YouTube has launched a virtual film screening room.

Google Inc.’s YouTube has set up a virtual screening room to bring the work of independent filmmakers to the masses.

The new feature of the video-sharing website – the YouTube Screening Room – was launched on Wednesday, and whilst struggling filmmakers already use YouTube to kick-start viral marketing campaigns, the new easy-to-find home will make the filmmakers partners in drawing ad revenue and give them the means to reach a global audience.

Sara Pollack, YouTube’s film and animation manager, commented on the opportunity for filmmakers: “Hopefully as they see thousands of people watching their films, it’s going to be a very eye-opening experience.”

The screening room will highlight four new films a week, picked by a YouTube editorial panel. Submissions are welcomed, and the panel also will scour film festivals and work with partners such as the Sundance Channel to identify prospects.

Among the first eight titles to be showcased are “Love and War,” a stop-motion puppet movie by a Swedish director; the Oscar-nominated short “I Met The Walrus”, about an interview with John Lennon; and “Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?” by performance artist Miranda July.

Filmmakers can choose to have a ‘Buy Now’ button attached to their work for sales of DVDs or digital copies. They will also collect a majority share of ad revenue generated from views of their work.

According to YouTube, people whose clips regularly attract a million viewers can make several thousand dollars a month, but the biggest prize can be the exposure.

The creators of the full-length feature “Four Eyed Monsters”, Susan Buice and Arin Crumley, got their break when more than a million YouTube views helped land them a TV and DVD distribution deal, according to Pollack. She said: “They ended up doing really, really well, ironically by putting their film online for free.”

Visit the YouTube Screening Room by clicking here.