Distribution : Lockdown Shot Indie Feature - Saint Cecilia Of Spiralence (Dir: Al Carretta, 77m, 2021) by Al Carretta

Wow, 18th feature?! That's incredible! How has distribution changed for you since Amazon has become an option for you? Or have you only ever used Amazon for distribution?

Great!

Hi Karen, slight essay but lots of info here. I saw Amazon evolve as one of many options in the mid-2010s. In 2021, I think Filmhub is the best distribution platform / chance indie filmmakers have ever had to get seen. Going all the way back to 2010 I refused to start making indie content without a distribution plan but even back then there was still a 1990s business model around everything. I always said I would never output on DVD or physical media; I don't think it offers value. iTunes was my first goal and we went through Tunecore & Bitmax to achieve this, however, this wasn't very transparent and I pulled the plug after a nominal QC fail/resumbission fee scenario that was just a rip-off. In May 2011, I was actually one of (if not the) the first UK filmmakers to have a film (The Length Of Spring, 2010) in the Apple App Store (2GB file limit) but once Apps went past the million mark that novelty was lost. At the same time we saw Distrify start to grow in the UK but the social media film sharing concept never worked for us - not enough people were involved in the films. Vimeo-On-Demand was the first provider to offer something solid but value was, and remains questionable as the catalogue is impossible to search and built on a principal of bias with it's 'staff picks' angle. Over the years I've had countless odd DVD distributors offer crap deals for my content and I've had even more SVOD/VOD offers. There's a rogue US company who I knowingly signed awful terms with for 3 years between 2013-2016 but I knew somewhere along the line exposure would be generated. If you're not precious, haven't spent much money and understand that content needs and audience being seen is all the platform you're looking for. In 2019 (no licence extension from the Rogues) I found out they actually sub-licenced my first 5 films to a YouTube free movie behemoth as their own; I found out and got it sorted but it was a ludicrous situation. Ironically, 2 of the titles were performing pretty well. My Amazon experience evolved out my lacklustre experience of CreateSpace. From 2017 onwards, they got their act together in the face of so many pretentious curated indie film channels who'd held a few distribution doorways. In it's original principal, the idea was brilliant. In execution, the service is faceless and the film purges of 2019 were pretty despicable business practice. 'Included with' Amazon Prime Streaming works to give exposure to your film but the caveats are one, the financial return is insulting, two, the kill switch drops quickly (no longer included with Prime) if your title doesn't perform and three, the additional exposure means you will be face trolls and abuse you never thought existed. This Summer thanks to title association with 'The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It', my 4th indie feature from 2012 'The Devil Made Me Do It' made it's money back. Despite my big face on the 'buy' page and a plot description that tells you about a 1973 mafia crime drama, people still...mistakenly...bought it and kept doing so. I deliver on <£2k total spends with £0 marketing budget so actually seeing £2k come back (when you're only on 50% royalty) is about as good as it gets on this economy of scale. Amazon's T's & C's change from 1st November 2021 so unsolicited submissions won't get access to the 'included with Prime' streaming offer that can build an audience for your film. In a nutshell, take 'Devil' out of the equation and having your title on Amazon means you probably won't even make back the cost of the closed captions but you will be seen by a lot more people, who will then give you abuse!

Thanks Kyler!

Hi Al, making 18 indie films in 11 is impressive! And shooting a film during the lockdown is not easy. Keep up the great work.

That's awesome, thank you for your "essay" LOL I may have to review it a couple of times before I can absorb it all, but incredibly helpful! Have you considered writing a blog about what you've learned from your time self-distributing? If that's of interest to you, definitely reach out to Taylor C. Baker who coordinates our blog: Taylor@stage32.com