"Bubble": Experimental Film Meets Experimental Marketing

"Bubble" is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh. Since redefining independent film in 1989 with "sex, lies and videotape," Soderbergh has been experimenting and pushing cinematic boundaries with both avant garde farces ("Schizopolis") and Hollywood heist films ("Ocean's Eleven"). "Bubble" was shot in Ohio, featuring a cast of non-actors, from a script by Coleman Hough who also penned Soderbergh's postmodern "Full Frontal." The plot concerns a love triangle in a small town hit by hard times, and at the center is a mysterious murder at the local doll factory.

What is most interesting, though, is the film's unique marketing strategy. The first of six Soderbergh-directed films to which this strategy will be applied, "Bubble" will simultaneously hit theaters (January 27), be released on DVD (January 31) and air on television (January 27 - 9:00 and 11:00 p.m on HDNet Movies). The idea is the brainchild of Mark Cuban, founder of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban blogs, "It wasn't that long ago that some people in the sports business thought that having games on TV would reduce attendance. . . . It didn't take me long to realize that the business of the Mavericks was not selling basketball, it was selling a fun night out and creating a favorable brand identification with our team and our players, with the hope that people would be excited to buy merchandise , products and services from us."

With regards to "Bubble" and future ventures with Landmark Theaters and Magnolia Pictures, Cuban argues that there are different ways people experience films and he wants to be able to sell those experiences all at once. "People of different demographics have different expectations of the movie going experience," he continues. "Trying to mix them only ends up making both mad. . . . [Theater owners] believe they are in the business of showing the movies Hollywood gives them and praying that Hollywood makes good movies and spends enough money to drive people through the doors so they make some money on the boxoffice and concessions. They aren't."

2005 continued a downward spiral for the theater industry - with Netflix, illegal downloading, and shitty product all shouldering some of the blame. Cuban's model attempts to eradicate this by allowing viewers to experience films the way they prefer. It sounds a little crazy, but I think it's quite brilliant. Allying himself with Soderbergh shows a desire to appeal to film lovers, and revolutionize the business of film, while also revolutionizing the medium.