Icebox will relaunch later this year. Lately it has been focused on selling some of its proprietary properties, including Queer Duck, about to come out as a direct-to-video film. © 2000 Mishmash Media/Icebox Inc.

Machinima.com aggregates Machinima films into channels tied to specific games. The Halo channel, launched in May 2006, served more than 1.4 million videos just during beta testing. Other current channels on the site include World of Warcraft, Sims 2, F.E.A.R., Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament, Everquest 2 and Quake.

Although bandwidth considerations have made it impossible for every submitted Machinima to be uploaded, the company hopes to be able to open the site up to all user content soon, as well as adding social networking and other features. “It’s a great way [for fans] to finally realize that idea they always wanted to make,” says Philip DeBevoise, president of Machinima.com. “That’s why we’re here. To help them take a fantastic idea that in traditional media may never be realized, and bring it to life.”

Heavy also features user-generated Machinima, including Red vs. Blue, based on Halo. It also produces Machinima, recently debuting a new series, Pimp My Weapon, done for Sony to help promote its God of War franchise. Pimp attracted nine million streams very quickly, according to Carson. Tourette’s Cowboy and Gangster Nanny 911 are other examples on Heavy, which ran a whole season of Machinima last November consisting of three to eight episodes each of eight different shows.

Atom has gotten into user-generated content with the launch of AddictingClips, a sister site to AtomFilms.com and AddictingGames, which Atom purchased in November 2005. Consumers can upload and share video, animation and games, and a Cash for Clips program allows the best creators to win prizes and further distribution on AtomFilms. AddictingClips, which is one of a relatively few user-generated portals where viewers can upload Flash productions, receives four to five million visitors per month.

“This viral content is a big draw,” says Scott Roesch, vp/gm of AtomFilms and Addicting Clips. He points out that the company sees AddictingClips more as a driver of traffic to its other sites rather than as a standalone business. It also may be able to mine the site for content with franchise potential. But Roesch cautions that screening content on the front end would fly in the face of what user-generated sites are all about. “These have to be passive conduits,” he says. The company can look at viewership numbers and feedback once a clip is posted. “It’s an audience-driven success metric that might help us find that diamond in the rough.”

Heavy features live-action and animated content that mixes internally generated, acquired and user-generated content. Selected properties include Behind the Music That Sucks. © Heavy.

Heavy’s Carson believes viewers can relate to content created by other viewers, noting that the clips with the worst production values often are the most popular. “They seem to like the homemade stuff,” he comments. “Quality seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

“User-generated has changed the nature of what you’re making [in terms of online content] in general,” Carson adds, explaining that all clips are on the same footing, no matter the budget. “Money doesn’t necessarily equal popularity.”

A new user-generated site is aniBOOM, a broadband animation hub that features original animation, the aniBOOM Awards and content creation tools. Animators can create their own mini site and upload films up to 15 minutes long. Already the site has attracted shorts from professionals, amateurs, independents and students, according to Ramy Romanovsky, project director. “Since we are targeting our services and activity toward the professional animation industry, the majority of films are high quality,” he says. “However we do not filter any kind of content, and the website is open for submissions of all types of animations from filmmakers of all skill levels.”

Users rate and comment on the films, and content creators receive stats on ratings and viewership levels. Cash prizes are available for films that are highly rated by viewers. The site also plans to add some internally generated original content, although the focus is on providing a forum for users to share their creations.

Revenue Opportunities for Animators
While many sites primarily give animators the means to promote their properties, others increasingly are offering animators a share of revenues. The percentage varies from company to company and from deal to deal.

Atom has paid for content since the beginning, giving animators a royalty on advertising, distribution and other income generated from their properties. While some animators make a small amount, top creators can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We’ve paid millions and millions out,” Roesch says. “Many sites offer the opportunity to post on the Web for exposure, but we offer career and revenue opportunities.”