Alright, with grrrrreat reluctance I'm beginning a new thread with my investigation notes about video-on-demand.
I wanted to just attach it to the other thread as a minor tangent, but this just keeps getting hairier and hairier demanding it's own thread. Sorry
Although this first post is a C&P regurgitation of the last info from another thread subsequent posts will highlight boiled down items of interest.
(IOW, there's a big difference between writing copy to fill collumn inches and writing to slam home crude education - which is my preferred approach: "Ten words or less. What?!"
Subsequent posts will examine individual articles begining with that FilmThreat Going Bionic series.
Have fun.
* * * * * * * * *
Another interesting VOD article:
Dated - Fall 2009 http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/fall2009/industry-beat.php
By all accounts, the most successful VOD films fall into one of a few categories, horror-thrillers (Dark Mirror, Magnolia's Surveillance or The Mutant Chronicles), sexy stuff (like some of IFC's racy French fare) or star-studded comedies (IFC's I Hate Valentine's Day, starring the leads from My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
"The films working on cable VOD are going to be the films that people want to watch with other people, things that are provocative, either from a violence or stylish sense, or a titillating standpoint,"
It appears that if you can skip the dubious expense of a questionable theatrical release, the title and description are intriguing enough, that VOD only distribution may be fairly viable.
Surprisingly some filmmakers are ending up in better fiscal shape by bypassing the theatrical route. Joe Swanberg says the VOD performance for his latest film, Alexander the Last, was similar to his previous Hannah Takes the Stairs. Both were released on IFC with grosses around $250,000. But Alexander may turn out to be significantly more profitable because the higher expenses associated with Hannah's theatrical release ate up all of its VOD proceeds.
And another "more" current article:
Dated - Jun 29, 2010 http://www.filmthreat.com/features/22975/
Finding a way to get your film noticed can be as hard, or harder, than finding the money to make your film in the first place. Of course having certain elements like a notable cast and a “bionic” genre (i.e. action, sci-fi and thriller) will certainly help. But, you should have a clear idea about who your audience is and how you can exploit your product to them through the correct V.O.D. platform.
2) People under the age of 25 buy most of the content sold to cell phones.
Since most contracts with V.O.D. suppliers are non-exclusive, your distributor should exploit your film to multiple suppliers. Let me just clarify that point: Your contract with your distributor is always exclusive, but their contract with V.O.D. suppliers is usually non-exclusive. This means you can have your film available to multiple V.O.D. suppliers if it makes sense to do so.
Cool. There's a series: http://www.filmthreat.com/page/7/?s="going+bionic"
Another informative "definitions of VOD" article:
Dated - Aug 25, 2011 http://www.sellingyourfilm.com/blog/tag/film-distribution-contracts/
Good Lord.
The amount of data to learn on this subject is... deep enough to drown in.
Looks like a chock-load of undated FREE RESOURCES in that first left column block: http://www.filmspecific.com/public/main.cfm
I think this is enough to keep me busy for a week.
(BTW, did I ever tell you guys that the reason I got interested in filmmaking is because I DON'T like reading anymore, especially when a book takes six or more hours to convey what a film can do in under two hours? And what am I doing a sh!t load of now? Yuk yuk yuk. Life is funny).
I wanted to just attach it to the other thread as a minor tangent, but this just keeps getting hairier and hairier demanding it's own thread. Sorry
Although this first post is a C&P regurgitation of the last info from another thread subsequent posts will highlight boiled down items of interest.
(IOW, there's a big difference between writing copy to fill collumn inches and writing to slam home crude education - which is my preferred approach: "Ten words or less. What?!"
Subsequent posts will examine individual articles begining with that FilmThreat Going Bionic series.
Have fun.
* * * * * * * * *
Another interesting VOD article:
Dated - Fall 2009 http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/fall2009/industry-beat.php
By all accounts, the most successful VOD films fall into one of a few categories, horror-thrillers (Dark Mirror, Magnolia's Surveillance or The Mutant Chronicles), sexy stuff (like some of IFC's racy French fare) or star-studded comedies (IFC's I Hate Valentine's Day, starring the leads from My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
"The films working on cable VOD are going to be the films that people want to watch with other people, things that are provocative, either from a violence or stylish sense, or a titillating standpoint,"
It appears that if you can skip the dubious expense of a questionable theatrical release, the title and description are intriguing enough, that VOD only distribution may be fairly viable.
Surprisingly some filmmakers are ending up in better fiscal shape by bypassing the theatrical route. Joe Swanberg says the VOD performance for his latest film, Alexander the Last, was similar to his previous Hannah Takes the Stairs. Both were released on IFC with grosses around $250,000. But Alexander may turn out to be significantly more profitable because the higher expenses associated with Hannah's theatrical release ate up all of its VOD proceeds.
And another "more" current article:
Dated - Jun 29, 2010 http://www.filmthreat.com/features/22975/
Finding a way to get your film noticed can be as hard, or harder, than finding the money to make your film in the first place. Of course having certain elements like a notable cast and a “bionic” genre (i.e. action, sci-fi and thriller) will certainly help. But, you should have a clear idea about who your audience is and how you can exploit your product to them through the correct V.O.D. platform.
2) People under the age of 25 buy most of the content sold to cell phones.
Since most contracts with V.O.D. suppliers are non-exclusive, your distributor should exploit your film to multiple suppliers. Let me just clarify that point: Your contract with your distributor is always exclusive, but their contract with V.O.D. suppliers is usually non-exclusive. This means you can have your film available to multiple V.O.D. suppliers if it makes sense to do so.
Cool. There's a series: http://www.filmthreat.com/page/7/?s="going+bionic"
Another informative "definitions of VOD" article:
Dated - Aug 25, 2011 http://www.sellingyourfilm.com/blog/tag/film-distribution-contracts/
Good Lord.
The amount of data to learn on this subject is... deep enough to drown in.
Looks like a chock-load of undated FREE RESOURCES in that first left column block: http://www.filmspecific.com/public/main.cfm
I think this is enough to keep me busy for a week.
(BTW, did I ever tell you guys that the reason I got interested in filmmaking is because I DON'T like reading anymore, especially when a book takes six or more hours to convey what a film can do in under two hours? And what am I doing a sh!t load of now? Yuk yuk yuk. Life is funny).
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I'll take it. 
