NFTs provide a new model for video monetization through OTT

Magine Pro partner, Paus is partnering with award-winning filmmakers to sell exclusive NFTs of their films – giving buyers the chance to be part of movie history.

“Paus NFTs provides a new model for distribution and monetization that cinema has never seen before,” said Rishi Kapoor, CEO of Paus. Going forward, following the launch of five initial projects, the platform will be offering filmmakers the chance to sell NFTs of their film, exploring this brand new possibility for independent filmmakers to earn money for their work. Paus’ new filmmaker NFT platform within their website is the very first of its kind, offering independent filmmakers support in monetizing their films, through the sales of NFTs of anything from copies of the film itself to one-off merchandise pieces.  

The official BFI network release Salt Water Town is among the selection of films that have partnered with creator economy platform Paus to create purchasable NFTs of their films. The award-winning production company, Jones’ Three Meetings of the Extraordinary Committee will also all be among the films available to purchase as NFTs as well as exclusive extras, unique to each film. Each of these will be available for purchase on the digital collectables marketplaces such as Rarible and OpenSea, fully integrated through the Paus streaming service.  

How it works

Paus work with third-party NFT marketplaces such as Rarible and OpenSea and integrates with them within the Paus streaming service so that viewers can stream and buy NFTs all in one place. 

Magine Pro’s flexible OTT platform allows our partners, like Paus, to do this seamlessly in their Magine Pro built service using widgets. Magine Pro widgets are a powerful way for partners to enrich their streaming service and engage audiences by rendering their own hosted & developed HTML applications within the Magine Pro web, iOS & Android mobile applications.

The Magine Pro CMS Console also gives Paus the freedom to curate their service and effectively highlight content that offers NFTs as well as communicate what they offer.

What is an NFT?

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. NFTs can be anything digital (movies, music, art etc.) and are essentially digital certificates of authenticity or proof of ownership. They are a non-fungible unit of data stored on a digital ledger (blockchain), making them unique and valuable as each NFT is one of a kind. An owner of an NFT has control over where it is seen, resold, and more. 

NFTs available through Paus offer buyers the chance to purchase a “digital certificate” of that film, depending on what part of that film is being ‘tokenised’. 

NFTs available through Paus

Paus has partnered with Dan Thorburn, director of Salt Water Town starring Tom Glynn-Carnet and Owen Teale, to create three NFT packages, which will be given to the three highest bidders. The third highest (bronze) will receive an NFT of Salt Water Town and a special edition NFT poster. The second highest (silver) will receive the bronze package, plus a virtual screenwriting masterclass with Dan Thorburn. The highest bidder (gold) will receive the bronze and silver packages, plus a day on set with Thorburn during the making of his next project, giving them valuable access to Dan’s network and insights into his award-winning filmmaking process.

Paus users will also get the opportunity to own the one singular unreleased limited edition copy of the film, Three Meetings of the Extraordinary Committee with an alternative ending, plus additional material including an exclusive NFT poster, behind the scenes stills and a copy of the screenplay. Three Meetings of the Extraordinary Committee has won numerous awards worldwide, with its festival run still ongoing, and is currently in consideration for the upcoming BAFTAs. 

The third project comes from the prolific Roger Ballen, who was named an Honorary Doctor of Art and Design by Kingston University in 2018. Ballen has always pursued a singular artistic goal: to give expression to the human psyche and visually explore the hidden forces that shape who we are. To celebrate the release of the first-ever film version of his hugely successful creation, Roger the Rat, Ballen and his team have created a series of exclusive NFT collectables. His short film Roger the Rat will be streaming on Paus soon. 

Paus have also partnered with Penelope Trappes and Agnes Haus to release their film Mother’s Blood, a surreal, gothic art film created to accompany Penelope Trappes’ reinterpretation of her critically acclaimed 2021 album Penelope Three.  Pitchfork noted it as having a “haunting, dreamlike quality” and it was described by The Wire as “full of redemption and hope”. Inspired by past feminist artists, the film is a dark fairy-tale, which follows a mother searching for herself, and her daughter, through different epigenetic landscapes and guises. With the purchase of exclusive NFT clips, buyers will get their very own link which will allow them to download the full one-hour film along with outtakes.

The feature River of Love by Akash Khurana will be the first-ever Bollywood film to be released as an NFT. ‘It tells the story of a man who loses his memory after an attack and the mystical journey he undertakes with a woman who helps him remember his past. Paus is teaming up with the filmmakers to mint a set of limited edition film releases that are incredibly unique in that only the buyers will be able to access the film; the film will never have another digital release or be made available to the public.

Find out more

Find out more about Paus and NFTs that are currently available through the service, here

To learn more about Magine Pro’s partnership with Paus, an independent film service that is uniquely powered by tips, check out our case study. You can also find out more about our flexible OTT platform, streaming services and widgets here