The Lionshare

Title: The Lionshare
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Drama, Documentary
Starring: Michael Pantozzi, Bracey Smith, Jessi Kneeland
Director: Joshua Bernhard

2009 may well be a very important year with regards to film making; in the 80s the Japanese pushed the boundaries of gore, Europe demonstrated more naked flesh than was ever before allowed, and now it would seem the Americans are taking their turn, tackling the very manner films are made. On the one hand is the much publicised ‘Avatar,’ boasting a level of special effects that looks set to raise the bar beyond what many could believe, and on the other is this small indie film, with no real publicity, no advertising and barely any budget, and yet this too raises the bar of possibility in a not too distant manner.

In fact, I wouldn’t have known of this films existance if not for my trusty source for downloads, kindly sharing this work – an act openly encouraged by the creator – with the world. In case my hints have not given the game away already, it is VODO that are responsible for distribution, a site offering free distribution of all material in return for voluntary donations. This is a film that may well be the first step into a world of a ‘read-write’ culture; with the ability to market via the internet and distribute material to anyone who desires it, it is no longer the decision of the few who gets publicised, but rather it is the many spreading word of new artists of all fields, garnering recognition independantly which can only result in the cream of the crop surfacing on top.

It is this kind of revolutionary thinking that has been around for the best part of the decade that has been fought by the larger companies with little success against the oncoming influence of internet piracy, but for the greatest amount of time this has been limited to short amateur videos (Weebl and Homestarrunner for example). Perhaps the most conventionally successful of these being the original incarnation of ‘Sanctuary,’ (requiring payment per episode and distributed entirely online, it naturally flopped) or ‘The Guild’ (with professional actors making short 4 minute episodes, distributed freely online), but this is neither of those things. This is a feature length (alright, its an hour long, so a short feature), not only distributed freely but endorsed by VODO, which in turn work with more torrent and P2P sites than I’ve even heard of to get this distributed as widely as possible. This may well the be the next big leap towards a caring sharing culture where people are encouraged to participate as much as possible.

And it is in fact this very subject matter that is at the core of the story, revolving around the fictional torrent site ‘Lionshare’ and the exploits of the characters, all real life friends behaving in a semi-documentary manner, exploring the trials and tribulations of the internet piracy. It is a debate that has been waged for years, but this is a film that – not too subtly – demonstrates the view that it can be greatly of benefit to smaller artists in the distribution of intellectual rights without resorting to the same tired arguments, demonstrating that fact with his own work. There are a number of points made here from the ease of obtaining and distributing pirate materials to the notion that all modern work was influenced by older artists trying to mimic their idols, so by widening the number of artists on display music itself is able to diversify, clearly demonstrated in the course of this short film.

But sadly its not all good news; there is a ‘love’ interest tacked on to the story for reasons that I can’t quite understand, adding little to the film beyond some occasional awkward scenes, and being shot entirely using using commercially available handheld cameras, everything is given a raw amateur feel without much consideration for light or camera angles, sticking to very basic shots and failing to make the most of the medium. This is a snapshot into the life of the modern artist, living in a world where everything is available online regardless of whether you like it or not, exploring the benefits and disadvantages (with bias, it must be said) and it is not just the film itself that remains interesting, but what it stands for. This has the potential to be an incredibly important film for the way media is distributed, but my main concern is that its simply preaching to the choir.

You can stream this film here.