It’s astonishing to cruise around Twitter and look at the hundreds of updates from filmmakers around the world. I follow a little over 200, a good number but small in comparison to some. Even with just 200, I’m never able to keep up with all that goes on. A day off Twitter and the world seems to change before you get back.
On the good side, I’ve connected with filmmakers that I never would have known in any other way. I’ve had a few brief conversations on Twitter in 140 character blurbs with people like Yves Simard (Twitter @crewstv) in Auckland with crews.tv who worked with a preproduction Panasonic AG-AF100.
I’ve also benefited from posting videos, blogs, and links that get picked up into “the stream”, re-tweeted by other filmmakers, and tossed around. Traffic inevitably arrives at your doorstep. If you’re trying to raise money, you have potential for a bigger reach (as we have seen with my next film, Dreaming of America using indiegogo.com)
Yet the true significance of Twitter is the immediate and unending flow of wonderful, tangible, functional, brilliant, provoking information. Spending an hour online can be like a year of film school (without any practical hands on). Had I the desire, I could learn 24/7 for the cost of an internet connection.
The downside to Twitter is the immediate and unending flow of wonderful, tangible, functional- you get the idea. The sheer amount of information isn’t the issue, but the way in which it’s delivered is my concern. For example, let’s use the classy and talented Philip Bloom. (Twitter @PhilipBloom) He may author a great blog post and tweet for his 18,000 some-odd followers to know. Seconds later, another filmmaker, intending well, may decide to vent his frustrations with an editing platform. Seconds later, another filmmaker may decide to re-tweet a mildly funny clip from youtube. Seconds later…. and on and on.
Because Twitter isn’t hard-wired into my brain (yet…), by the time I log on a few hours later, Bloom’s post is lost amongst thousands of other tweets. “Couldn’t you just follow his website” you might protest? Sure. I could. I do follow his website. But the 140 character limit per tweet is a powerful thing. Often, filmmakers (and everyone else) won’t take time to post a full blog, but will take the seconds that it takes to post a tweet. “Couldn’t you stick Bloom in his own Twitter list?” Absolutely, but I already have 7 filmmaker lists. Sadly, a valuable link has been lost in time, which points to the heart of the issue: time.
Twitter is based on right NOW. “Now” is more important than what happened “Then”. Effective for live events and such. Not so good for finding filtering through to find the best information.
My inner director had to write this post to verbalize frustration with having valuable tweets swallowed in other mundane content. I don’t propose to have a solution. I hope to see human beings fight to get a better grasp on how to value content online, especially on Twitter.