Online film distribution company looking for films

I've already posted this in the websites forum, but because I don't think most people would look at that sub-forum for their distribution questions, I've decided to post here. Mods, please PM me if this is considered cross-posting.

Original link:
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=72606#post72606

Eyesoda.com is a film distribution company, an online movie theater, and hopefully in the near future, a booming online community centered around the art and enjoyment of film.

I've been scouring this forum for a while mainly checking back for inquiries on my original post, but as part time employee with no experience in the film industry, I never knew how difficult it was to go through the process of getting a film distributed. ( oakstreetphotovideo's posts in this thread here: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=13314)

In this increasingly technological world we live in where the internet is slowly transforming everything about our lives, it was only a matter of time before it changed the face of filmmaking as we know it. If I want to really draw lines, I guess you can relate Eyesoda to the way tapes took a bite in the market that was formerly dominated by movie theaters. But then again, I think I'm digressing too much here.

For any questions that haven't been answered in the original thread or can't be answered by browsing the http://www.eyesoda.com/, just ask away and I'll answer you as promptly as possible.

Take care and keep making those films!

-Sean Dominguez
Eyesoda Production Assistant

The only major player in ONLINE "distribution" is Amazon.com - the rest of 'em are SMALL TIME. How these small timers think they should get 50% is beyond me. If companies are making 50% off of filmmakers then why are we busting our buts to make the movie product?

If you can do your own manufacturing, set up a web site and do your own shipping then you can earn 90% via ccnow.com. Amazon will take ANYONE'S indie product, while you set the list price. Amazon pockets an obscene 55% and they USUALLY sell your product for full list price unless you get a sales spike. But Amazon is Amazon and 94% of indie online CD sales occurred on Amazon.com (2002 I believe). I'm sure DVD sales are a huge percentage of overall online indie DVD sales.

Hey, Blade_Jones

You're right the rest of us in online "distribution" are totally small time. I don't challenge you there. But, what companies like Eyesoda.com and others are trying to do is not move DVDs but create an interactive channel between filmmakers and viewers, where you can interact with your audience beyond making a transaction. As well as make it easier for interested viewers to consume your movie product without having to buy a DVD (that's a financial and emotional commitment).

True: Amazon is great for moving products, like DVDs - they dominate the market. However, there are some major shifts taking place in how people consumer film content and are viewing video/film online, on-demand is a powerful force. The other power force is online community - like www.indietalk.com. You don't get this with Amazon (though they are exploring on-demand with UnBox). That means something new has to emerge to fill the gap and there are a few of out there betting that we have the "new" type of site to fill it.

Okay, Amazon is still going to move lots of DVDs for indies and for Hollywood. I don't say choose one or the other. I say choose "AND." It won't hurt for indie filmmakers to explore other avenues to raise awareness and generate dollars, particularly online on-demand distributors, like Eyesoda.com. Adding this channel to your total distribution strategy will actually compliment your DVD business, and most sites, like mine, offer non-exclusive agreements, so you can persue as many as you like. So, as the online channel become more dominant, like it did for music, you will benefit from the shift.

I hate to overuse something that is becoming cliché, but it's true: the internet really is revolutionizing the way we live.

Every time I think about the initial obstacles that Eyesoda (and online distribution in general) faces, I think about a scene in the movie 'Boogie Nights'. While the subject matter of the movie is laughable, there's a scene in the film where a film producer proposes to Burt Reynolds character, a pornographic filmmaker, that he should begin to shoot on video instead of film because it was the future of the industry. Being an old time purist, Reynolds' character scoffed at the idea and looked him off. In the later scenes of the movie, Reynolds' character begins to experiment with video in an effort to revitalize his career.

I know that the analogy I'm trying to put forth isn't quite on par with apples to apples and oranges to oranges, but speaking as a bystander and not as an employee, I really do think that online distribution is the way of the future. The increasing size and clarity of computer monitors coupled with the increasing speeds of broadband plus the overall convenience of having a database of independent films that literally lie at your fingertips... I really just don't see how Eyesoda can't compete with the big time competition a few years down the road.

FILMMAKERSHELP - I couldn't agree with you more. Filmmakers have a number of non-traditional opportunities out there, especially with the small online distributors like Eyesoda.com. Yeah, many of us are just getting started and still building our audience. But, my site focuses on providing personal attention to each film and finding niche markets online for that film. It's different than being a big destination like Amazon. Both, approaches have their merits. And, that's why it's a great idea for filmmakers to leverage all the options they can. Sites like Eyesoda.com that will give them focused attention, and big sites like Amazon that promise more traffic but also more competiton for eyeballs and dollars.

Hi kneko!

How does you're site actually work? As in actual splits for you and the filmmaker. I finished post on my first film last year with no luck on distribution. So I've been reading up on DIY distribution for the last 3 months and it's driving me crazy with all the different options out there.

Wish you luck on your website.....

Hey WeightonWheels! Our business model is simple: our members buy tickets to see specific films and we share those tickets sales with filmmakers 50/50. In the future, we'll show ads and the money we earn from advertisers will also be split with filmmakers. I'd love to talk to you about your film and encourage you to check out Eyesoda.com. I wish you much luck too!