Distribution

How was your weekend?

Once the film is finished, the conversation changes pretty dramatically. You’re no longer selling the promise of what the movie could be, you’re selling the actual movie, which is both better and harder. Better because buyers can see exactly what they’re getting, harder because there’s no longer much room to “package around” weaknesses.

Beyond a strong trailer, I’d focus on a very clean package: key art, logline/synopsis, cast and filmmaker bios, any meaningful underlying IP or audience data, festival strategy/status, press if you have it, and most importantly a clear understanding of who the audience is and how you expect to reach them.

And I would absolutely look at self-distribution as a real option rather than only as a fallback. For a low-budget family Christmas movie especially, there may be a very definable audience and seasonal window. Sometimes the economics of controlling the release yourself, using an aggregator/platform strategy, targeted digital marketing, transactional/VOD, and niche partnerships can be better than taking a weak distribution deal just to say you have one.

Where I see first-timers waste time is chasing major streamers directly, assuming a festival will solve distribution, or waiting endlessly for a sales agent to “discover” the film. At this stage, I’d be running two tracks at once: pursue sales/distribution conversations, but also build a realistic self-distribution plan so you actually have leverage and options.

Katie, once the film is finished, you’re no longer selling the promise of the screenplay - you’re selling evidence that the film works and that there is an identifiable audience for it. Alongside a strong trailer, you should have polished key art, a concise synopsis and pitch, clear genre/comps, cast and IP value, audience positioning, festival strategy and confirmation that rights, music and delivery materials are in order. In my role, I often see first-timers waste time approaching major streamers directly, rather than identifying the sales agents and distributors genuinely active in that budget and genre space.

Lots of great answers on here! If you haven’t got a full delivery requirements list I’d keep some money back for things like a QC report, any additional work needed to make it pass QC, completing technical delivery and chasing down paperwork. US distributors usually have the most stringent requirements, so if your technical and supporting delivery materials match their needs you’re good to go for most other countries as well. Most will have a standard list that includes a huge amount of stuff, so ask for what they actually need (last I looked a lot of companies still ask for HDCAM SR tapes which no one has needed in years). When looking for distributors and sales agents to target, IMDb is a great resource. Look for recent, similar titles and go to the companies tab on their page. There will be a list of distribution companies on there and the territory they picked the film up for. The sales agent is usually the company who’s territory is listed as “worldwide”.

Really appreciate the valuable insights, everyone! I'm learning from y'all. @katrina where can we learn more about self distribution?

Luis Taveras hi Luis, and thanks for posting your comment.

I think in the UK that the world loves ‘English’ films and ‘English’ stories with guess what, with ‘English’ actors and I think some Producers feed off that and think that’s all there is to producing their films.

However, like you say, they have to be market-ready and also have a story that people want to experience and not just have English window dressing.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai so Shadow, I get that the old system is broken, but what needs to emerge to take its place? It has to be appealing to investors, or they’ll not bite and part with their finance.

Geoff Hall Yeah, but it's an entrepreneurial industry. Until the late 1990s, filmmakers found the money, made the movie and exploited it. Distributors PAID advances for the license to distribute, as they should. Filmmakers have to do that again and stop hoping that someone is just going to hand them a check and let them play on set. No businessperson should give their product to a distributor for free or on spec, that's pathological and isn't done in any actual industry. There are lots of ways to take control of your own marketing and revenue streams these days. As far as investors... regardless of the industry you have to find the right one. An "investor" who thinks that independent film has anything in common with studio economics is not an agile thinker, and perhaps is not the right fit.

Sad news. It was a good initiative from one of the most experienced distributors in the UK. Unfortunately the UK is one of the hardest marketplaces for an independent distribution company and it has only gotten harder over the last 10 years. Stephen Follows did an interesting analysis of this shortly after the news of True Brit broke.

Ewan Dunbar thanks Ewan, I will check that how. How are you doing?

If you listen to The Town podcast, you may have heard a few episodes where they talk about how movie theaters are bringing older films back to increase ticket sales on slower days as well as just get people back into theaters.

Lisa Steadman thanks Lisa. That’s an interesting development. I’m not sure that Megalopolis qualifies as an older film. It seems to me that it’s Mr Coppola’s using his industry muscle to get his film back in to theatres and not the theatres themselves.

Are you interested in going to see the film?

Shadow Dragu-Mihai indeed Shadow, it’s not a regular roll out. It seems to me that it’s all about the Producer who is calling the shots.

