Hello all...
I'm in preproduction on my microbudget feature film and am returning to film production after a long 12 yr hiatus. I've been living under a rock when it comes to the business end of things. It's very exciting these days seeing things like HD streaming, but on the other end it seems the usual trends in business hold true: low barriers to entry create more competition, so we have the same dilemma: distributing independent films is still HARD, lol.
So essentially here is what the dilemma is:
1) Theatrical. Probably not something I will do well with unless I do a four wall situation for publicity purposes. And in this day and age of digital projection I could just set up a screening at any hall that has favorable projection conditions, and rent the gear (none of this union projectionist nonsense).
2) Festivals. The last time I tried for a festival I ended up starving myself of attention for a year just to find out I didn't get in. It seems it's a big gamble to take and even though people swear by them, the problem is that I have product that is not moving while I'm waiting to hear from them. I don't like the idea that the cut is finished but I have to sit on it for months with fingers crossed hoping for a miracle.
3) Streaming. Personally I haven't bought a DVD in ages. I stream everything. I don't see myself reaching into my pocket and paying for a DVD unless it's something so extremely rare and a 'gotta have' that I'll do it. Otherwise I pass. Naturally I would expect my audience to be the same way. I will have no recognizable talent so the big streaming companies like Netflix are not likely to be interested. At the same time I want to be able to make my content available in a way where people don't have to be a member of a site to watch it. One of my concerns is any 'exclusivity' - I want to be able to have a situation where I can be watched on multiple platforms so I'm not limiting my audience in any way.
4) Television. I would love to get this to play on TV, but do TV companies have issues if my content is already streaming somewhere?
5) Piracy. People are going to upload the film if it's worth watching, so how do I go about fighting this?
6) Distribution. Is it possible to start self distributing and then if a distributor likes the film, they pick it up? Or are distributors only interested in virgin content, like festivals?
Any advice is very much appreciated!
I'm in preproduction on my microbudget feature film and am returning to film production after a long 12 yr hiatus. I've been living under a rock when it comes to the business end of things. It's very exciting these days seeing things like HD streaming, but on the other end it seems the usual trends in business hold true: low barriers to entry create more competition, so we have the same dilemma: distributing independent films is still HARD, lol.
So essentially here is what the dilemma is:
1) Theatrical. Probably not something I will do well with unless I do a four wall situation for publicity purposes. And in this day and age of digital projection I could just set up a screening at any hall that has favorable projection conditions, and rent the gear (none of this union projectionist nonsense).
2) Festivals. The last time I tried for a festival I ended up starving myself of attention for a year just to find out I didn't get in. It seems it's a big gamble to take and even though people swear by them, the problem is that I have product that is not moving while I'm waiting to hear from them. I don't like the idea that the cut is finished but I have to sit on it for months with fingers crossed hoping for a miracle.
3) Streaming. Personally I haven't bought a DVD in ages. I stream everything. I don't see myself reaching into my pocket and paying for a DVD unless it's something so extremely rare and a 'gotta have' that I'll do it. Otherwise I pass. Naturally I would expect my audience to be the same way. I will have no recognizable talent so the big streaming companies like Netflix are not likely to be interested. At the same time I want to be able to make my content available in a way where people don't have to be a member of a site to watch it. One of my concerns is any 'exclusivity' - I want to be able to have a situation where I can be watched on multiple platforms so I'm not limiting my audience in any way.
4) Television. I would love to get this to play on TV, but do TV companies have issues if my content is already streaming somewhere?
5) Piracy. People are going to upload the film if it's worth watching, so how do I go about fighting this?
6) Distribution. Is it possible to start self distributing and then if a distributor likes the film, they pick it up? Or are distributors only interested in virgin content, like festivals?
Any advice is very much appreciated!