Hello Boys and Girls,

It's been a while, yes, I know. But I've got a lot of goodies in this issue.
Plus,
a lot of things going on with our members.

I hope everyone is doing well and cranking out project after project and not
letting the `real world' get you down.

Anup

__________________________________________________________

1. CASTING CALL FOR MUSIC VIDEO
2. PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL
3. DISTRIBUTION / SHOWCASE
4. STUDENT CREW CALL DIRECTORY
5. DIVX DOWNLOADABLE DVD MENU
6. NET TV SHOW
7. MEMBER UPDATES
8. SAN DIEGO INDIE FILM GROUP FORMING
9. ARTICLES:
Q's For A Casting Director
Sony to Pay $1.5M Over Fake Movie Critic
IFP's Independent Film Week
BitTorrent moving uptown

__________________________________________________________

1. CASTING NOW for 2 MUSIC VIDEOS (LA area)

Music Artist: Shaheen
http://www.shaheensheik.com

If you've got a great personality and on-camera presence and fit the
specifications/availability below - please apply!
Please note, if we would like to consider you for one of the roles mentioned
below, we will get in touch - thank you!

PLEASE EMAIL THE FOLLOWING INFO to azadi.music@ [no space]
gmail.com
1- Which video you would like to be considered for.
2- First/last name and contact number.
3- Resume (in body of email, not as an attachment).
4- Website preferred w/ photos OR attach 2 photos (one headshot and one
full body - no nudity)

Music Video #1 - Wildflower World
Shoot dates: Sat, Sept 17 -- 1/2 day and Sun, Sept 18 - all day
Location: Santa Monica/West LA

Casting: 2 males roles
1- male, late 20's/early 30's, handsome, fit, clean cut, South Asian (Indian) to
play a husband role
2- male, late 20's/early 30's, must be very handsome, fit, clean cut, any
ethnicity to play a lover role

Song: Wildflower World
Listen online: http://www.shaheensheik.com/songs/songs_wildflower.html
Benefits: Credits, copy and food provided (no pay)

Music Video #2 - Here and Now
Shoot dates: Sat, Oct 1 - all day
Location: Santa Monica/West LA (in studio)

Casting: 2 male and 2 female roles
1- 2 females, 20-30 age range, any ethnicity (just not South Asian look for this
one), various "looks" (urban, trendy, hip) great dancer a must!
2- 2 males, 20-30 age range, any ethnicity (just not South Asian look for this
one), various "looks" (urban, trendy, hip) great dancer a must!

Song: Here and Now
Listen online: http://www.shaheensheik.com/songs/songs_here.html
Benefits: Credits, copy and food provided (no pay)

Thank you and best of luck!

__________________________________________________________

2. PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL

Here's a place where you can hone your skills on putting together a tv show
and actually airing it on TV like the Wayne's World guys. Also Rodriguez
used this type of facilities to edit, "El Mariachi".

-Anup

SD - http://www.ctn.org/schedule.html
LA - http://comcastoriginalprogramming.com/studios/default.htm
NY - http://www.mnn.org/
__________________________________________________________


3. DISTRIBUTION / SHOWCASE

Hello,
I am Vice President of Bulletproof distribution, LTD. in Laguna Hills, Ca. We
are currently looking for feature length films, Extreme sports videos, and
documentaries.

We are relatively new but, we have been establishing ourselves quickly. Our
office phone is 949 460-6499 in Laguna Hills. We have much more inventory
than is on our site. We are always looking to gather more. Thank you.

Jeff Spencer
Vice President
Bulletproof Distribution, LTD.
http://www.bulletproofdist.com

-------------------------------------------

http://www.anewbreedcinema.com
Not only do we cater to the film watcher, but we also give Film creators the
opportunity to make money off of their movies in a brand new way. A portion
of each ticket sold will directly go to the Filmmaker.

-------------------------------------------

Hi,

I am writing you to let you know that my client's new website, MEET THE
MAHONEYS, is up and running. The site welcomes – absolutely free – your
film and video projects for viewing on the World Wide Web.

