ROTTEN TOMATOES: "Serenity" Doco Made Available for (Free!) Download

"Serenity" Doco Made Available for (Free!) Download

by Scott Weinberg | August 02, 2006

As a big fat fan of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" / "Serenity," I was definitely looking forward to seeing the fan-made, fan-lovin' documentary film "Done the Impossible," which aims to cover the entire history of Whedon's TV-to-multiplex adventure. And get this: The filmmakers have invited us to check out the movie ... for free!

But why would the Joss-lovin' doco-makers invite you to see their movie for free? Here's why:

"In our opinion, the modern state of copyright is counter productive to creativity and free culture. It puts unnatural restraints on "fair use", hinders the creative process and has fundamentally destroyed an entire industry before it was even born. Just think of the amazing products, enhancements, embellishments and re-mixes to creative works that could be built with today's technology and talents. But because modern copyrights are so restrictive, nobody dares do anything that *might* infringe on somebody's oh so holy copyright. Thus, we have chosen to not go down that road with our documentary. Enjoy it, share it, re-mix it all you like, just be sure to follow the license below. But remember, producing this documentary was not cheap, so please support the creators of the documentary and it's soundtrack by purchasing the full DVD and soundtrack at DoneTheImpossible.com"

...and...

"This release is a preemptive strike. Somebody would have released our documentary via P2P (bittorrent, etc) anyway. By releasing it ourselves, we at least have control over the quality and exact content. Basically the documentary becomes a marketing tool for the full DVD with all of it's extensive special feature described above."

Anyway, I've seen the movie, and if you're among those who have a passionate enthusiasm for both "Firefly" and "Serenity," odds are you'll have a ball with "Done the Impossible."

You can purchase the DVD right here or check out the "legal torrent" approach right here.

Related Items

Movie:	Serenity
Celeb:	Joss Whedon

(1-14 of 14 posts) | Reply

Crenshaw writes:
on Aug 02 2006 07:32 AM

[b]In other words...[/b]
...we couldn't get a distributor.

I'll go watch it, though.

(Reply to this)

JeremyN writes:
on Aug 02 2006 08:35 AM

In reply to this comment (#841383)
Actually we haven't even tried to find a distributor. We went into this with the intent to self-distribute and market via P2P all along. Call it an experiment or a statement of faith in the concept, but given the strong internet community for Firefly & Serenity we calculated this would be a viable strategy. So far it was worked very well, our daily sales have at least quadrupled since our P2P release. That being said, if a traditional distributor wants to strike a compelling deal with us, we are certainly open to the idea. Contact me via our website if you are such a distributor.
Jeremy (at)
donetheimpossible.com

(Reply to this)

lexigeek writes:
on Aug 02 2006 08:51 AM

Having had a chance to see Done The Impossible at Comic-Con, I can tell you that the documentary itself is only a small part of the DVD. I kept looking at the DVD extras and thinking to myself, "This is unbelievable!" My favorite bit is that on the DVD-ROM, you can actually search the dialog of the movie, (and even search by particular people who appear on-screen) then go directly to that scene.

(Reply to this)

Crenshaw writes:
on Aug 02 2006 08:54 AM

[b]Fair enough![/b]
Good luck to you! But IMHO, in the future, just say what you said to me in your reply, and not all that PR-grinder copy posted in the story. When I read it, it sounded like an excuse, and not an intention. But again, that's just IMHO. I'm a big Firefly fan and wish you the best! ;-)

(Reply to this)

t-joint writes:
on Aug 02 2006 09:17 AM

[b]Sour grapes[/b]
"the modern state of copyright is counter productive to creativity and free culture. It puts unnatural restraints on "fair use", hinders the creative process and has fundamentally destroyed an entire industry before it was even born."

I'm sorry, but as a proponent for creators' rights, I find the above statement completely asinine. So, apparently Lars Ulrich didn't make a convincing enough argument for you when fighting Napster, huh? How about Harlan Ellison Vs. Usenet? Copyrights are there to protect artistic visions and livelihoods. I'm sure you guys spent quite a while working on this documentary and will be appreciated for it by fans of the series and movie (like myself), but don't start spouting rubbish about "copyrights are counterproductive to a free culture". To make statements like that shows amazing ignorance.

"Just think of the amazing products, enhancements, embellishments and re-mixes to creative works that could be built with today's technology and talents."

You mean like the Star Wars spoof "Troops"? Or how about "Rats", the short film based on Frank Miller's Sin City story? Or even Angry Alien's "30 Seconds With Bunnies" series? I don't see the creators of those films whine about "restrictive copyrights." You want to make a fan film about something, just do it! But don't even give me that crap about "hindering the creative process." My point is that the Internet provides for all sorts of support for non-commercial fan fiction and other creative deviation from established media and is an excellent resource for recognition of such.

(Reply to this)

InfinityCorp writes:
on Aug 02 2006 12:43 PM

If you are with Lars Ulrich you are a sour grape...

Awesome news about "Done the Impossible", and I look forward to it with great expectations.

