If you think shooting your film was tough, just wait until Film Distributors get their hands on you.
Key points
1. Distributors are in the game to profit from films that are easy to sell, not to nurture filmmakers.2. An independent film will languish on the shelf indefinitely if it is not marketable.
3. Self-distribution platforms allow filmmakers to distribute their films independently, bypassing traditional distributors.
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After attaining the hard-won goal of completing an independent
feature film, filmmakers are confronted with the equally gargantuan task
of securing distribution. It may seem like a tedious task, but without
some form of distribution, your film will languish on the shelf forever.
This article will cover the independent film distribution options that are generally available to independent filmmakers.Finding a reputable independent film distributor
The ideal situation was and still is to sign a distribution deal with a reputable film distributor who will then take care of all the possible distribution channels: theatrical distribution, television, DVDs, video on demand, etc. In the ideal situation, the distributor pays the filmmaker a decent advance and they then split the revenues after the distributor has recouped costs (this is known as Gross Adjusted Deal). What many filmmakers don’t realize is that the advantage of an advance payment from the distributor is not just about money — the real advantage of this sort of deal is that it really forces the distributor to do his best with the film, because they paid you an upfront fee for it and are therefore highly motivated to generate some serious revenues. Conversely, with the First Dollar Split deal, in which the distributor and filmmaker do a 50-50 split with no advance payment, the distributor is not under as much pressure to do anything with the film and may completely waste your time and leave the film on the shelf until the contract expires and you manage to snatch it back. Many filmmakers have gone through this and it’s a real pain, so beware! Of course every filmmaker’s dream is to get a decent theatrical run for the independent film they worked so hard to make. This was extremely hard to obtain before the recession and is now all but impossible. Of course there are one or two exceptions every once in a while – “Paranormal Activity” is a good example of this — but if you consider the thousands of independent films that never see the light of day, I think we can all agree that the odds are spectacularly against you.Producer’s reps
A producer’s rep is essentially a well-connected representative who can shop the film around to a variety of distributors and film buyers for the purposes of acquiring the best possible distribution deals. The amusing thing here is that finding a producer’s rep who is willing to represent you is almost as difficult as finding a distributor, but it is always worth a shot. Of course they will want to see the film and all the publicity material, to determine whether the film is marketable. If your independent film is not marketable, nobody will distribute it, for the simple reason that there is no money to be made from it. If people do not think they can make money off your film, they will leave it on the shelf without mercy. This is probably something worth considering when preparing your feature film, but if you have completed your film and are seeking distribution, it is pretty much too late to do anything about that, although radical re-editing can sometimes make a film more marketable.Self distribution
You have given blood to complete your independent feature film and have contacted every producer’s rep and independent film distributor on the planet — and they have all turned you down. Is this the end of your film? The answer is no. If you’re in this situation — a situation that many independent film makers find themselves in every year — it may feel like you are dead in the water, but actually independent film self distribution has been a viable alternative for years and is now better than ever. For example, with CreateSpace
you can submit your film and all the artwork electronically — completely free
— and your film will be available for sale as professionally-made DVDs
on Amazon.com, where it can also be sold as video on demand. CreateSpace
is part of Amazon.com and absolutely reputable. There are no start-up
fees for filmmakers and it is guaranteed and instantaneous distribution.
Sure, we all want to see our films on the big screen, but when all else
fails, self-distribution will allow your film to be bought by as many
people as are willing to watch it. Depending on how popular your film
is, you may even make a good profit! Independent film self-distribution
is now unquestionably the way forward for the overwhelming majority of
small independent films. Even before the massive economic recession, it
was next to impossible to secure meaningful distribution for small
independent films. You know the ones I’m referring to: ultra-cheap
independent films shot with camcorders and of mediocre quality at best.
The truth is that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with cheap
mediocre independent films: as long as they are marketed honestly and
priced correctly, there is usually at least a small market for that sort
of film. Many people enjoy scruffy independent feature films if they
are quirky and enjoyable! However, the problem with these films is that
they are impossible to distribute profitably via traditional means
(cinemas, television). For this reason, independent film
self-distribution was the only option for niche independent feature
films. Until a few years ago, this meant screening the film privately (a
practice known as “four-walling”) or making your own DVD copies and
selling them. When all was said and done, my guess is that very few of
these feature films were seen by more than 1000 people, and did not make
their money back, let alone make a profit. The filmmakers learned
valuable lessons in filmmaking and the business of films, but it was not
a viable business by any stretch of the imagination. The reason for the
lack of economic viability of independent feature films was simply
that, no matter how cheaply they were distributed, the costs always
exceeded the revenues. How can an independent feature film make a profit
if it cannot even find 1000 people willing to spend three dollars for a
copy or a screening? It just couldn’t be done, and independent feature
filmmaking was essentially a cheaper and more effective option than
attending film school and building a reel, but nothing more than that.
The good news is that, thanks to CreateSpace, which is part of
Amazon.com, it is now possible to make a profit on just about any
feature film, because all the filmmaker has to do is upload the video
file and the associated artwork to CreateSpace and within minutes the
film is available for sale on DVD or as a video-on-demand download on
Amazon.com. This solution is efficient and economical because it is fast
and has no start-up costs for the filmmakers. You signup for a free
account on CreateSpace, upload your materials and you’re ready to go.
The advantage of this independent film self-distribution approach is not
just the enhanced likelihood of actually making a profit on your
independent feature film: it also cuts out all those nasty, sleazy
independent film distributors who have been taking advantage of
independent filmmakers for so many years. There might have been a golden
age for independent filmmaking, but filmmakers generally agree that
there has never been a golden age for independent film distribution: the
filmmakers almost invariably got screwed – every time, everywhere, with
rare exceptions. Of course, when it comes to independent film
self-distribution, one always had the option of ordering a batch of a
few thousand professionally made DVDs and then selling those on
Amazon.com. As an independent film self-distribution solution this is
pretty good, but it made the filmmakers carry the cost of DVD
replication or duplication. With CreateSpace, all of that is handled by
them on a per-order basis. This reduces the costs and therefore also the
risks for the filmmakers. In short, despite the bad economy and a
largely paralyzed independent film industry, it has never been so easy
and risk-free for independent filmmakers to self-distribute their indie
films, make their money back and perhaps even make a profit, depending
on how many copies you manage to sell. Of course marketing and publicity
will always be necessary, otherwise nobody will go to Amazon.com to buy
a copy of your film, but CreateSpace has definitely made the process
much more smooth. In spite of all of the above, many independent
filmmakers understandably still dream of securing theatrical
distribution for their independent film. That is what all filmmakers
dream of, and understandably so! If you decide to attempt that route
before going for self-distribution, I was given an extremely valuable tip by a film publicist at the Palm Springs Short Film Festival:
when screening your feature film for potential film buyers and
distributors, it is absolutely essential that you screen the film once
only when all the interested parties are present. Choose a screening
date, give the film distributors and buyers plenty of notice and make it
emphatically clear that there will be absolutely no sneak previews or
DVD copies for anyone. This is because if you allow a buyer or
distributor to take a look at your film on DVD before the main screening
and they decide to reject it, the other film buyers and distributors
are going to hear about it and it will kill your film’s chances
instantly, regardless of its merits. All film distributors and buyers
must watch your film at the same screening — absolutely no exceptions!
In addition to making it impossible for an early rejection to kill your
film, this will also garner your film a considerable amount of respect
and might even generate some excitement about the film that no one is
allowed to watch in advance! That’s a huge tip I was given with regard
to theatrical distribution for independent feature films.
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