Warner Bros new Web Unit

Warner Bros in the USA has announced that they will be setting up a new web production unit specialising in non linear content. Rather than the more common approach television companies have taken - which is working out how to re-purpose existing linear content and put it to use on the web - this is making things for the web... that will maybe I guess end up one day on TV. The uses for short films and short tight pieces of visual entertainment are growing, PAY-TV often has 10 minute spots to fill at the end of the hour, as do digital services that do not have advertising. Not long ago the common student or early career short film had little life beyond the classroom and the festival circuit but this is rapidly changing. With more and more channels of distribution the need to source content rapidly grows, but it this good news for the aspiring or early career artist? There are three things to thinks about... 1. Content will become valuable. The student films suddenly has worth. or 2. Middle men and popping up everywhere - 'give us the rights to your film and we will get it on J-TV', as one online providers recent speel claimed. They fail to mention that all the aspiring filmmaker gets is the joy of seeing their work on J-TV and whoever else the middleman can sell it too. or 3. Everyone is making visual content now - it'll all become worthless, we'll stop watching TV and just watching Chinese boys miming in their dorm on YouTube. Which way do you think it will go? Comments welcomed.