MEET THE MAHONEYS is a showcase for film and video producers, as well
as for others (actors, singers, dancers, etc.) wishing to have their talent seen
by viewers. Located in Hollywood, our client will soon begin marketing the
site to television networks, talent executives, agents – the very people your
students will want to see their work. The site is like a "virtual" television
network, where viewers log in and watch short films, blogs, and television
"series" produced by anyone wishing to post their creative video to the site.

The site is absolutely free, and all work posted thereto remains the sole
intellectual and creative property of its producer.

I have attached a press release which announces all the pertinent details and
which invites you to showcase your film and video work at
www.meetthemahoneys.com. We have very high hopes for the site and fully
expect many of those who showcase their work on the site to land their first
"real" production jobs after having their work seen on MEET THE
MAHONEYS.

We welcome your questions and comments, and hope that you will enjoy this
new site
Cheri Waterhouse
Publicist
Paul Gendreau Public Relations
cheripgpr1@ [NO SPACE] adelphia.net
818-985-0245
818-985-7017 fax
http://www.MEETTHEMAHONEYS.com

__________________________________________________________


4. STUDENT CREW CALL DIRECTORY

Crew Call is a directory for film and video production students and those who
wish to employ or work with them. Below is our general sign-up form for
individual students and professional filmmakers who wish to be listed in the
upcoming directory. Listing are free for students and $10 for professionals.

http://crewcalldirectory.com

__________________________________________________________


5. DIVX DOWNLOADABLE DVD MENU

http://www.Divx.com is now encoding media so you can download dvd menu
digitally then burn it to a disc. Check out the free trial of a Star Wars fan
film.

__________________________________________________________


6. NET TV SHOW - KUDOS TO MAKING YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITY

Not Yet – a trio of Canadian comedians didn't wait for a tv deal. They
produced sketch comedy and put it on the net and is now getting a solid
following.
http://www.NotYetShow.com

__________________________________________________________

7. MEMBER UPDATES:

BAR MOMENTS TO SCREEN AT SDFF
Congratulations on being accepted into the 2005 San Diego Film Festival!

Your short film was selected out of over a thousand entries to be showcased
in this year's festival. The festival will be held from September 21 –
September 25 throughout San Diego's historic Gaslamp District. This 16-
block downtown area boasts over 80 unique restaurants and nightclubs, 11
world-class hotels, numerous high-end retail shops, 5 playhouses, and over
30 movie screens. See www.SDFF.org for details.

Your screenings will be held at the Pacific Gaslamp Theatre located at 701
5th Avenue (corner of 5th Avenue and G Street) in downtown San Diego.
Your film will be shown on Friday, September 23 at 6pm and Sunday,
September 25 at 4pm in Theater #6.


This was written by Matt Nourse and Adam Rudder and directed by Adam. It
features Greta Valenti (http://www.GretaValenit.com), Jaimyon Parker, and
yours truly.
-Anup

-------------------------------------------

FEATURE DEBUT
Matt Nourse is being super-prolific in addition to Bar Moments, he just
finished shooting his first feature, `The Pacific And Eddy'. Check out the
site:

http://www.thepacificandeddy.com

-Anup

-------------------------------------------

LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN A MUSLIM WORLD

Here's a sneak-peek review (with spoilers – you've been warned) of the
Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo, Defending Your Life) movie I worked on back in
Jan and is due to be released in Jan `06.
http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=20845
-Anup

-------------------------------------------

NYFA SCREENING

Roopa Jeevaji and I worked on a film for NYFA which will also be screening
Friday, Sept 23 at the Universal Lot. I will not be there, but Roopa will.

-Anup

-------------------------------------------

J'S PLAY

The Staged reading of
FAITH
An original stage play
By
Jaimyon Parker

Location: Creative Grounds Coffee House & Stage
3042 Glendale Blvd
LA, CA 90039
Time: 8:00 pm

Date: 09/08/2005

You are invited to the first publicly staged reading of Jaimyon Parker's
original
stage play FAITH. Enjoy the delicious beverages from the coffee house as
you hear an inspirational story of a young man's surúprising journey to find
his faith.
This is a free event to gain audience feedback and possible financial backing
for a Spring 2006 production.

