After the Tribeca premiere of In Your Eyes, the film’s writer and executive producer Joss Whedon appeared in a short video clip announcing that the film was subsequently available for streaming on its main website via Vimeo On Demand, a distribution service the popular video sharing site launched at SXSW in 2013.
Reportedly made for only $1 million, In Your Eyes is a “metaphysical romance” between two unlikely people from opposite ends of the country. The film stars Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, Meek’s Cutoff) as Rebecca, a depressed, sheltered housewife from the east coast, and Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield) as Dylan, an ex-con attempting to get his life back together in New Mexico.
Bellwether Pictures, founded by Whedon and his wife Kai Cole, produced the film. Known for its mission in producing smaller budgeted independent films, it first came to prominence with the production of last year’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Though In Your Eyes is a low budget, sophomore effort from director Brin Hill (his first was the 2008 low-budget Ball Don’t Lie), its screenwriter Whedon may be popular enough to prove online distribution is a good move. The film’s producer Michael Roiff (Waitress) acknowledged in an interview with The Wrap that the fan base for the director of The Avengers and creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was strong enough to convince them to experiment with an online release. Vimeo’s general manager of audience networks Greg Clayman added that filmmakers like Whedon were a big part of the reason Vimeo created their release platform in the first place.
Indeed, self-distribution has become popular among some well-known celebrities, notably Louis C.K. who released Live at the Beacon for $5 a download in 2011. It earned over $1 million.
In Your Eyes is currently available for rent at http://inyoureyesmovie.com.
Leave a Comment