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A Whole New World of Do-It-Yourself Distribution
While you were sweating over your last movie, you may have missed the memo --
the one about the entire world of content distribution being turned on its head.
The fact is, there is a revolution going on. The traditional system of content distribution is disintegrating and re-ordering itself on a daily basis. The powers that be -- for now -- are clinging to the last vestiges of it. They're pouring millions into fancy websites and acquiring rights to big movies and trying to ram them down the throat of consumers. In the meantime, the big boys cast aside independent filmmakers. Why? Because they can. No longer. But don't just take our word for it.
Many of these (movie) executives seem unaware of the larger structural changes threatening their world. They recognize that video-on-demand and digital downloads will become more significant revenue streams but seem confident that they can incorporate them into their traditional distribution model. These executives do not understand the fundamental importance of the internet or its disruptive power. By enabling filmmakers in the New World to reach audiences directly and dramatically reducing their distribution costs, it empowers them to keep control of their "content.'
Peter Broderick, former president of Next Wave Films
Yeah, but I'm different, you say. I'm going to premiere my brilliant film at Sundance in front of an adoring audience, then be wined and dined by acquisitions types fighting over the rights to my movie. Right?
"There are 4,000 to 5,000 true indie feature films made each year, in the English language, without a distribution plan. Most won't get looked at. Because distributors have used film festivals as a screening device, the filmmakers typically enter the rat race of film festivals. But what's happening with film festivals? Take a look at Sundance. 3,624 films were entered -- 1,573 documentaries and 2,051 narrative features. Sundance accepted 121 films. Of those, 4 sold domestic rights for more than $1 million.
Peter Dekom, entertainment attorney, on Spirit of Film Radio
But that's no reason to be discouraged. In fact, it's reason to celebrate. You, the filmmaker, can now take control of the distribution process.
Seriously, don't you find it strange that filmmakers sell their souls to get funding, pour their hearts into producing a movie, then turn it over to a handful of tastemakers to decide if their film is worthy of distribution?
(Producer Ted) Hope emphasized the internet is integral to a future indie film model in which independent filmmakers themselves - and not parasitic gatekeepers - call the shots and keep the majority of revenues earned by indie films...Hope said that filmmakers must awaken from dreams in which they work for a huge Sundance payday.
"Filmmakers have embraced this dream of a Prince Charming who will come down and sweep us off our feet and sing to us. That song is sung to only one person a year," Hope said. "Why do you think you will be the person who sells his film for $10 million at Sundance? That dream is holding us hostage. We need to stop dreaming of this wealth and take the job of building the community and support system seriously."
Kent Shuelke of Independent Films Direct
The point is, filmmakers can now be part of the process, not simply an innocent bystander in the world of distribution. It's more than that. They must be part of the process. They must help drive the process.
We are on the verge of a new film culture and infrastructure, driven by both the creators and the audiences. We must accept that being a filmmaker means taking responsibility for our films all the way through the process. Building the new infrastructure is the first step towards real media independence.
trulyfreefilm.blogspot.com
Ah, you say, so much work. That's why we pay others to distribute our work, and settle for the most meager of distribution deals, so that we can get our next movie made. Besides, how much can you really make selling your movie on line?
Notable successes in the New World represent the shape of things to come. Several filmmakers have each made more than one million dollars selling their films directly from their websites. Other filmmakers have begun raising money online. During 10 days of internet fundraising, Robert Greenwald attracted $385,000 in contributions for his documentary "Iraq for Sale."
Peter Broderick
One of the keys to online distribution is discovering and keeping niche audiences that respond to the type of work you are doing. It's about building community, and looking for audiences in places you never thought of. There are riches in the niches. But you have to know how to harness the power of the Internet.
The future of independent film is not in content aggregation, which is quickly becoming commoditized, but in audience aggregation. Filmmakers need to find ways to create an ongoing conversation with potential viewers...one that will start early in the process and continue long after the film is finished.
Filmmaker Magazine
The time is now. The revolution is here. You can bury your head in an editing suite and come back out when it's all over. But you're going to be left behind.
"Can we accept that being a filmmaker means taking total responsibility for the film all the way through the process. That's what true freedom is," Hope said. "We stand at the precipice. We're in a pretty similar place to where we were 100 years ago when cinema first started. It's time we moved on, please, to a truly independent film culture."
Ted Hope
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