By James
Amazon Prime Video started out as a great stage for independent film, much the same way that Netflix was, and, much like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video has declared war on the indie industry.
It’s everywhere man. Go to any indie film guy’s Facebook page and you’ll see them complaining about some big moving and shaking in the film biz. I know all these guys and so I began poking around and it turns out that thousands of indie films have been removed. Citing quality and this idea that they are looking out for their customers, Amazon Prime Video has told the filmmakers that have been drawing people to their business for years that they do not belong anymore.
In a message that went out to distributors and filmmakers, the people at Amazon have stated that there will be no appealing process. They have made their decision and the removal of these films is irreversible. This is not the first time that they went after the little guys. Initially, they decided to cut the payout for the independent films. They took about 70% off of what they were giving them, but that wasn’t enough. Amazon began to scrutinize content, dictating to the filmmakers what they could and could not have in their films. If you were a horror movie producer, get ready to re-edit your film and cut every gore scene out…unless you were a big production company. They tended to let that stuff go. The same went for nudity. Amazon knows best people. They know what is good for you and what’s not. Let them decide what you can handle.
With thousands of films now in limbo, looking for a new home, you have to wonder what happens from here. Filmmaking on the indie level is a labor of love and it is difficult to turn a buck when your film can be pirated so easily. Why would somebody pay the 5 dollars to rent it when they can just get a modified firestick and watch it for free on one of the many pirated sites? Amazon Prime was a place where fans could discover new films and not have to pay anything, outside of the membership. Everyone won, but now, it’s a new path for the indie film people and many of them will disappear and so will their films.
Amazon Prime Video’s no appeal message to the film business needs an appeal in more than one way. Maybe there is hope here to open the eyes of this giant and get some things done. The censorship that they have been doing on the films, the cut of the payouts and now the elimination of the films can all be undone. Film guys need to band together and let their fans know that this happening and what has been happening.
I wonder if Jeff Bezos knows what is happening to his company or if he’s just watching the money roll in. This could be a case of some lapdog of Bezos that wanted to be patted on the head and be told they’re a good boy coming up with a way to save money for the company, and it did. All this money that they have been taking from the indie filmmakers and now this all-out attack on the industry, has saved them some money on the surface, but as time goes on, this will not be the case. I will not be buying my things from Amazon anymore. Wal-Mart, y’all got me now. I hope that every film fan follows suit. Buy your things somewhere else. Cancel your Prime accounts and go to another vendor. Make a stand against censorship and the bullying tactics of this giant.
If you can’t find your favorite indie filmmaker on Amazon, he’s most likely been erased. You need to contact Amazon and file a complaint. File a complaint and let them know that you want to decide for yourself what is good for you and what’s not. They are basically burning books people and we all need to make a stand. Contact them and to all you filmmakers out there, cancel your accounts. Hit them where it hurts. Buy your products elsewhere.
To those at Amazon reading this: think about your favorite film discovery moment. Think of that time when you found something off the beaten path that made you fall in love with film. That experience has been eliminated from the next generation because you want to dictate what they will enjoy and what they will not.
