Kaleidospace

by Marc Schiller

Distribution and promotion, or the lack of it, has always been a fundamental issue for filmmakers working outside the studio system. Frustration over distribution was well known to Los Angeles-based artists Jeannie Novak and Pete Markiewicz. In April of this year they decided to take matters into their own hands and eliminate the major studios, record labels, and publishing house altogether. Their brainchild, known as Kaleidospace, allows independent artists to distribute their film clips, music, writings, and art work directly into the 20 million homes and offices connected by the Internet. For roughly $50 a month, you can put your video clips and art work online to be viewed or listened to by anyone "surfing the Net."

Developed in a spare bedroom, Kaleidospace became a site on the World Wide Web on March 31. This means that users of the Internet can now access Kaleidospace using a graphical interface known as Mosaic. Hooking into Kaleidospace, you will see areas to watch clips or trailers of movies, listen to 30-second excerpts of albums, or view an artist's work by phone, fax, or mail.