However, a $120m budget film has an awful lot of ground to make up, from its $14m box office.

I won't be going to see the film Geoff Hall. Have you seen it?

Lisa Steadman Hi Lisa, yes I went with my son and usually on the way home from the cinema, we talk a lot about the film.

We got half way home without a word passing between us and then my son said, “let’s just agree, shall we. That was a bad film.”

And that was about that. I think it was probably one of the worst films I’ve ever seen.

Lisa Steadman I would like to point out that Obsession and Backrooms were both picked up and marketed by very wealthy companies, who leveraged the early audience (especially for Backrooms) to kickstart their marketing campaigns. They therefore are not as relevant to independent filmmakers as one might think. In contrast, Iron Lung, by independent filmmaker Mark Fischbach ("Markiplier" on youtube) is an important case study, as he built his audience and then arranged his own theatrical wide release (3015 screens domestically, ~4200 screens world-wide). He did this by building and addressing his own audience base primarily through YouTube, and adapting some of the strategies of certain influencer campaigns. Other creators, including the Backrooms people, essentially have just sold their idea to to a studio/distributor. Mark Fischbach owns his IP and his product, in the mold of independent filmmakers who have largely disappeared in the 2000s.

Excellent points, Shadow! And you're right. Markiplier is a far better example. I need to see his film. Did you see it? Curious to hear your thoughts.

Lisa Steadman I made a point of seeing it. Unusual, well done, not for everyone. Not what you would see out of a major studio, but with artistic merit. And that's the point for independent expression, which the current and near future theatrical environment denies to the general audience.

Yes! That IS the point of independent expression. Thanks for sharing, Shadow!

Nice to meet you Luis Grimaldo! And congrats on being in the finishing stages of your short film. You're in for an exciting journey ahead! Have you considered working with a film festival consultant? They can be helpful in guiding you through the festival submission process and help eliminate wasted time, energy and money by advising on the best festivals for your particular film. Happy to share some referrals.

For context, I flew solo in the beginning of my festival run and without a clear strategy, I now see where I could have saved my resources. Hope this is helpful.

Hola Lisa, thanks for the advise, I think I might be like in the same stage you were at the beginning of your festival run, kind of having an idea of where to submit my short film but I don't have a clear strategy yet, so I'd really appreciate if you could share not only the referrals you have but also your insights on the whole process. Thank you!

Good evening, Lisa!

I heard the wonderful news, and I’m truly grateful to have Namaste' PK added to the Stage 32 Marketplace! Hard work, dedication, and manifestation really does pay off. ✨

Thank you, RB, and the entire team for this incredible opportunity and for helping bring my vision one step closer to reality. I’m excited for what’s ahead!

CONGRATS James Robertson and welcome to Stage 32!! How exciting. What's the project logline? And what part of Australia do you live in? I spent 2 years in Sydney as a child. LOVED it.

That's fantastic @Rashika! Feel free to share the logline here. I'm intrigued. And yes, I always say Dream Plus Do = dreams come true.

Thanks Lisa. I'm in Melbourne. Not quite as picture perfect as Sydney. But we have a certain charm (at least we think we do). Logline is - Boy meets girl in Nazi Germany and their desperate attempt to flee leads to a terrible, tragic decision.

WOW! Sounds deep and intriguing, James. Congrats!! Keep us posted on this project and all of your creative adventures!

You know, a filmmaker gave me a pen at the Idyllwild Film Festival. It was a great pen! And I remember his movie. And it snowed a foot while we were there.

But anything to get into someone's craw and stay there in a good way, yes?

Have you seen the doc about film festivals, OFFICIAL REJECTION? Love that film.

Congratulations @Mark Anderson! How exciting. You're on the journey and doing all the right things. Keep us posted. I know very little about the animation space but I love your idea and the heart behind it. Hopefully more folks with more experience in animation will pop in and offer support.

Will have to check out Official Rejection, Philip. I can relate! Even with a festival win, the number of rejections that followed that festival were endless. It's par for the course and that's why it's important to celebrate the wins along the way.

Celebrate indeed. Thank God for adult libations.

Ha! Thank God indeed Philip Sedgwick

Lisa Steadman, , I understand that impatience! We make these films for people to see them, and then spend months keeping them behind a password lol!

