Distribution

I haven't seen any J Dramas, Debbie Elicksen, but I've thought about writing one. The J Drama market looks huge. If I end up writing a J Drama, I'll watch J Dramas first to see how they're usually structured. I might even write a J Drama/Horror.

@maurice J Drama/Horror would be a winner. The Days is based on a true story, but wowza it tells the story compellingly well. Even did a TikTok on it. :) https://www.tiktok.com/@debbielelicksen/video/7241302882610334982

I reference Winter on Fire, a doc taking you right to ground level of Ukraine and Kyiv when the Russian terrorists invaded Crimea. Not a J drama but a worthy watch.

Thanks for the link, Debbie Elicksen. The poster for "The Days" has a Horror vibe to it. I'll have to check out "The Days" and "Winter on Fire."

Maurice Vaughan Tell me what you think when you see either or both of them.

Ok, I will, Debbie Elicksen.

Eha Urbsalu Hello my lovely student! I am so happy to hear about this! DM me, and I will fill you in, but a well-known European actor is a smart choice and it would indeed help the distribution/sales agency onboarding process. I would also have a list to show your top sales agent choices and let them decide as you don't want to be in a position where you lock in someone and find out they have little value.

Amy Leigh McCorkle I remember your project. If it's based on what you told me about, the social media following will make a difference. And target the indie crowd- US like Neon, Roadside Attractions, A 24 once it's shot.

M LaVoie test scores mean nothing internationally but domestic would help.

Thanks, Alexia, for all your answers!

I would love to know what is the toughest part of getting into Film Sales nowadays?

Maurice Vaughan The Night Agent is also nearly a decade old, I believe. But it's a great limited series and who could go wrong casting Tom Hiddleston?

Thanks this is a very interesting read!

Debbie Elicksen, I think you're thinking of The Night Manager starring Tom Hiddleston. The Night Agent is a new direct to Netflix series that premiered back in the Spring. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but it's been popping up on the banner of my home screen for months.

Ashley Renee Smith Oh, okay. I better check that out then. Thanks for the clarification. I wish series and movies would choose unique titles instead of going with one that was already used or is nearly identical. It's pretty easy to Google a phrase and also search for it on Amazon.

I know, it's so easy to get confused now!

I have a short on Prime for sale and rent. Makes a few bucks.

I also put it up on Filmhub to see if I’d get any bites. Several streamers picked it up, no payments yet.

Another potential is using your short film as "intellectual property" to develop a feature film from. Here is a link recent Stage 32 webinar on that subject taught by a manager whose client set up a feature with Steve Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment based on their short film so you can check it out: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-To-Make-A-Feature-Film-Based-On-You...

If you look up other short films which have received distribution on IMDb, you can go to the company information section and see if the distributor is listed there. This is sometimes a good way of finding companies that may be interested in your work.

Sam Sokolow also makes an excellent point! You can use your short as a proof of concept for a larger project. This is how movies like District 9 and the Saw franchise started out.

Hello:

Someone has done that or remains doing such within the short film to feature film. A horror short film produced a winning scenario, and the director chose to pursue the feature element.

My Left Arm: https://filmfreeway.com/MyLeftArm

Gratitude into your roads.

God Bless,

John German

What's Poo Bear, Debbie Elicksen?

Maurice Vaughan You've never seen or read Winnie the Poo? You better Google that right now. Here's a Christmas clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DRIhv4UWSY

I've seen "Winnie the Pooh," Debbie Elicksen. I thought you were talking about a kids' show called "Poo Bear." Haha

Maurice Vaughan That's always been his nickname here. Also, (drum roll) he's from Canada. :)

That's Pooh's nickname here too, Debbie Elicksen. I just thought you were talking about a completely different show. An original show. Jim Carrey is from Canada.

Chance The Rapper is an inspiration. Control isn't cheap but it's worth it. Why I love this community - we can take charge of our work, community and outreach in so many ways.

Thank your for sharing!! The music industry functions very differently to so it’s interesting to get some insight on that Debbie Elicksen

I've heard artists say something similar to what Chance the Rapper said, Debbie Elicksen. The deals some artists make with major record companies are shocking! And the deals come with strings attached, like the article points out. If I ever publish a book, I'll probably self-publish it so I can have control over it.