(Reply to this)

t-joint writes:
on Aug 02 2006 03:16 PM

In reply to this comment (#841388)
[b]Not sour, just bitter[/b]
Conversely...if you're NOT with Lars then you either LIKE paying more for movies, DVDs, and CDs to make up for revenue lost due to illegal downloads or you like BREAKING THE LAW!

Either way you're a damn fool, and being called a sour grape is better than being called a thief.

(Reply to this)

ndrage85 writes:
on Aug 02 2006 03:42 PM

In reply to this comment (#841389)
[b]t-joint[/b]
Or you know, the companies could just stop trying to screw over customers in an attempt to further line their pockets with money. The prices that they charge for movies and music are absurd, and anyone who knows the costs to actually make and distribute the product knows this. Illegal downloading is not the big enemy that the industry makes it out to be, they're just too stubborn to use it to their advantage. I mean, look at the success of iTunes. And it would help if the major labels actually signed some good bands that produced worthy albums. The industry is so full of shit right now, there are hardly even any albums worth buying, or at least compared to what there used to be. 5 years ago I would buy a new CD almost every week, today I may buy one album a month, and my habits haven't changed because I can download the album, because there is no album. There is hardly anything worth buying or downloading. The studios just want to keep feeding us the same played out pop bullshit over and over. Most of the good music is on the indie labels, and that is where I buy from. That is why the big companies don't see any money from me. There is a reason why most of the music I download is either 10 years or older, or not available in stores anymore without paying $30. If I couldn't download something for free, I sure as hell wouldn't pay for it. It's not worth the money they charge you. Downloading for free helps in some cases. If I download a CD and like it enough, i go and purchase it. I say it's to support the artist, but i'm just kidding myself considering the artist hardly gets any of that money. So I support them by going to their shows and buying their merchandise there. If I buy a new CD, it's usually on the week it's released when the price is $9.99, which is a fair price, before they jack it up again. I do buy all of my movies though. I will admit that. I'm a collector of sorts and I like having the actual product, and one that is of superior quality to the shit you can download for free. Again with movies, I buy them on the week of release because that is when the prices are SOMEWHAT reasonable. Or I buy them used a few weeks later for $8 a pop, if I can manage to wait that long.

And I will be buying this documentary online. As a fan of Firefly and Serenity, I want to thank those who spent the time, money, and effort to make it. I may download the free docu, but I want to have all the extras and show my support.

(Reply to this)

kingkiller writes:
on Aug 02 2006 03:57 PM

The problem with the modern state of copyright is that everybody has gotten far too paranoid about it. So afraid that they go out of their way to protect their work. I also think there's a lot of technology we could have if everyone wasn't so freaked out about protecting themselves. There probably be a lot more medical advances if drug companies and scientists weren't keeping their discoveries secret from each other.

I think releasing it online is a step in the right direction. True fans will buy it anyway, to show support and those who download are going to download it, anyway.

(Reply to this)

Muddler writes:
on Aug 02 2006 04:43 PM

So, I take it the makers of this thing are all in favor of those companies that take great works of movie art and CHOP THE LIVING HELL OUT OF THEM to create more Ned-Flanders-friendly pics. 'cause it was copyright protection that stopped them and put them out of business.

(Reply to this)

t-joint writes:
on Aug 02 2006 06:17 PM

In reply to this comment (#841390)
[b]ndrage85[/b]
Hey, don't get me wrong. I applaud the makers of the documentary for allowing free access of the film to fans. For the work they put into the project that's absolutely their right and perogative. However, thanks to P2P sites and software, many creative talents DON'T have such control over their intellectual property.

I don't at all condone the expolitation of artists by media studios at all, and that's really not what this is about. I believe artists and/or other creators should be able to maintain control over their intellectual property and decide for themselves how that property is used and applied.

Think of the creative process as having and raising kids. Just as parents do in rearing children, artists and other creative minds strive hard to bring about and develope works of cultural merit and importance, whether they be artistic, scientific, or otherwise. Sure, some creators hope to capitalize financially on their work (just as some parents look for progeny to support them in their old age), but most simply create for the joy of it. Now, imagine some stranger, or strangers, taking that life's endeavor (or the child) off to God knows where for God knows what purpose. Puts things in a little different perspective, doesn't it?

Another point is I find it quite amusing that the same contingent who support file sharing, "fair use", and "free culture" are predominantly the same people who rail so hard against Microsoft for Bill Gates stealing all of Steve Jobs' ideas.

(Reply to this)

JeremyN writes:
on Aug 05 2006 11:22 PM

I wrote a (rather lengthy) reply to these comments, but in the interest of saving space I posted them on my blog:
http://donetheimpossible.blogspot.com/
Oh and for the record, the P2P strategy only continues to show it's strength. Our sales have been increasing every day and we have now far exceeded the quadrupling that I mentioned eariler.

(Reply to this)

Metallx writes:
on Aug 08 2006 12:37 PM

[b]Serenity[/b]
Bring back Firefly/Serenity! NOW!

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 08 2006 11:06 PM

In reply to this comment (#841396)
I second that. Big Time

(Reply to this)

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