From film festival strategies to theatrical to VOD to online options to finding and securing a sales agent the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on all things related to the distribution process
Most filmmakers treat trailers like highlight reels—a condensed version showcasing their best work. But festivals and distributors aren't looking for a summary.
They're asking: "Should we invest our limited slot/budget in this project?"
That's a different question than "Is this good?" And it needs a d...
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Before a film gets distribution, before a single scene is shot, before it hits the film festival circuit, it starts with a script and storyboards. Here is one of my storyboards for the film, Classic, written and directed by Michelle Hoffman. When I worked on the film, it was in the early stages, jus...
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Thank you, everyone.
You're welcome, Rich Terdoslavich.
As noted in this Hollywood Reporter article, "there is not a single studio-backed movie among the more than 200 films screening at this year’s Berlinale (Feb. 12-22). And its not just Berlin," with the exception of the latest Mission Impossible premieringat Cannes, which is not a festival but a mar...
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I think it's a smart move for studios too, Shadow Dragu-Mihai, and I hope indie films without studio backing get more exposure at the festivals.
Hello to all.,
my name is Svetlin mItrev and I am looking for contact information for some destributors ot a sreeming platform in order to sell my latest movie. It`s a Family?drama, duration:64min (thugh its a strange length), language Bulgarian, but has English subs. Plot: single mother, sick kid, c...
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A film market would be a good place to start. AFM, Venice, Cannes, Berlinale. If travel is out of your budget, there are sites those markets use that list distributors.
The Film Catalogue is the site...
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Hi, Svetlin Mitrev. Nice to see you again. I just watched the teaser. ALBA - PATH OF DESTINY looks great! Congratulations to you, the cast, and crew on the selections and Staff pick award!
You can post...
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Sony Pictures Animation has decided not to move forward with Matt Braly's Thai-inspired animated film after two years of development, with the director sharing that the studio viewed it as "not commercial enough to produce." The project, co-written with Rebecca Sugar, was a personal story about a te...
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Sam Rivera Is Sony producing a similar project or releasing one shortly? This smells like a common studio tactic, where they option a property and keep it in development so that it won't compete with...
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I want to look into on deman screens. Has anyone ever tried this strategy for distribution? How well has it worked out for you? What are the keys to success and the keys to failure?
Here is an example of an on demand screen service. https://www.cineminifilmclub.com/ourscreen...
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That’s too bad. Where I live there are 4 chains and two independent theaters! Three if you count the George Eastman Museum. Most are available to four-wall, although some are very expensive.
For those...
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I wish I was in Atlanta. I know they have quite a few independent cinemas that are open to this.
It’s like a four wall release which is very common for indie filmmakers to get theatrical. Depending on how you negotiate box office you’ll have to make sure you can draw up a large enough crowd to at...
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This is basically renting a cinema for a community screening. It works best if you already have a built-in audience (schools, fan clubs, local orgs) who will actually buy tickets. Without that, it's e...
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Some of these leaders are surprising.
Happy Gilmore 2 cost $150M which seems like a deal, considering Electric State cost double and had 1/3 of the viewership / was panned/forgotten within minutes.
Movies like Happy Gilmore 2, Back in Action, Nonnas (great movie), Havoc, and Kinda Pregnant look to be...
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I saw Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man, Pat Alexander. They're incredible! I also saw other movies on the list like Havoc and A Minecraft Movie. Incredible movies too! I think it's interesting that a...
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The company reported 325 million paid subscriptions in its fourth quarter across consumer services, which includes YouTube Premium and more.
(https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-made-more-tha...)...
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it's wild to me that 325M people pay to subscribe to YT when there's so much great stuff you can watch for free, like this 2hr train ride thru Japan video: (https://youtu.be/q8nPaqfRm_c?si=GxfJhHCldkE...
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I feel ya Pat Alexander ! Some people just really hate commercials and are willing to pay. I don't usually stay on long enough to care about the commercials. But the fact that you can stream YouTube f...
