Hey everyone :) We just finished a short (9:34 minute) film that I wrote, co-produced and starred in, and it has officially been sent to the first festival on the list! I am now wondering how to maximize the potential of it, with the ultimate, ideal goal being to gain professional SAG-AFTRA acting jobs! (Professionally speaking, that is. Of course, I also hope to reach lots of people who will just really enjoy and be enlightened as viewers, which is why we create in the first place, right? :D) I know for features, it's best to keep it all under wraps while doing the whole festival thing (in case you win, they want to be the first to premiere it), but is this also true for shorts? Honestly, I do my best, but I'm social media challenged :/ So...questions! Should I just put it up on Youtube or Vimeo, or both, Funny Or Die (it's a dark comedy) and also just share it like crazy on FB, Twitter, etc... or is there like some sort of "Short Film Marketing Game" where I have to be careful or strategic about where and when to show it? And if so, do I create some excitement about it, then launch it? (I did create a website, but haven't shared it yet...) Also, I know shorts are really for showcasing, but I've heard of people using I-Tunes or Amazon to create a pay per play type of deal. What's up with this area of distribution when it comes to indie shorts? Thanks in advance for your thoughts :) Gina
Distribution : Just finished a short film.. NOW WHAT? by Gina Juliet
Just finished a short film.. NOW WHAT?
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Hi Gina, Would love to help you figure out the next step in getting your short film before eyeballs. There are more and more requirements for short films and documentaries than ever before. The webinar is at 1 p.m. and is all about delivering your project (whatever platform) to the distributor. We focus on film for the discussion.
Stephanie and Mark, Thank you for your responses :) Is there any general info about my questions, that you can share (that could also help others reading this)? Or do I need to sign up for your services to receive the guidance? (Is that how this site works? I'm pretty new to it..) Thanks! Gina
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Hi Gina, I think you're asking two different questions. In full disclosure, neither is my area of expertise. 1) If you are submitting to film festivals, you need to keep the short under wraps. If it's already on YouTube or Vimeo, most film festivals will not see value in screening (and asking their audiences to buy a ticket to) a short that is already free to the public. The top festivals want to be the destination of "world premieres," so you might not even qualify if the short is already out there. 2) If the short needs to be used on your actor showreel now, and you don't want to wait for the festival selection process to play itself out, then that's a different question. You'd have to either put the short on your reel now, or you'd have to select clips for your reel, and try not to expose the short so that you're not hurting its festival chances. 3) Personally, I don't know any success stories of monetizing shorts on iTunes or Amazon. But I saw another post on S32 today from someone who said her friends have sold their shorts for airline play. So there are case studies out there, though I can't advise.
Hi Gina, One thing you can try to do is work with mobile content distributors who are hungry to get as much content through smart devices as possible so they can work with brand ads. Do a google search and see what keywords work for "mobile content" and "mobile content distributors". I read the other comments and agree that the Amazon and iTunes market for making money on shorts is not as advanced as Europe.
Regina and Stephanie, Thank you both so much for your insight!! :D Wishing you both a beautiful day!! Gina
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I can steer you to a distributor. They handle foreign VOD to 80 countries. They take features and shorts. They love horror flicks but handle all sorts.