CANNES — Marketers are being called upon to sponsor the 12 filmmakers picked to make next-generation science-fiction digital shorts for Ridley Scott.
Machinima global brand strategy VP Seth Bardelas, whose video publisher firm is helping Ridley Scott Associates on the project, called it an “incubator”.
“The idea is to incubate the next great science-fiction franchise,” Bardelas told Beet.TV in this interview during Cannes Lions. “We’ve received about 60 treatments. Each director gets a budget in the six-figure range.”
Bardelas said the project comes with a commercial opportunity, too: “This is about a brand becoming part of this movement, to help sponsor these creators and develop them.”
Named after the artform in which films are made using video game engines, Machinima is now a video publisher targeting males aged 18 to 35 with technology, gaming and entertainment material. Separately, CEO Allen Debevoise told Beet.TV during Cannes Lions that Machinima videos are watched around 2.5 billion times each month.