Maurice Vaughan Control is everything. With a trad, you still have to do all the sales and marketing, so why not own it?

Might as well, Debbie Elicksen. And being a screenwriter, I'm used to self-promoting. :)

Interesting.

Very cool - the content world continues to shrink and it's so important that we all discover and experience voices and artists from every corner of the world. I hope their reach continues to expand.

Yes, this is something I learned in my early introduction to filmmaking. Wow. So many clearances, permits, and hurdles. It's truly amazing anything ever gets made, Sam Sokolow.

I first encountered this with ordering a run of DVDs. The replicator wanted a music cue sheet to acknowledge the composers and unions affected. To this day, I still do music cue sheets when sending deliverables to distributors. I get releases for footage and sound effects, but no one has asked for them yet.

Most indie projects need their proof of Copyright, cue sheet, actor and composer agreements and that usually covers it. I've yet to have anyone ask for anything more. But I'm doing smaller projects.

Great topic to discuss! Legal delivery can look like a mountain of work to do but is essential for distributing your film.

I would not trust AI unless you have access to a native speaker that can check for issues. I've been tempted myself but only when I can have a trusted person to double-check the AI results.

Stephen V. Stone Hi Stephen, I’ve used translators before for film and book projects and there’s always a back and forth to get to the closest meaning of a word or phrase. I don’t think I could simply put a translation into the ‘hands’ of AI and go with what it comes up with. My fear is that I would be devaluing all the work put in to the project and maybe even laughed at, if the translation uses the wrong words.

There are companies that actually offer dubbing that is very realistic through AI-one of them is papercup- they were at Content London. You might want to check it out.

This is a great subject. I have a documentary primarily in Spanish and due to the expense, I have yet to be able to get the translation. I didn’t know AI was an option even if not quite correct.

Stephen Folker about 110 years ago a small group started the film industry. Soon, they said the system was broken. TV launched and many said the system was broken. I never understand the idea of "the system". Stories can be told and seen by more people today than ever. More outlets and options than ever. Maybe being elevated in a star system isn't always easy or fair but I think the system is what someone makes of every resource in their moment.

To subscribe or not to subscribe? That is the question. The only advice for all the streamers: pay, watch for a month, turn off your subscription, and then go to the next one, pay, watch for a month, turn off your subscription ... repeat for each one streamer. This allows you to only pay one fee per month.

I think it's a good thing when there are more options, Debbie Elicksen. It makes it tougher to decide which streaming service to subscribe to though. With so many streaming services, the streamers have to do things to get people to subscribe and get people to stay once they've subscribed (ex: exclusive movies).

Lindbergh E Hollingsworth that's the rub. As a consumer, we are $6 and $9.99'd to death by yet another streaming service. But as a creative, the more distribution channels, the merrier. Sigh. It would appear that ditching cable isn't really cheaper, and you still need cable for your favorite sports.

As a successful podcaster (top 3 % on listen notes) I know for a fact that you do need to have a following and be able to prove downloads in order to be picked up by a subcription model.

It might depend on the project. If it has a built-in market -- like a segment of the geekdom -- and they jump in to embrace it -- then that could also play into a better distribution deal. It's about $$ and eyeballs. If you can get one or two influencer podcast hosts to jump in and take notice, one never knows. Any marketing, if presented and planned right, will garner some eyeballs. Sometimes it all boils down to timing, too. But you'd never know until you tried. Eyeballs may not always translate to dollars, but they help you sell it to the people in charge.

Interesting question! And you are doing the right thing by choosing your marketing strategy carefully. This is very important for the growth of any project. I can say that one of the most important aspects of digital marketing and SEO in particular is the creation of a high-quality backlink structure, namely the increase in quality forum backlinks with constant positive dynamics. Link building not only increases the authority of your website but also increases its visibility in search engines.

That's why she is the queen.

Taylor Swift and Christopher Nolan should get married and have a child. That child would rule the media kingdom...

Christopher Maes I'd actually be disappointed if TSwift got married. It's such a patriarchal thing to do and she does have cat babies. If she and Kelce did marry, she could purchase the Eagles as a wedding gift so he can own his brother. lol

That's really funny, Debbie Elicksen! As a NY Giants fan I would love to see it happen (although if she bought the Eagles they'd probably never lose again).

I'm all for anything that both entertains audiences, and helps keep cinemas alive.