Microsoft Corp. is taking its Windows Media Format into the movie business. On Monday the company said “Wendigo,” an upcoming full-length independent movie by ContentFilm and Magnolia Pictures, will be the first film encoded in the format.
ContentFilm and Magnolia Pictures will distribute the film using a preview of the upcoming version of Windows Media Audio and Video technology code-named “Corona.” The companies said they will use Corona to reduce the costs associated with traditional film-based distribution while retaining the picture and sound quality the film demands.
The film will be screened in Seattle on March 1 and in Dallas on March 15. The movie will also be released in the traditional 35mm format in New York and Los Angeles.
“Traditional film mastering and release prints are expensive and fairly inflexible,” said John Schmidt, co-founder of ContentFilm. “ContentFilm is committed to a mode of digital production and distribution that will greatly reduce these costs, take advantage of ancillary online distribution and promotional outlets, and have the flexibility to respond immediately to split-second market changes.”