INDIE FILM DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

Image from the suspense movie Cam-Girl.

Navigating the waters of film distribution can be overwhelming at first, but once you dive in things get easier.

We have learned a great deal releasing our first feature Cam-Girl to the masses and I am happy to share these things with you here.  (NOTE: None of this is described as or intended to be legal advise, you should seek help form an attorney before starting any business venture.)  

The first thing you should know is that you should have a distribution/marketing strategy in place before the movie is even produced.  I know, I know, that is not the fun part, you want to get the budget together and see your movie up on the big screen as soon as possible.  The problem is that the indie film market, (especially for low budget films) is extremely saturated so if you want it to sell, you need to start ahead of time and see it through past the release.

Our Cam-Girl movie web site, social media pages (FaceBook, Twitter) and early promotional stills were up and ready before we had any of the budget in place.  These things also help as you try to get people interested in your movie.  You can get your props together and have concept art made at this stage, which you will need as part of pre-production anyway.

The hope is you build a following of people waiting for the movie to be released by the time you have your launch date.  Then you can just post sales links and let the fans pass the word onto their friends.  If you can find someone to do it, post live video, photos and news from the set during production online.  People love this look behind the scenes and it is a great way to get some buzz around your movie.  All of the studio movies do this, big companies have employees and whole departments dedicated to social media for a reason.

Now the movie is in the can.  First I would have a private test screening to get some honest outside opinions from people who don't have their name in the credits.  We did this for Cam-Girl and ended up cutting about 13 minutes from that cut which only made it better, faster paced.  You simply do not know how your movie will play in a dark room full of strangers until it does.  Trust me, you do not want to realize problems with pacing or story during your world premier.

Distribution:

- It starts with FESTIVAL/THEATRICAL.
This part is how you can get press and help promote the movie to film goers and potential distributors alike.
This can go on for as long as 12 months but should not take much longer.  Distributors want movies that are fresh, original.

- DVD/Blu-Ray release.
This is usually the next phase because physical media is more expensive for the consumer to buy.  Also with Digital sales and subscription services taking over the market, people are buying less DVDs.  If it is only available that way at first, you maximize the sales for that format.  Create bonus features for the DVD, this gives the major fans a reason to buy the DVD.  (RedBox could also be a good option at this point since it is rental of DVDs.)

Cam-Girl was released on DVD first and we are glad it worked out that way.
We made sure to have a bunch of fun features on the DVD.
The Cam-Girl DVD bonus features include: Filmmaker Commentary, 30 Minute behind the scenes and a deleted scene.

- VOD and TV Platforms.  
Commonly this part of distribution comes next.  There are many forms of VOD (Video on Demand) out there.  If you know the differences between TVOD, SVOD and AVOD then good, you can skip ahead... or grab a snack first (you earned it.)

TVOD Transactional: This is when they pay a one-time price to rent or buy the movie in digital form.  Examples: Amazon Video on Demand, Cable On Demand (TV/Hotel Rooms) VUDU, I-Tunes, X-box, Playstation.

SVOD Subscribtion: You probably know these guys all too well.  Customers pay a regularly billed fee to get to watch a catalog of content.
Examples: NetFlix, Hulu Plus, YouTubeRED, IndieFlix and Amazon Prime.
I have heard from people who run Aggregation services, (distributors that make bulk deals with these companies to acquire many movies at once), that Subscription outlets are good but should be the last place where film producers want the movie to be released.  Meaning it is best to release it other ways first, because YES MANY PEOPLE WILL SEE YOUR MOVIE this way, but now those people will not pay for it.  They feel like they are already paying for the service, so they are less inclined to spend more money to own your content.

AVOD Ad based:  In this case, the consumer feels like they are watching the movie free and clear.  But they are paying for it with each view of Advertising that pops up before or during the movie.  The film producers are paid based on the views and actions taken for the ads packaged with their content.
Examples: YouTube, Adsense and Website partnerships.

Cam-Girl is now available on Amazon Video On Demand and we are thrilled to be at this stage of the release.  Feel free to Buy or Rent it here, any reviews are appreciated.

- CABLE/AIRPLANES/FOREIGN SALES.
 This is often the last leg of a release.  Because these platforms (Cable/Airplanes) are thought to be less popular and the changes for revenue are lower.  Many Independent producers use the performance of their North American release to leverage a good deal with foreign Distributors.

I hope this helps.  We filmmakers need to educate ourselves and realize we are all on the same team.  I wish you the best on your film making goals.

- Curt Wiser is the Writer/Director of Cam-Girl, an artist and a published author.