Questions or comments?
Jaimyon Parker
jaimyon@ [NO SPACE] prodigy.net

Intermission will feature the stand up comedy of OMAR REGAN, winner of E!
Entertainment's Fight For Fame.

-------------------------------------------

SCREENPLAY CONTEST WINNER

Hi,
Thought I'd let you know how the July 28th, night went.
We were excited to be there... and then to hear Sharon's name called out as
the one of the four grand prize winners (out of 1,635 contestants).... was well
wonderful. We both heard the MC say Sary's Gold...but as Sharon said...
"gee that sounds familiar...oh it's me!" she brought home a gold statue "2005
Script P.I.M.P. Grand Prize Winner", a check and a baseball cap that says
writer... now the fun begins.... paperwork for the follow up and possible
connections.
Thank you from me for all the well wishes that went on before.
Here is part of the Newsletter we received:

SCRIPT P.I.M.P. AUGUST NEWSLETTER
www.scriptpimp.com
============================================================
===
(1) Congratulations to the 4 Grand Prize Winners!
============================================================
===
Congratulations are in order for our 4 Grand Prize Winners for the 2005
Screenwriting Competition: Sam Ragsdale for his script, FOUL DEEDS;
Sharon A. Shipley for SARY’S GOLD; Jason Whiton for THE BONSAI;
David Eskin for JOURNEY OF THE HEART.
The winners were awarded at the Hollywood Improv on Thursday, July 28th
during the Awards Ceremony.

Skip Shipley

-------------------------------------------

A POST-911 DOC NEEDS YOUR HELP

A powerful doc about all the Sikhs who were attacked after 9/11 is currently in
production and directed by Sharat Raju – who's `American Made' starring Kal
Penn was terrific.

-Anup

More info:
Blog: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com
Film: http://www.dwf-film.com
Initiative: http://www.dnsi.org

__________________________________________________________


8. SAN DIEGO INDIE FILM GROUP FORMING

Now Forming:
A group for independent filmmakers to connect and learn. We want
producers, directors, lighting designers, editors, directors of
photography, audio technicians, special effects artists, make-up
artists, costume designers, writers, actors… If you have made or want
to make a film in San Diego, this is the group for you.

Come join us on September 14, 2005 for the inaugural meeting. There
will be refreshments and a chance to network with other San Diego
filmmakers. Future meetings will focus on a new topic of interest to
you each month and give you the opportunity to meet other talented
folks here in San Diego who may just be looking to meet you.

Meeting place: Video Gear Rentals
11760 Sorrento Valley Rd. Suite M
San Diego, CA 92121
858-356-0200

Social hour/networking: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Meeting time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm

For more info:
call 858-356-0203
Email filmmaker@ [NO SPACE]sprynet.com
or surf to http://filmmaker.home.sprynet.com/

__________________________________________________________


9. ARTICLES:

Q'S FOR A CASTING DIRECTOR

Patricia Rose began her career casting for Jonathan Kraneof MCEG. At that
time in 1990, Jonathan was the hottest indie producer in Hollywood with The
Look Who's Talking series. Patricia cast over 40 independent films and pilots.
She recently returned from London where she cast the film, Provoked starring
Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, and Aishwarya Rai. Patricia also just
completed a feature called Lenigrad starring Mira Sorvino. Patricia is also the
mother of actress Danielle Nicolet.

NC: What are the most important things an actor should know or do before
walking into the audition?

PR: Know that no one will be just like you. To have faith in the fact that even
if
I audition two hundred times for a role—which I have been known to do—
more than that even—that when you walk in the room an audition, there will
never be any other person that will deliver the lines the way you deliver them,
nor will anyone look like you look, have the energy that you have. It's like
being a fingerprint. Every actor's an individual fingerprint, so therefore it's
important to be confident in that and not be intimidated by the other actors.
And the second thing is to know that the casting director really wants you to
be very, very good because they really want to stop looking. (Laughs)

NC: What are the important things an actor should or should not do during an
audition with you?

