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Dennis
Hopper’s performance in comedy sci-fi thriller “Space Truckers” is unlikely to
feature in a list of his Top 10 best movies. Technically not a straight to DVD
title, since it was given a theatrical outing in 1996, it has only been
available on disc in the UK since 2004.
While the
DVD — distributed here by EIV — is worth getting for a night’s entertainment,
it’s improbable that folk likely to enjoy it will ever learn of its existence
if they only use the internet to look for entertainment to buy.
The top
three search engines in the UK, according to Hitwise, are Bing, Ask or Google.
(Yahoo is excluded because it relies on Microsoft’s Bing.) If you use them to
look for films featuring Dennis Hopper, “Space Truckers” appears in under 1% of
around 1.4 million results. It’s a needle in a haystack, considering that
Hopper himself appears in more than 150 titles.
Enter the
name “Dennis Hopper” in the Amazon, Lovefilm or HMV search box and you might,
possibly, spot this elusive title, especially if you include the Sci-Fi genre.
With 10 results per page, however, the DVD can be found seven or eight pages on
from “Apocalypse Now” and “Easy Rider” and even then it might be in its Region
1 NTSC incarnation.
Tesco
Entertainment is the only supermarket chain with “Space Truckers” in its
catalogue, albeit on 1–2 week’s delivery. The DVD will not be discovered by
casual searchers entering the name of the film’s male lead though, add “comedy”
and “Sci-Fi” and you might have more luck.
Fans of
Charles Dance and Sci-Fi are more likely to come across “Space Truckers” by
accident; combine Hopper’s co-star and the genre and you’ll get a link to the
film on page one of Google results. Except that it is ready to rent from
Netflix and is not available in the UK.
Although
some critics might argue that this title is hard to find for a good reason,
discovering obscure content can be a challenge, whether critically acclaimed or
universally slated.
So what of
those shoppers who have yet to adopt the online habit and who wander into a
bricks-and-mortar entertainment store without preconceived ideas? While they
might be drawn first to the rack displaying the current Top 20 titles, they
will soon find themselves surrounded by alternatives and unlike the search
engine, which displays results in groups of 10 or maybe 25, visitors to a
physical store can take in the location of thousands of potential purchases at
a glance. The chances that they may find something they like by accident are
greatly increased.
Granted,
they might leave the store with a different DVD to the one they went in for but
what they buy or rent will match the mood of the moment. The consumer’s fancy
is free to roam the racks, potential chance discoveries abound and there’s
always the possibility of finding the last remaining copy of a much
sought-after film. If online search had come first, the introduction of retail
stores would be the wonder of the age.
There is
no going back, however, which is why content discovery companies such as Rovi
and Britain’s TV Genius excite a lot of interest. Some very clever mathematics
lies behind the recommendation engines that power these applications, which
start by “learning” viewers’ preferences and then build on that to develop an
almost uncanny ability to predict what they will enjoy watching.
TV Genius
has been selected by STV, the Scottish commercial broadcaster, to add search
and recommendation to its digital platforms, including STV’s online catch-up
service. In the announcement, TV Genius CEO Tom Weiss makes an important point.
“On-demand content is not listed in magazines, if VOD is to be a success,
viewers need effective content discovery,” says Weiss.
He makes a
good point and one that in the past has prompted Netflix to offer $1 million
reward for anyone who can provide the solution. If a genius from any discipline
comes up with a formula that combines the attractiveness and appeal of retail
shopping with the power of a recommendation engine, the returns will be far
greater than a million dollars.
How about
a giant beckoning finger that moves around the store, controlled by the
customer’s iPad?
Well maybe
not but if they should happen to locate and watch “Space Truckers”, starring
Dennis Hopper and Charles Dance, they’ll also be able to rate it online through
their mobile device. The International Movie Database (IMDb) currently gives it
4.8 out of 10, up 42% in popularity already this week.
That’s the power of
recommendation…
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