IT’S as much an Internet rite of passage as getting a fishy e-mail from a Nige rian prince: Googling yourself. Now, filmmaker Jim Killeen has made a documentary about searching his own name.
“Google Me” follows Killeen as he tracks down other Jim Killeens around the world in an effort to show how connections can be made through technology. The film will be released for free tomorrow on YouTube – one of the first films to follow that distribution model. It also comes out on DVD Tuesday. We asked Killeen about it.
Why did you first Google yourself?
Why does anyone first Google themselves? We just have a natural curiosity of who’s out there and what it means to have your name. It’s so important to us. It’s how we identify ourselves to the world, and yet it’s not who you really are.
Everyone I know Googles their dates.
This technology is so new, I don’t think we’ve figured out what’s socially acceptable and what isn’t. I think we all agree it’s OK to Google your date before you go on it, but then, do you tell ’em? The etiquette is still evolving.
Why release to YouTube?
I just think it’s part of the new distribution model. I wasn’t interested in a traditional Hollywood distribution deal, which isn’t very favorable to filmmakers. I put it on YouTube because I want the film to be seen. I’m going to lose some DVD sales by putting it up on YouTube, but I think I’m going to make the market bigger.
How much do you expect to make from YouTube?
A couple thousand dollars, probably. That’s not a big revenue stream. It’s a way to get the film out there and broaden awareness.
It’s interesting that Google is participating. Everyone uses Google for the same reason you did, but I wouldn’t think they’d endorse it.
We have an interview with a VP of engineering, and he’s saying, “It’s a great use of our brand. We never thought that someone would do that.” I don’t know if that’s true or not. The first time I approached them, I had some video already and had sent them the trailer. They saw it was a way to find connection in the world using the technology they’d developed. Who wouldn’t want that message being said about their product?
Who was the weirdest Jim that you found?
Well, I don’t know about “weirdest.” I guess Jim in Denver, the swinger, was the most courageous, because he had the most nontraditional lifestyle. He was completely open about it. There was another Jim Killeen in Tucson who died at the hands of a cult leader. That’ll be on the extras of the DVD.