I spoke at the UCLA film school and I got the impression that the next generation of filmmakers are open to new ideas, and new ways of making movies. Thanks to familiarity with YouTube as well as access to affordable production equipment, many modern filmmakers are embracing accessible, non-discriminatory distribution channels without hesitation or excuses.
I love Kevin Smith’s attitude towards modern movie distribution. If you’re like most independent filmmakers, what Kevin was able to accomplish from his days of Clerks has been amazing. Back then, he not only dreamed the Sundance Dream, but he realized the dream as well.
With an independent movie market saturated with competition, producing a movie and finding a traditional distribution deal is increasingly challenging. After failing to garner a traditional distribution deal for my first feature, like a lot of filmmakers, I had to establish my own marketing company. And through the process, I figured out how to market and sell my movie online.
One benefit of shooting with the Canon 7D was at a train station. Normally shooting this scene with another camera, it would catch a lot of attention and we probably would have been run off by security immediately. Knowing that there was no dialogue during this scene, I was able to shoot bare bones with the 7D and probably from a far, it looked like we were just taking pictures. No security ever questioned us and we filmed that entire sequence in under 40 minutes.
As a result of lower priced production equipment, coupled with non-discriminatory distribution, YOU can make, market and sell your movie this year and you don’t need to ask permission.
Your filmmaking crowdfunding campaign will allow you to raise money – but as an important ancillary benefit, your campaign will also allow you test your movie concept with a built in, responsive focus group. Assuming you reach your funding goal, you will not only generate your initial buzz…
Jon Reiss and Sheri Candler stopped by Filmmaking Stuff a few months back to discuss the new role of the PMD. For those of you who aren’t aware of the term – PMD stands for producer of marketing and distribution. It’s a phrase Jon Reiss coined in his filmmaking book called Think Outside the Box Office.
scoreAscore utilizes an innovative “name-your-price” platform, scoreAscore’s services are offered to filmmakers at no cost, with absolutely nothing to lose! Here is a scoreAscore video which describes the service in more detail.
Before I go further, I want you to know that there are GOOD sales agents. And there are GOOD traditional distributors. But before you go into business with any middle-man, my advice for all filmmakers is to ALWAYS conduct your due diligence. And if later, you find yourself working with someone who supposedly makes a deal with a TV network – but forgets to get a contract signed (please note: we think this is very fishy), then at the very least – you should never work with that guy again.
Since starting filmmaking stuff, I’ve noticed an increase in the amount of spammy hype emails promoting new filmmaking technologies that allow filmmakers to stream their independent movies. While many of these companies have a cool concept, the truth is, I think many of these streaming solutions are a waste of time.
I believe video on demand distribution represents freedom for filmmakers. While there are many great sales agents and distributors, I am totally bothered by the sales agents and middle-men who have taken a bottom-feeding approach to VOD. These jerks make a living trying to sucker unsuspecting filmmakers into long term video on demand deals that suck. I put together the following video to express my disgust and also provide a new hope. As a modern moviemaker, there has never been a better time to make, market and sell your movies without the middle-man.
There was a time when filmmakers needed to ask permission to make movies. There was a time when filmmakers had to find some sort of gatekeeper with access to distribution and, subsequently, an audience. But things have changed.
If you have a filmmaking friend that would benefit from becoming part of our filmmaking community, please feel free to send them to this article.
So if you happen to be one of those filmmakers with tons of ideas, but no feature credits, I highly suggest you focus less on finding someone to do the heavy lifting and instead, focus on testing the market to gain a realistic approach to your projects.
Many filmmakers must take charge of their own publicity and distribution. One trick that I utilize is frequent press releases. In the past, the idea of using press releases frequently may have been a borderline no-no. The common thought was, traditional journalists would see your “news” as noise.
In an effort to create useful iPhone apps for filmmakers, www.appsForFilmmakers.com is being launched today. The site will help take filmmaking out of Hollywood, and put it into the hands of filmmakers, literally
Now with a few weeks into the new year, many would-be filmmakers who promised themselves they would be more – many have already made excuses as to why this year won’t be the year of the feature.
I started Filmmaking Stuff because I wanted to help filmmakers make movies and also, create a self sustaining movie business. In other words, if you have the passion to make movies, then you owe it to yourself to get moving! The following filmmaking video provides you with a brief overview of the Modern MovieMaking Method. I also show you how to grab over $100 dollars in filmmaking tools, free.
Earlier this week, I caught wind of an indie production company based in Australia called Rapidfire Productions. This is a production company that operates as a self sustaining modern moviemaking business. They develop movies, get money, make their movies and through their own distribution arm, the company reaches the masses.
As a feature filmmaker, one of the biggest problems YOU have is finding a traditional distribution deal (that actually makes sense) for your movie. With each passing day, we get closer and closer to a world where DVD sales channels are being replaced by video on demand. And while we are not there yet, after spending the greater part of last weekend watching streaming content on NetFlix and Hulu, I am now of the opinion that the days of DVD distribution are numbered.
One of the most important filmmaking strategies you must adopt in this era of modern moviemaking is a long term perspective. In years past, filmmakers focused on making one movie, selling it and then moving on to the next movie.
One secret I utilize is frequent press release submissions. Years ago, it was advised that you only wrote and submitted press releases when you had something newsworthy to say. But these days, in addition to targeting traditional news outlets, most press releases are included in search engine results. Without getting overly technical, this means for a very small amount of money, submitting one press release complete with links to your website can increase your web footprint.
Filmmaking is changing. Like it or not, if you want to make a living making movies, you need to learn about the business side of independent movie making. And if this is your first time on filmmaking stuff, you are reading step 4 of a 7 part series on how to sell your movie How To Sell Your Movie On iTunes, Amazon and Netflix For Maximum Profit.
Given all the changes in distribution, as a filmmaker, getting your movie seen and selling is no longer solely the responsibly of a 3rd party distributor. Once you have sharpened your hook and targeted your target audience, your next step is to set up shop in some of the many popular internet based marketplaces.
The traditional independent filmmaking business was defined by a filmmaker finding a script, locating investors, raising money, making the movie and then landing an awesome distribution deal – and living happily ever after. Over the last few years, the entire model of indie filmmaking has gone Topsy-Turvy…
Peter Broderick is President of Paradigm Consulting which helps filmmakers and media companies develop strategies to maximize distribution, audience and revenues. Earlier this week, Peter stopped by Filmmaking Stuff to talk about the the new world of distribution and how filmmakers can navigate the ever changing landscape of independent filmmaking.
Since publishing the modern moviemaking manifesto, some of you have written, requesting an online community where you can share ideas with other filmmakers involved in our movement. So I have taken the initial steps to creating the modern moviemaking community. If you want to be among the first to know about it (because it’s exclusive), make sure you get on the list.
For filmmakers and screenwriters alike, one of the great things about Jurgen is his ability to make things happen. As you will read in this week’s Filmmaking Stuff guest article – When Jurgen was starting out, he quickly learned to stop asking permission and as a result, he carved his screenwriting career.
Since starting Filmmaking Stuff, this site has grown to attract thousands of filmmakers, globally. And for me, the growing popularity of this filmmaking website is equal parts exciting and humbling. As a result, I feel I have an increased obligation to make your visit more meaningful. And to that degree, I have decided to provide you with well over $100 dollars worth of filmmaking products, for FREE.
When your in the filmmaking process, getting a website up and running is one of those things that filmmakers oftentimes forget. Please don’t. Given the ways in which distribution is changing, having a great website for your movie is probably one of the most important aspects of your eventual movie marketing campaign.