An Anonymous Link on Screenable is a trackable link for a screener, just like a regular link. The only difference is that it has no distinct addressee, identified in advance. Whoever has the link, can watch the screener.
<aside> đź’ˇ Why should we give up on knowing who watched it? And do we lose control over the screener? - Read on, to get all the answers.
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Let's look at one of the most common use cases: you submit a screener to one or more film festivals through FilmFreeway platform. On FilmFreeway, you are asked to add a link to a screener. Only one link (you can add a password to that link, but that's irrelevant to our case).
A regular screener on Screenable won't serve you in that case, because regular links on screenable are destined at specific people, whose email is known to you. The invitation you send from Screenable is email-based.
But on FilmFreeway you don't know who is going to watch your screener…
In addition, some programmers and most artistic consultants to festivals like to remain anonymous, to prevent hate messages in case they refuse a film.
That's exactly when the Anonymous Link becomes useful: create it for no specific invitee.
FilmFreeway is not the only example: most film markets, film funds and pitching events don't want you to know who watched your screener, for the same reasons (not accepting a film is always unpleasant and jury don't always want to be identified personally).
No. For each different session, Screenable will ask the viewer for their name and/or name of the organization. It's true that the answer is not verified, but at least you'd know more than just spreading a link all over or managing a confusing list of passwords or uploading the screener multiple times to Vimeo, as some filmmakers do. Instead, you'd simply create an Anonymous Link and limit its use by number of sessions and dates. Each Anonymous Link has a list of users, with their real names or not (as they choose) and with a separate statistics for each user. Exactly what you need, when you send a screener.
Only in a limited, calculated manner. You can still limit the number of possible views ("sessions”) and the date, just like with an ordinary Screenable link. You don't need to go into your account to "turn off” the link. It will stop working automatically, when those limits are reached. When the number of sessions or end date are reached (the earliest of the two), the link will no longer function and the screener will not be available anymore.
<aside> đź’ˇ If you submit your film to one festival through FilmFreeway or send the Anonymous Link to one TV channel or streaming platform at a time, we recommend on limiting it to 1.5-2 months and to 10 sessions. If you're submitting to 2 festivals at the same time, double the number of sessions. And if submitting to different festivals one after the other, simply change the Anonymous Link on FilmFreeway.
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You can always "kill” the Anonymous Link by revoking access to it.