twitter handle for one week, and he hates social media.

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