Updated: Apr 10, 2021
Every filmmaker has three primary goals:
1) Make films
2) Get people to see those films
3) Make money from those films
When it comes to the first goal, filmmakers are ready, willing, and able to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Though there are plenty of obstacles and trials to overcome, filmmakers always find a way. Why is this? It's because filmmakers believe that making a film is within their span of control. They believe that if they try hard enough, work well enough with other people, and never give up, everything will eventually fall into place.
This isn't so much the case with the second and third goals. When it comes to distribution and making money on their films, filmmakers believe that this part of the equation is outside of their span of control. This is why they go to festivals, pitch distributors, and give away their films to distributors for pennies on the dollar. For some reason, they believe that someone else is the gatekeeper to the financial success of their films and are willing to give everything away in the process.
Well, the reality is that a distribution deal doesn't guarantee massive viewership nor does it guarantee a meaningful return on investment. When it comes to viewership (and downstream revenues) most people are viewing short and feature film content primarily on 4 platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Hulu. So, to get the kind of viewership you need to be profitable (following all of the revenue splits involved in traditional distribution) you need to be on one or more of these platforms...and therein lies the rub.
Netflix and Hulu are making their own content and have become less and less interested in independent films that don't come from offshoots of the major studios. AmazonPrime Video pays pennies on the dollar per hour of film watched which means a long slog to recoupment for most filmmakers (especially if you don't have a tried and true branding and marketing strategy). And that brings us to YouTube.
YouTube isn't the place to monetize a single film, but it's a great place to monetize content. The key to monetizing content on YouTube is a content creator's ability to feed the insatiable appetites of YouTube viewers. Since there is so much content out there, you have to give your audience something that keeps them coming back for more. This can be a daunting task for traditional filmmakers as most of their films take months to produce. How can you possibly keep up with the demand when the type of content you create can't be published daily, weekly, or even monthly? The answer is by augmenting the content you create with content that invites your viewers in to the creative process and introduces them to the people who helped along the way.
YouTube offers filmmakers the lowest barrier to entry (no gatekeepers) while allowing you to maintain the rights to your work. It offers a relatively unfiltered platform for you to share every aspect of your filmmaking journey while growing, curating, and engaging your audience. Though it doesn't offer the kind of one-time pay days that most filmmakers are seeking, neither do Netflix, Hulu, or AmazonPrime Video when it comes to independent films.
In addition to minimizing the barriers to entry, YouTube also offers filmmakers direct insights into platform analytics. This is something you won't get from any other platform. Analytics will empower you to take the right actions to improve the performance of your channel and to engage your viewership. This way, you can tailor your content to what your viewers want while monitoring their engagement and overall platform performance.
Last but not least, YouTube provides a platform for your brand. This can include a Shop for your merchandise, a Community forum for social engagement, and even Channel-sharing to highlight the work of your friends in film. This one stop-shop offers everything you need to share your content and build your brand.
Now, we get that posting a film to YouTube doesn't carry the same gravitas as telling people that your film made it to Netflix or can be viewed on AmazonPrime, but here's the thing: Netflix and Amazon views may carry weight, but they don't easily convert to followers and subscribers. Every video you post to YouTube gives each viewer the opportunity to like, follow, and share your content. Those contributions alone are worth far more than a view on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu combined.
Our goal here isn't to discourage you from seeking a traditional distribution deal. If you can get a sweet cash deal from Netflix or Hulu, by all means go for it! What we're tying to get across is that the sweet cash deal isn't the norm no matter how much faith you have in your film. Our goal is to encourage you to put your future in your own hands by being the primary advocate for your creative success. No one else is going to build your brand or build your audience for you. Only you can do that. YouTube is designed to do that.
As an indie filmmaker, your future is up to you. Take control. Keep control. Give YouTube a try.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!
Updated: Apr 10, 2021
We polled 30 distributors of independent film content and here's what we learned:
1. Term
The average term for distribution rights is 10-15 years. As most distributors provided a range, this suggests that the term is negotiable so don't forget to negotiate. A few distributors provided terms of less than 10 years. In these cases, most release 50 or more films per year.
2. Rights
The majority of distributors polled are seeking worldwide rights, though some would settle for North America. Distributors with a strong international presence require worldwide rights as their business depends upon it. Keeping international rights will give you an opportunity to seek
3. Selection Criteria
Though there was some variation across distributors, the most common themes included:
Established, mobilizable audience
Powerful, innovative story
Unique voice
High-production value
Recognizable cast was often indicated as a factor, but not a defining one. The key message was that ideal films have an easily identifiable target audience with a high purchase potential.
