Film studio Universal has teamed up with an Israeli internet company to create the most comprehensive digital film archive yet.
AnyClip, founded in 2009 in Jerusalem, enables viewers to search for memorable scenes or key moments by entering keywords into a search engine.
Once a clip has been found, the scene can be watched online and posted on Facebook.
Films are tagged with around 5,000 keywords, including everything from the characters’ names and quotes to the types of cars driven and the places visited in the film. It takes staff around 20 hours fully to tag a film.
The deal means AnyClip is now licensed to feature scenes from films in Universal’s vast back catalogue, including ET and Jaws. The company is hoping to strike similar agreements with other film companies.
According to AnyClip, which until now was largely limited to independent films, around two per cent of all internet searches relates to films.
Sam Nouri, Universal's senior manager of clip licensing, told the Hollywood Reporter that AnyClip’s service would break new ground for the film industry.
“We've not had a viewpoint into the films like this before,” he said. “It's about letting users have the power to find their favourite moments from their favourite movies.”
AnyClip CEO Oren Nauman said: "This licensing agreement with Universal leads the way in changing how businesses and consumers will interact with film content.
"We're helping to reinvigorate interest in their films."