Despite its mystique, Hollywood distribution at any level is a business just like any other- they have a product which costs them a certain amount to manufacture, and they plan on selling it for a price such that they can recoup their costs and make as much profit as they can (legally… hopefully) get away with. Unless you have a name with marquee value (and even then your name should be closer to Steven Spielberg than it is to Lorenzo Llamas) you can expect that whether YOU make a profit from your movie is somewhere down at the bottom of their lists of concerns.

A Brief Background

As you may have noticed, production of movies for independent filmmakers has become much easier. In all likelihood this is part of the reason that you’re visiting www.filmedthic.com, even. As independent filmmakers we now have access to good quality digital cameras, cheap lighting, and a world of gizmos and gadgets designed to fit in our budgets, among other things. Making a movie is easier, but unfortunately the costs of marketing and distribution have not followed suit. The chance of advances paid to independent filmmakers by distributors has decreased dramatically, along with those that are willing to take the chance on independent films. It seems that for an indie movie to have any chance of success, they have to have bankable starts in them and/or have been pre-sold in some way.

It is often an indie filmmaker’s dream to get the big distribution deal that gets you into the theaters and video stores as well, but even if that isn’t in the cards for your latest indie film, there are many ways to make your film a success. Here are some things to consider before you seek out a distribution deal.

The Drawbacks of Using Distributors

Even though distributors are experts when it comes to marketing, press, finances, along with other things, there are drawbacks that come with them. One of the first things to consider is the loss of control that you have when making decisions concerning your film. When you make a distribution deal, it’s a partnership that lasts for many years, and because the distributor has put up the money, they are the one’s who hold all the rights to the way they will market and distribute your film.

Distributors also determine all aspects of distribution rights regarding including rights to domestic and foreign television, DVD manufacturer and sales, and other mediums. It is important to understand that a distributor will rarely make decisions based on who will take care of your material the best, but rather who they have relationships with. They are, after all, not in the business of ‘making art,’ but in the business of ‘making money.’ Because of this distributors sometimes make decisions that are not in the long-term best interest of your movie; and if you’ve signed a distribution deal there is rarely anything you can do about that.

Home Video Distributors

When your film goes directly to DVD, one thing to decide is whether you want to use a home video distributor. There may be cases when they offer to distribute your video and then other times you may have to seek them out, but there are things that you should understand. Some distributors may offer deals where the royalties are split 15% to you and 85% to them and they also cover the expenses as well. In some case the deal may be better or worse, but it depends on a lot of things… Despite what you may have been lead to believe, there is no such thing as a ‘standard distribution deal.’

Just like film distributors, straight-to-video distributors are not in their business ‘for art,’ so only expect that they will make an offer to distribute your movie if they fully expect to cover their expenses, while making also making a profit. Again (is this starting to sound familiar) you will not be in the driver’s seat from the moment you sign on the dotted line.

Selling Videos Directly

If this knowledge makes you want to hold on to all of your rights and sell your videos yourself, then you are not alone. The good news is that you have more routes to self-distribution than ever before… Even 10 years ago it was next to impossible to get around Hollywood if you wanted your movie to be seen. As with every decision you make about your movie, however, there are tradeoffs that you’ll have to make when you decide to go with self-distribution.

The main negative tradeoff is that unless you become very famous at some point down the road, or your sales are extraordinary (as in 100,000+ units sold), once you go down the path of self-distribution, you will have a very difficult time changing course and finding a distributor who will be willing to touch your movie. In many cases, this tradeoff is one worth taking, especially if your indie film was made for less than $10,000… It will be far easier for your movie to become profitable

The other major trade-off that you’ll need to take into consideration is that you’ll be fronting all the money and doing all the work to get your movie out there on your own. This can be a major thing to count the cost on if all you really want to do is make movies… Do you really have the desire to sell the product you’ve made? If the thought of self-promotion makes your skin crawl then self-distribution may not be for you.

Conclusion

Unfortunately there is no single ‘right’ way to go about distributing your independent movie. The best thing you can do is know what options are available to you and know yourself well enough to know which of the many options available are right for you.

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