Straight to DVD Distribution

Hey everyone, I'm new here. Been reading through the forums and really learning a lot! I am trying to find information on how best to distribute low-budget movies on my own.

Me and a partner have access to 6 low-budget horror/comedy DV movies. The owners of these films have allowed us to try and distribute them.

We're not looking to make much money. Each of the movies was made for less than 10k. They are admittably not great films, so sending them to film festivals would not be worthwhile. But, they are of good enough quality to compete in the low-budget markets (assumming there is one!).

Can anyone suggest a way for me to distribute DVDs like this to the sell-through market? Are there specific retail advertising magazines that cater to low-budget movies?

I have come across companies on the web like Maverick (http://www.maverickentertainment.cc) and York (http://www.yorkentertainment.com) that seem to do what me and my partner hope to do.... albeit on a smaller scale. These companies obviously make money selling these DVDs and I am trying to figure out how they are doing it.

Thanks,

Robert
 
Well you need to contact Hollywood Video, Blockbuster, Best Buy etc. and find thier buyers. A buyer is someone who buys mechandise from a distributor to stock on the shelves of a store. To do this you had better have an enormus amount of cash because the order they will place will be in the 10's of thousands of units (if they decide to buy) and since you are a first time distributor they will make you deliver the mech. long before they will cut you a check. Then you will have to deal with returns, dvd's not playing etc. Did I mention shipping? You can't drop them in the mail. Be prepared to negotiate with a trucking company or UPS.

The big companies tend to only deal with reliable distributors they believe can provide them with a continous source of sellable mechandise. So if they buy one of your films and they don't move many they won't buy any more. So the advertising of the film is all on you. Also, they are really into box art. If the front of the box looks good the chance of someone seeing it on the shelf and renting/buying it is greater.

You can also go to some of the film markets (AMF, Cannes, etc.) and setup a both and sell your movies to companies that way. You can get books on film markets at Amazon and they will give you detailed information on how to do it. This is mainly good if you want to find a partner to do overseas distribution.

I have sold one film and am currently working on selling another. I am not a distributor, just a filmmaker. I actually had an offer, for the one I just sold, from York which I turned down. I can see how the Yorks and Mavericks of the world operate and it's a tough business to get into. Most of those companies were formed by people who worked for a major studio and formed a great network of friends at the companies I mentioned. They use this network to get the merch to your local Blockbusters shelf. Yes they make a lot of money but it is a full time business that has a MAJOR amount of risk involved. A lot of people have bad tastes from distributors but most of that I feel stems from thier unrealistic expectations from thier films. I mean if you put $7,000 into a film and see a check for $10,000 after a year is that so bad? Not really since you probably made a film (production value wise) that 100 other people are making right now. Plus it's on every shelf of every Hollywood Video in the nation.

Anyway good luck with your company and I am sure there are books somewhere on this. You may want to look at musci distribution books to since it's a similar setup.
 
yes, crzybkhd makes a lot of sense. you cannot deal direct w/blockbuster and hollywood - they buy from wholesale distributors, who buy from aggregators or studios, who may buy from you. everyone needs a piece. you can self-distribute or start a small company, but you'll need more than 6 films. and you'll need to be able to hit street dates and delivery schedules. you might try contacting global or pro-active entertainment - both aggregators....
also, if i can shamelessly plug my book, read The Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook - it explains all this in detail. You can get it very cheap from Amazon.
 
sale your DVDs like u ask

i am not expert, but i have listen, my people, i work with sale it to 2DVDz.de - the site URL, i think something like w w w.2 D V D z.de

i wish u success !

Robert said:
Hey everyone, I'm new here. Been reading through the forums and really learning a lot! I am trying to find information on how best to distribute low-budget movies on my own.

Me and a partner have access to 6 low-budget horror/comedy DV movies. The owners of these films have allowed us to try and distribute them.

We're not looking to make much money. Each of the movies was made for less than 10k. They are admittably not great films, so sending them to film festivals would not be worthwhile. But, they are of good enough quality to compete in the low-budget markets (assumming there is one!).

Can anyone suggest a way for me to distribute DVDs like this to the sell-through market? Are there specific retail advertising magazines that cater to low-budget movies?

I have come across companies on the web like Maverick (http://www.maverickentertainment.cc) and York (http://www.yorkentertainment.com) that seem to do what me and my partner hope to do.... albeit on a smaller scale. These companies obviously make money selling these DVDs and I am trying to figure out how they are doing it.

Thanks,

Robert
 
just to add a bit, I know Mark for sometimes, and he was one of our guest speaker at our monthly filmmaking club meeting, that day, we had a packed audience. And he's very 'right' in the dollar on market's interest etc. his book is good, I read it twice. :) At least if some of the things doesn't apply to you, the book is good as a great reference guide.

Johnny
 
Another option is www.customflix.com

They take a big cut, something like 50%, but they handle making copies, packaging, sales and shipping. Also, you get a webpage for your movie. It's ain't perfect, but if you can't get a distrubutor to take your movie, it's a no hassle way to get something out there.

Scott
 
Mark Bosko
Bosko-Emma Associates/East
Author, Complete Movie Marketing Handbook and the free online guide, Top Ten Tips to Distribution

That's a very good free guide. I read the whole thing a few months back and thought it was very well put together. Thanks
 
These companies obviously make money selling these DVDs and I am trying to figure out how they are doing it.
Well York is making money by NOT PAYING!!! I friend of mine says about York "do not accept any deal with York unless you receive payment upfront." I've dealt with corrupt CD distributors and can tell you that you do NOT want to do business with companies that don't pay. With DVD distribution you absolutely cannot afford to get burned. Finding a company that has a reputation of PAYING and that is financially stable is a big MUST! There's no way around this. It's business 101.
 
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