PR: Don't touch the casting director. A long time ago when I first was started
out I actually had—oh, I've had some bad experiences—I've had an actor
come in with a knife for an audition, I've had another come in with a gun—a
real gun! Make sure that you don't overstay your welcome. Do your job and
after you do it if you feel things didn't go the way you wanted them to you can
say, "Well, would you like to see it differently?" If they yes, then give them
the
adjustment. But don't hang out.

NC: Is there any difference in terms of how an actor should be in the room
with you and then when they're in the room with the producers and director?

PR: Yeah, I'm much more lax. I believe I have a very good imagination. You
come into the room and be yourself and then go into character. For a lot of
directors, I've experienced they love you walking in as the character.

NC: Nobody has said that in all the interviews that I have done and yet I know
that's pretty much to be true.

PR: Ah, especially for TV, you know that. Frequently, they hire who you see.
This has been my experience. Who you see on TV is who they are. I mean I
can't say that for Martin Sheen on West Wing and there are a lot of great
actors on television.

NC: Is there anything else an actor should know or do when they're in that
room?

PR: Take control of the room, make strong choices and don't be afraid to be
too big because they can always bring you down, they can't bring you up. I'd
rather you make very strong choices and make it very big than do it quiet and
timidly.

Taken from Nowcasting.com's newsletter:
https://www.nowcasting.com/actorsink/article.php?articleID=733&lastUpdate=
20050628181703
…
NC: What makes you call in a lesser-known actor: is it the headshot, the
training, the agent or manager, or a mailing?

PR: A lot of it has to do with timing. I get submissions all the time but I
don't
save them all because I don't have enough room to do that. If I'm in the
process of actually casting a film and your headshot shows up in front of me
and you look like the person that is the vision of my director then I'll check
your credits to see if you have film experience or if you've guest starred on TV
shows. It depends on exactly what they're looking for, especially if you're very
young. Then I will bring in people who maybe don't have an extensive
amount of credits.

NC: What is it you look for in a headshot?

PR: Mainly the eyes. The eyes straight ahead and they must grab me when I
look at it. After the eyes then I go to the rest of the picture. I know now
color is
a big thing, but it doesn't matter to me, color or black and white.

NC: What do you look for in a demo reel?

PR: If I'm looking to cast a certain kind of role, I look to see if the actor
has
played that kind of role before. I look to see who they play opposite of, to see
if
they can hold their own opposite a name talent.

NC: Do you care more about sustaining a scene or a variety of roles?

PR: Sustaining the scene.
…

PR: Oh, to get an agent? A strong theatre background helps, especially if it's
out of New York or Chicago, or London. There's great training in London. You
need to start young, although there are people who started at the opposite
extreme. I know of a woman right now who started when she was sixty-five
and she's now seventy-five and her pilot just got picked up. You need to
gather credits and how do you gather credits? You do student films, you do
non-union projects, and you get Taft-Hartleyed into the union, which means
SAG, which is of extreme importance in getting an agent because most of the
guest star roles and evening or nighttime TV require you to be SAG.

https://www.nowcasting.com/actorsink/article.php?articleID=732&lastUpdate=
20050620124330

-------------------------------------------

SONY TO PAY $1.5M OVER FAKE MOVIE CRITIC

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES - A judge approved an agreement calling for Sony Pictures
Entertainment to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the
studio of citing a fake movie critic in ads for several films, an attorney said
Tuesday.

Moviegoers who saw the films "Vertical Limit," "A Knight's Tale," "The Animal,"
"Hollow Man" or "The Patriot" during their original theater runs must file a
claim to be eligible for a $5 per ticket reimbursement, said lawyer Norman
Blumenthal, who represented a group of filmgoers who sued Sony Pictures in
2001.

