I don’t know, maybe it’s a waste of time, maybe it’s research (I sure hope it is, or else all these ‘business expense’ deductions are gonna bite me mightily on the rear…), but I spend a good chunk of my waking hours exploring various production companies and filmmakers’ websites. It’s truly an illuminating process. The sites are very often as eclectic, odd, or cutting edge as the films themselves, and can often leave as indelible a mark on your consciousness. But what makes a good one? What has an Indie film site stand out from the masses, define itself out of the chunky soup that is the Internet?

I have no idea. Look, I’m a blogger, not a freakin’ college professor. I only know something works if I like it. Branding is a funny game, especially with cinema. On one hand, films are eternal — you commit them to celluloid (or tape…or hard drive) and presumably they are there forever. On the other hand, there are just so many films that one is exposed to every year that the majority of them come and go leaving only the tiniest of footprints, or are altogether forgotten. Filmmakers have to seize whatever moment they have to make their impression, and one way to do that in today’s information-rich society is online, with a memorable web presence.

Here’s some sites I’ve seen lately that I think are cool. Some are film related, some are not, but they’re all worth a spin. Feel free to add to this list - I’m always on the lookout for more!

Ovie

Universcale

Manda Bala

Self Medicated

David Lynch

Desktopography

J.J. Lask

Oh, and stay tuned for updates from this week’s IFP Market!