4. Social Media
40% of the distributors polled indicated that they leverage social media as a critical input to their selection process. The remaining 60% indicated that, though they consider it an input, it does not drive decision-making. Active social communities seemed to trump the need for cast-based social following.
5. Films Per Year
Most of the distributors (80%) release fewer than 50 films per year, with an average of 15 - 20. Some distributors were well over that mark, distributing anywhere from 100 to 400 films. At 15-20 films per year, competition remains high amongst those that leverage industry curation via film festivals, sales agents, and pre-existing relationships. There is a much higher opportunity to get picked up by those distributors topping 100 annual releases (e.g. Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, and Seed&Spark).
We hope that these five facts give you a feel for the independent distribution market. Here are the key takeaways:
Be prepared to license your film for 10 - 15 years (but keep the negotiations open.
Distributors will settle for North American rights but will take worldwide if you give it to them.
You need to have a clearly-identifiable audience that can be targeted through your own marketing and/or that of your distributor
Social media following helps but a proven track record of community mobilization is best
Competition remains high amongst distributors as they each release an average of 15-20 films per year. The best way to get on their radar is to learn how they like to receive content and to leverage those channels as best you can (e.g., film festivals, sales agents, preexisting relationships, etc.)
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!
Updated: Apr 10, 2021
When indie filmmakers produce films, they most often expend all of their time, energy, resources, and creativity on production in an effort to make the best films that they can. It's an admirable pursuit. and one they hope will pay off with a high-quality finished product, but the problem with this approach is that it fails to exploit the full potential of their creative works. You see, films aren't just products; they are properties. To be specific, they are intellectual properties that can be monetized in a variety of ways.
Use Your Film to Promote Yourself
Every film that you create and promote can be leveraged as a marketing piece for your next project. The only thing stepping in the way of that is your willingness and ability to give your audience a call to action. Whether your'e distributing a short, episodic, or feature film, be ready to invite your audience along for your filmmaking journey by asking them to like, follow, and share or by contributing to your crowdfunding campaign.
Use Your Film to Hone In On Your Target Market
If you've created a film, it's important to get it in front of the various segments of your target audience and gauge how they react. You can measure the responses to determine how to best position your film as you plan for distribution. Having real data will help you position your project to distributors as you will be able to match your target demographics with theirs. This data will also be useful as you plan your digital marketing campaign. Targeting the right audience with your marketing campaign will help to promote positive reviews and a network effect that will maximize downstream revenues. Split testing your film will help avoid the cost of bad reviews while increasing your marketing and sales potential.
Use Your Film To Engage An Audience
A film can be used as a starting point for a conversation with your audience. Consider posting content and inviting your audience to react to it. Do they love it? Do they hate it? What did they love or hate about it? What would they have liked to see? How can you improve in your next project? By engaging your audience, you express empathy. Empathy creates connections and connections build communities. Building communities around your work enables you to leverage them downstream as you seek to finance and distribute your work. If your community is strong enough, they will go where you go (and bring their digital wallets with them).
Use Your Film To Sell Merch
Merchandising your film through physical products or derivative works is a great way to create multiple streams of income based on a single piece of intellectual property. The key is to plan for merchandising during development so that you can identify opportunities in the story that lend themselves to specific ancillary products. Merchandising can be based on film quotes that resonate with your target audience (e.g., T-shirts that read: "Hasta la vista, baby."), film artifacts that have a strong meaning (e.g., lightsabers), the uniqueness of the characters themselves (e.g., action figures), or artwork and music from the soundtrack to name a few.
Use Your Film To Get Sponsorships
Using your film as a marketing piece for a brand or organization can provide yet another way to offset the costs of your film. Product placement, in-content ads, and logo placement can be attractive to those seeking new ways to advertise their products or services. If you can clearly articulate how your film aligns with a sponsor's demographic and have a foolproof plan to engage that audience, you will hav a compelling pitch for sponsorship dollars.
As you can see, your films are far more than just standalone products. If you leverage them for their full potential, you can always find a way to make them work for you whether they are formally distributed or not. Look at each film for what it can do to help you build your brand, engage your audience, and promote the development of multiple revenue streams. With this approach, every film you make will be a success in its own way.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!