Any funds remaining after claims are satisfied would go to charity, he said.

Sony Pictures declined comment. The studio did not admit any liability under
terms of the settlement.

After the dispute came to light, the studio temporarily suspended two
executives and vowed to monitor its publicity and advertising more closely.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl entered a final judgment in
the case last month, Blumenthal said.

The lawsuit, originally filed by two California moviegoers, claimed the ads
fooled the plaintiffs into seeing "A Knight's Tale."

In one ad for the action-comedy, a critic identified as "David Manning of The
Ridgefield Press" was quoted calling star Heath Ledger "this year's hottest
new star!"

In an ad for "The Animal," Manning was quoted declaring, "The producing
team of 'Big Daddy' has delivered another winner!"

At the time, The Ridgefield Press, a small weekly newspaper in Connecticut,
did not have a movie critic named David Manning, the lawsuit said.

Some of the movies Manning praised had already received positive reviews
from real critics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050803/ap_en_mo/movie_review_lawsuit

-------------------------------------------

IFP EYES THE PUBLIC WITH NEW "INDEPENDENT FILM WEEK" BRAND
TIED TO ANNUAL IFP MARKET EVENT
Wednesday September 7 10:20 AM ET

by Brian Brooks


With just weeks to go before the annual IFP Market & Conference, the
Independent Feature Project (formerly IFP/New York) has announced a new
initiative that will re-brand its yearly event, while targeting some of its
efforts
toward stimulating public interest in independent film. Now called
Independent Film Week, the event will contain the annual IFP Market and
consumers will be encouraged to see more films at first-run independent
theaters. Launching the initiative is the New York premiere of Magnolia
Pictures' "Nine Lives" by Rodrigo Garcia on September 19 at the Cleaview
Beekman. In a separate announcement, IFP has also said it will honor actor
Matt Dillon ("Crash") with a Gotham Award at its 15th annual event on
November 30th.

"Nine Lives," starring Kathy Baker, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Aidan Quinn,
Amanda Seyfried and Sissy Spacek, tells of the "individual experiences of
nine women as told through nine single unbroken camera takes. Cast
members as well as Garcia, who wrote and directed the film, will attend the
invitation-only event.

Open to the public are a host of events throughout the five-day Independent
Film Week that will coincide with the traditional IFP market and conference in
downtown Manhattan, although that event will remain exclusive to invited
industry professionals. Independent theaters participating in the consumer
promotion include the Angelika Film Center, Cinema Village, IFC Center,
Quad Cinema, Pioneer Theater and the Paris theater in Manhattan as well as
the Brooklyn Heights Cinemas and Cobble Hill Cinemas in Brooklyn, and the
Kew Gardens Cinemas in Queens.

"I don't think there's been [an event] where all these venues have come
together," Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP told indieWIRE Tuesday
afternoon. "We haven't done a lot of [work] directly targeting the consumer
[but] we had the idea bout a month ago, and put it together pretty quickly. We
already had [much of] the infrastructure in place to pull off a marketing
campaign like this."

Stimulating viewer interest in independent film directly is a mostly new
platform for the New York office of IFP. "We would like it to evolve into a
'Restaurant Week' for independent film, perhaps with discounted tickets,"
added Byrd in reference to New York's annual restaurant event that provides
consumers with specials at participating eateries citywide. Byrd indicated that
IFP will meet with New York City's official marketing and tourism group, NYC
& Company in October, which, according to its website, receives half of its $16
million budget from the city.

"Independent film [as a whole] doesn't brand itself the way Broadway or other
industries do," added Byrd, who said she hopes to leverage the cooperation
of exhibitors and distributors in the city to evolve this year's consumer push
into a broader event like other entertainment industries in the city. "When
marketing in tandem, one can get more official support than possible
[individually]."

Tackling this year, IFP is working with Moviefone, the Village Voice, and the
New York Observer and others as well as participating theater venues.
Additionally, IFP plans to "hit the pavement" to drive audiences to
Independent Film Week. "We're printing 50,000 5X7 postcards that will be
handed out by street teams," said Byrd. "It's a guerilla effort that energizes
us
a lot here."