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YouTube's everywhere now and there's nothing stopping google from world domination. I saw Delta recently made a deal with YouTube to show YouTube premium on their plane as well. Audiences will watch influencers on the plane now.
Pat Alexander I am really enjoying the train ride. I get that the train wants to go somewhere and has an identity crisis in the tunnel, but how does it grow as a protagonist? I think if the video answ...
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Youtube is the new stage. It allows you to get your content out to the masses without tryig to go through traditional distribution networks. The key is to get following.
The traditional path to film distribution is increasingly unreliable for indie filmmakers, as the blog post powerfully argues. Gone are the days of making a film first and simply hoping a distributor will handle the rest; this strategy often leads to a finished movie with no audience. Instead, we mu...
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You're right, Sam Rivera. Something indie filmmakers can do is create low-cost marketing campaigns on social media, platforms like YouTube, and websites to build an audience for their movies, like a m...
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Maurice Vaughan hey. how would you go about doing that?
Hey, Tony Bowens. I haven't made a low-cost marketing campaign, but I've seen filmmakers do it. Maybe put a teaser poster and clips on social media. And maybe do a scavenger hunt type marketing campai...
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I think the tools are called email and telephone if I want to involve a distributor. If I am advertising my film myself, it's going to my own site where I make all the money.
Why is that, Mike? The distributor should come to you, not the other way around.
Thanks for sharing the article, Amanda Toney. It's a must-read for anyone who's planning/making a documentary or looking for distribution for one!
“It’s an opportunity to make a space to gather and scheme and dream together. This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward,” she explained. “We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hol...
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That's incredible for the industry and community, Pat Alexander! I can see more big names, directors, producers, etc. doing the same thing or something similar. Thanks for sharing the article....
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"It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles." Isn't it what she's been doing mostly for the past 10+ years?
Geoffroy Faugerolas I read the article and I have no idea what she is talking about.
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Thanks for the insight and quick wins for strategic trailers, David Ríos! What's it called when a trailer has a mini summary of the trailer at the beginning?
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You want to hook their attention at the firs...
Expand commentHello Maurice Vaughan !, It's still a trailer, it just would be less optimized for selling the film as you removed a key element at the beginning: the hook.
You want to hook their attention at the first seconds, for that feeling goes first than thimking, if you place a "mini summary" at the beginning you are making them think before feeling.
Always happy to help!
Thanks for the answer, David Ríos. I've seen a mini summary at the beginning of trailers for big movies and franchises.
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Maurice Vaughan That's a great insight!, as my scope is within independent filmakers, I would deduct a mini summary would work for them as they feature already widely known cast and stories so it hook...
Expand commentMaurice Vaughan That's a great insight!, as my scope is within independent filmakers, I would deduct a mini summary would work for them as they feature already widely known cast and stories so it hooks attention instantly.
In the case of independent filmakers, hooks should be designed for attracting audiences to soont-to-be-discovered stories!.
1 person likes this
Structure your trailer like a logline. Establish the world, the main character, the inciting incident, the goal, the stakes, the obstacles.
Find a professional trailer with the tone and rhythm that yo...
Expand commentStructure your trailer like a logline. Establish the world, the main character, the inciting incident, the goal, the stakes, the obstacles.
Find a professional trailer with the tone and rhythm that you like. Then break it down and see if it hits all the points of a logline. WHEN does it hit those points, time-wise? What methods do they use? (Dialogue, voice over, title cards.)
Bring that trailer into a fresh timeline. Fill in the blanks with your footage right over the top of the old one. now replace the sound, make slight adjustments for timing. Delete the inspiration trailer and see what you’re left with. It’s not stealing because all you’re taking is structure and rhythm.
Trailer editing is a real art. It’s hard to stand out, especially if you’re still thinking in a slow style that went out of fashion 15 years ago. Trailer styles go through trends, and if you’re not doing it for a living, lean on the experts who are.