Since I have been back to indietalk.com I noticed this forum on distribution. So I decided that perhaps I could contribute some information that would help my fellow filmmakers in their quest to make films that actually see the light of day.
Many of you know my qualifications to speak on this subject but for those of you that don’t I will qualify by saying that my first feature “Redemption” was distributed on home video by Artisan in the United States and Canada. In the last couple of weeks it was sold to Greece and the Netherlands. I will also add that I spent five years at E! Entertainment covering the movie and TV industry, and I directed the DVD Premiere awards for the Reed Business Group(Daily Variety, Video Business ECT).
So to say the least I have had the opportunity to speak to some industry “experts” on the subject of distribution specifically home video and theatrical although I did not mange to make it to the theaters on “Redemption”.
The first step in my mind should be taken before you produce the film, in your development process it is imperative to know or at least have a plan to sell your film. Unless you don’t plan to sell it or you are going to self distribute and you really still need to know how you are going to market your product.
With “Redemption” I knew if I didn’t make the theaters that I still had a chance with home video. I always set out to make the theaters and if I would have budgeted correctly I would have done a two week run in Los Angeles, you can put your film in most theaters around the county for two weeks for approximately $12,000. Ash the director of “Bang” used that formula and got a distributor.
One of the main things that I worked on with the team is having a consistent pitch. For “Redemption” it was an urban “Romeo and Juliet” meets “Boyz in the Hood” meets “Hollywood Shuffle” this immediately puts a sense of the movie in the minds of potential buyers.
Okay so the first step know your movie, next time I will talk about genre and why I believe some of the things you hear are true and some aren’t. Please feel free to ask questions and let me know if this has been helpful or what you would like to hear next. I am not claiming to be an expert but hopefully I am sharing some of my success and other cases my failures so you can avoid them.
Many of you know my qualifications to speak on this subject but for those of you that don’t I will qualify by saying that my first feature “Redemption” was distributed on home video by Artisan in the United States and Canada. In the last couple of weeks it was sold to Greece and the Netherlands. I will also add that I spent five years at E! Entertainment covering the movie and TV industry, and I directed the DVD Premiere awards for the Reed Business Group(Daily Variety, Video Business ECT).
So to say the least I have had the opportunity to speak to some industry “experts” on the subject of distribution specifically home video and theatrical although I did not mange to make it to the theaters on “Redemption”.
The first step in my mind should be taken before you produce the film, in your development process it is imperative to know or at least have a plan to sell your film. Unless you don’t plan to sell it or you are going to self distribute and you really still need to know how you are going to market your product.
With “Redemption” I knew if I didn’t make the theaters that I still had a chance with home video. I always set out to make the theaters and if I would have budgeted correctly I would have done a two week run in Los Angeles, you can put your film in most theaters around the county for two weeks for approximately $12,000. Ash the director of “Bang” used that formula and got a distributor.
One of the main things that I worked on with the team is having a consistent pitch. For “Redemption” it was an urban “Romeo and Juliet” meets “Boyz in the Hood” meets “Hollywood Shuffle” this immediately puts a sense of the movie in the minds of potential buyers.
Okay so the first step know your movie, next time I will talk about genre and why I believe some of the things you hear are true and some aren’t. Please feel free to ask questions and let me know if this has been helpful or what you would like to hear next. I am not claiming to be an expert but hopefully I am sharing some of my success and other cases my failures so you can avoid them.
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