Other than the re-brand and listings of events taking place around the city,
this
year's participants in the market and conference sections of Independent Film
Week will notice little difference in their daily activities, centered around
the
Puck Building and Angelika Film Center in Manhattan. "The market
participants will notice the added component in their materials. [But] the
market will remain exactly what it is [and] the only people involved with it are
professionals," said Byrd.

Planned free public events this year include a Slamdance staged screenplay
reading; a conversation with actor Matthew Modine on his experience starring
in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" at the SoHo Apple Store; a discussion
with actors who balance between consumer projects and independent films; a
conversation with "Nine Lives" director Rodrigo Garcia and director of
photography, Xavier Pérez; and a conversation with Norman Jewison on his
new book, "This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me" followed by a book
signing.

Closing the public part of Independent Film Week is "'Fatal Attraction' and An
Evening with Glenn Close" at the Museum of the Moving Image ($18 public/
$12 Museum and IFP members). The evening will begin with a screening of
the film by Adrian Lyne, which earned Close an Academy Award-nomination,
followed by a dialogue with Close about her career.

In separate IFP news, the organization said it will honor Matt Dillon with a
Gotham Award at the 15th annual Gotham Awards on Wednesday, November
30th. The event will be a departure from recent years in that Dillon will be the
only individual feted for a body of work during the show. The ceremony will
also include six competitive awards honoring films and talent.

Founded in 1979, IFP is a non-profit membership organization that works to
create infrastructure supporting independent filmmaking. IFP also has
chapters in Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Seattle
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20050907/112611360000.html
http://www.ifp.org

-------------------------------------------

BITTORRENT MOVING UPTOWN

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Mercury News


Bram Cohen arrives in San Francisco's Mission District, his hair disheveled,
his face stubbled with a day's growth of beard and his black BitTorrent T-shirt
proclaiming him for what he is -- the poster boy for a popular and disruptive
Internet file-swapping technology.

Time was, guys like this would be found hunched over a computer keyboard
in a distant Baltic republic, working anonymously for some offshore
corporation.

But now that the Supreme Court has clarified the do's and don'ts of file-
sharing, the creator of BitTorrent -- which allows video and other large files
to
be quickly downloaded -- has no reason to hide. Indeed, Cohen, 29, recently
relocated from Seattle to San Francisco, and he and his chief operating officer
are making the rounds on Sand Hill Road looking for venture capital for their
new company, BitTorrent. They've forged a partnership with paid-search
provider Ask Jeeves, and recently the duo flew to Burbank for high-level talks
with the Motion Picture Association of America.

BitTorrent already has struck deals with video game publishers to distribute
games with its technology.

Cohen's bid to commercialize BitTorrent is a measure of how far the
entertainment industry has come since the late 1990s, when Napster
introduced millions of people to the power of peer-to-peer technology for
downloading songs -- and mobilized scores of lawyers to shut it down.

The recording industry continues its legal campaign to crush the once-wildly
popular Australian-based Kazaa file-sharing service. But the studios are now
moving to embrace BitTorrent technology -- which gracefully and cheaply
distributes giant files -- even as they sue those who use it to trade bootlegged
movies, TV shows or video games.

``We have no aversion to peer-to-peer technology. For us, it is in some
respects kind of a promising delivery method,'' said Darcy Antonellis, senior
vice president of worldwide anti-piracy for Warner Bros. Studios. ``We
obviously have issues with its illegal uses, but to the extent that the use of
the
technology can be legitimized, we're all for it.''

It helps that Cohen never cast himself as an anarchist who bragged that his
technology would vanquish the old entertainment industry. He has gone out
of his way to castigate those who use BitTorrent for piracy.

The trick, of course, is converting the 40 million or so people Cohen says
have downloaded BitTorrent's free software into paying customers.

