Paramount to release thousands of film clips on Facebook
Last Updated: Sunday, March 9, 2008 | 10:06 PM ET
CBC News
Paramount Pictures will become the first major studio to make thousands of movie clips available for use on the internet, launching its VooZoo application Monday on Facebook.
"The short clips for a movie that you've already seen before helps you relive the moment," said Derek Broes, Paramount's senior vice-president of entertainment.
Users of the popular social networking site will have access to footage from thousands of movies, including Forrest Gump and The Ten Commandments.
Facebook users can send the video clips to others users on the site.
The scenes last from a few seconds to a few minutes, covering everything from Audrey Hepburn's monologue about her "no-name slob" of a cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's, to Eddie Murphy's signature chuckle from Beverly Hills Cop.
DVDs of the movies will be offered for sale through a button that appears after each clip is played. Eventually, the studio will be using the same method to market upcoming films.
VooZoo is expected to attract a few hundred thousand users within its first two months.
"My benchmark for success is that people are joining and sending," Broes said.
The task of selecting clips was time consuming. Paramount staffers worked for more than a year to archive and tag the clips being offered.
Paramount officials say they're not sure how much they may reap through the experiment, and have no "revenue goals" attached to the project.
