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website How do you promote your indie film?

jmacaluso

jmacaluso

Hi Everyone,

I'm a web developer and recently built a website for an indie film. It occurred to me that other indie filmmakers probably need websites to promote their films but either don't have the time or resources to launch it. Would you take advantage of a service that provides cost-effective web development specifically designed for Indie films?

Thanks in advance for any insights
 
I've never gone to a film's website to check out a film. Do films still have their own websites? I didn't even know that was still a thing.
 
I think a better business it's a social media marketing package that includes design.
 
Interesting... yeah i've seen many film websites recently. They are pretty simple, show the trailer, bios of the filmmaker and perhaps most importantly where/how to watch the film. In some cases, they sell merch as well.

It does seem however that most of the promotion happens on social media.
 
I know they exist I would just never direct any traffic there because it is a dead end. I would direct people to social media and set up a slick homebase on one of the popular platforms, personally. Having the "business card" website is good too I suppose.
 
According to the analytics on the site I recently built, a vast majority of users were going to the homepage and the "where to watch" page. The other pages received very little traffic.
 
IvonV said:
At a point where I have a film that needs a website and social media updates. We have a Facebook page, but need the website.
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Good to know. Is there anything specific that you would want to use the site for? Also, do you mind sharing what the average budget for one of your films is (trying to get an idea of pricing).

I've put together a marketing page and a few examples here - if you have a chance would love to hear more of your thoughts.
 
I read an article few years ago about the way people are creating their online presence. The article made it clear that websites are still a thing. The film's website should contain more static information (film synopsis, cast and crew info, how to buy or watch the film, contact info of the filmmakers). The website would also be a likely landing page for searches. The social media sites are where you put more dynamic information (Facebook for upcoming festival information, Insta for pics of the filmmakers attending the film festival). Website and social media should have links to each other for maximum effect.
 
When is that last time you heard about a movie you wanted to see, so jumped on the internet and looked for their website?
 
jmacaluso said:
Also, do you mind sharing what the average budget for one of your films is (trying to get an idea of pricing).
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I don't mind sharing, but I'll caution that everyone asks this question and not everyone will answer... ummm... truthfully. You can get some idea of what filmmakers might spend on marketing (including a website) from a budget, but it's not always a good guide.

The budget for the latest film I produced is $250K. Our total marketing budget is about $5K. That includes money for submitting to festivals and online audience screenings as well as website and social media updates.
 
IvonV said:
Personally, the first thing I do when I want to know something about a movie I want to see is go to IMDB.
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that is the LAST place I would ever go to learn about a movie I want to watch.

I've had more than one film / tv show ruined by spoilers in IMDB.
Even something as simple as a characters face with the REAL CHARACTER NAME next to it, when that character is introduced with a false alias. boom move is ruined. Looking at you Ravenous (1999)
 
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My opinion is, it looks good to have a website, and a place to direct people to when trying to sell or market your film. But don't expect people to randomly discover your movie, and don't direct fans there, it's a dead end. Fans should be using social so they can like, comment, and share.
 
Movies have been forever ruined for me as a casual viewer ever since film school. I don't care about spoilers. I watch movies like a football coach might watch last week's game... to dissect the technicalities.
 
Pretty much. I saw the last 45 seconds of a movie last week, and decided to watch it. So saw the end already.
 
Hey whatever floats your boat.
I personally would have enjoyed the show Comrade Detective much much less if I had visited the IMDB before watching episode 1.

Just completely rips the bottom out of the show if you go to the imdb page. But thats me.
 
indietalk said:
When is that last time you heard about a movie you wanted to see, so jumped on the internet and looked for their website?
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I usually just Google search the title. Mostly get directed to youtube or vimeo if there is a trailer. If the film has a website I go there.

Do you ever post trailers on any of the large platforms like yt or vimeo?
 
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