Over a lunch of veggie burritos and nachos, Cohen and BitTorrent's 28-year-
old chief operating officer, Ashwin Navin, talk about their plans for turning a
garage operation dependent on donations and T-shirt sales into a Hollywood
player.

Any examination of BitTorrent's potential needs to start with an understanding
of how it differs from other file-swapping technologies. BitTorrent breaks giant
files into tiny bits and spreads the distribution load among dozens or
hundreds of computer users. It's built on the notion of cooperative distribution
-- to get pieces of the file you lack, you must offer up chunks in exchange.

This approach turns typical online distribution on its head: the more popular
the file, the faster the download times. The inverse is also true: It took 72
hours to download Bram Cohen's September 2003 lecture at Stanford
University.

BitTorrent dramatically improves the economics of the Internet as a broadcast
medium.

With distribution costs removed, budding filmmakers like Ben Buie of
HighlyDef Productions in Altanta can suddenly afford to release ``On Our Way
Up,'' a full-length docudrama, based on the lives of three brothers, shot in
high-definition video. Buie uses Prodigem, a Mountain View start-up, to
manage the delivery and collect payment.

``We actually thought about hosting it ourselves, and the bandwidth costs
would have been enormous,'' said Buie. ``With BitTorrent, download is
distributed over several users. There was really no cost of entry.''

The power and efficiency of BitTorrent lured Navin, the embodiment of a high-
energy ``biz dev'' guy, away from search giant Yahoo, where he worked in
corporate development figuring out digital distribution strategies.

``BitTorrent solved a lot of issues that I think an aggregator like Yahoo or
download.com faces,'' said Navin, who joined the newly incorporated
company in October. ``Do we host? Does the publisher host? If we host, how
much do we charge? BitTorrent makes that whole question irrelevant.''

Navin and Cohen, the computer networking savant, share a vision of
BitTorrent evolving into a true distribution platform that not only delivers
video,
but also helps people discover interesting content online. Eventually, they
hope to collect a fee for connecting its audience to commercial content.

The first step along this path came in May, when BitTorrent introduced a
search feature to help people find specific ``torrent'' files they're seeking.
Search unlocked a fresh source of revenue for BitTorrent: sponsored links
provided through a partnership with Ask Jeeves in Oakland.

BitTorrent's search engine also points to obviously pirated content, such as
copies of the new Steven Spielberg blockbuster ``War of the Worlds,''
available with Danish subtitles from a Swedish site called thepiratebay.org.

When asked how he would respond to BitTorrent's use as a tool for piracy,
Cohen said he would follow the same rules that apply to other search
engines. The studios would provide notice of the infringing work, and he
would remove links to the stolen content, rendering it inaccessible.

The challenge for BitTorrent or any other existing file-sharing technology is
whether pirated content can co-exist alongside paid movies or television
shows.

From the perspective of the Motion Picture Association of America, the
solution is obvious: BitTorrent should use filtering technologies to block the
exchange of pirated works.

``There is a whole new market that's being developed with filtering tools, ways
of allowing these technologies to develop while preventing copyright
infringement,'' said Dean Garfield, the MPAA's legal affairs director. ``We're
hopeful that Bram will be a partner in moving BitTorrent in that direction.''

Negotiations between the MPAA and BitTorrent are continuing, talks that
Cohen characterizing as `friendly.'' BitTorrent is also in discussions with two
studios he declined to identify.

In the past, negotiations have failed because of the entertainment industry's
reluctance to put a pirate in business, said Hilary Rosen, the former head of
the Recording Industry Association of America. Peer-to-peer companies,
meanwhile, have been reluctant to go dark or filter out copyrighted works, for
fear of losing their loyal users, she said.

The recent Supreme Court decision in the Grokster case has changed the
tenor of discussions. It made clear that tech companies that tout their file-
sharing technology as a tool for piracy, or provide technical support to aid in
the theft, are legally liable.

A number of established file-swapping services ``are coming to the table,
either with the MPAA or with individual studios, to talk about ways they might
alter their mode of operations,'' said one senior media attorney involved in the
discussions.

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