So far, I’m exploring curated platforms alongside an independent online release, but I haven’t chosen a home yet. I’m looking at who each option actually reaches, any exclusivity requirements, and how much support they offer in helping audiences discover the film. I’m also preparing the captions, stills, and other materials so The Misstep is ready for its next chapter.

I hope we both find a home where our films can reach people who connect with them. After all that work, watching them begin a life beyond festivals will be such a lovely moment.

Once the festival run is done, put the full short online so people can find it. Vimeo and YouTube both work. Then post a short clip with a link to the full film anywhere your kind of audience hangs out. Send it to a few online short film channels and blogs that cover your genre, because many of them take submissions for free. Also keep using it as your calling card. When you pitch your next project, a finished short people can watch right away does more than any list of laurels.

@Sandra Isabel Correia keep me posted. It sounds like you're on the right track. I feel like there are so many new platforms popping up, so we definitely have options. But like you said, it's about choosing the best one for our film and our goals.

Absolutely, Lisa Steadman! I’ll share what I find as I narrow down the options. But I have one that I go to DM you. Having choices is encouraging, although apparently finishing the film was just the beginning of our homework lol!

Thank you, Matthew Morales! The point about sharing clips where the film’s audience already spends time is especially useful. And I love the reminder to keep using it as a calling card. The Misstep is my first film as a writer-director, so giving people an easy way to watch it feels like a valuable next step as I develop new projects. Those laurels have had their moment. Now the film needs its audience! Thank you.

Hi!

New York is a big state. Where will you be? Buffalo? Rochester? Albion? Binghamton? NYC?

Miguel, have you submitted to NY film festivals? That's a good approach. Look on FilmFreeway to see about deadlines and screenings. Good luck!

Richard Knight I will be in NYC

You know, I’ll name a fairly obvious film that had very poor box-office results, but honestly, I really liked it: Equilibrium.

They even cancelled plans for a sequel because of the film’s poor box-office performance. And honestly, I would have made the sequel. I really enjoyed the film.

As for why a particular film doesn’t perform well at the box office, I think it’s impossible to determine one exact reason why it happened.

You know, it’s like paintings. Take Van Gogh’s paintings. Van Gogh lived in poverty for most of his life. And it’s not like you could say he was a bad painter. You can’t say he didn’t know how to paint. Today, his paintings are worth millions, but during his lifetime, they were worth almost nothing.

What was the reason? Nobody really knows. You can’t say that nobody knew he was painting. People knew.

So I think trying to understand exactly why a particular film fails at the box office is almost impossible. Cinema is art, and art is a risky thing. Something may connect with an audience, and something else may not.

Mine is THE FALL by Tarsem. One of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen, shot on real locations all over the world, and it barely got a release. My guess on what went wrong: no stars to sell it, a story that's hard to pitch in one line, and a trailer that can't capture what those images feel like on a big screen. Years later people keep discovering it, which says a lot about how strong images can outlive a weak release.

Diablo Cody's movie "Jennifer's Body" is the perfect example of marketing killing a movie. It is a Diablo Cody movie, so it is smart and funny...which is hard to do in a horror movie. A horror comedy with more feminist subtext than you can shake a stick at. And the cast? Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Chris Pratt has a small role.

And the studio marketed it as "Megan Fox is HOT!". That's it. The fact she turned in a great performance in a ... well it's darker than a dark comedy what with all the cannibalism and murders and such.. but it is still very funny in parts. They decided to pitch it to teenage males... who shouldn't have been able to get into the theater anyway given it's an R rated movie... and 51% of the people who did buy tickets were still women.

Two that come to mind for me are Thoroughbreds (2018) and A Most Violent Year (2014).

I loved Thoroughbreds. Cory Finley made something that was smart, stylish, darkly funny and genuinely unsettling, and Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke and Anton Yelchin were all terrific. I always thought it deserved a much bigger audience. My guess is the biggest issue was positioning — it lives somewhere between a dark comedy, thriller, satire and coming-of-age movie, and that’s not an easy thing to sell in one clean campaign. It also came out before Anya and Olivia had the level of recognition they have now, so the cast couldn’t quite do the heavy lifting for the marketing yet.

A Most Violent Year is another one. J.C. Chandor had Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain giving great performances, and the movie was very well reviewed, but I think the title and campaign set up the wrong expectation. It sounds like you’re about to see a hard-edged gangster or crime thriller, when it’s actually a much quieter, more restrained movie about ambition, morality and compromise.

To me, both are examples of how a really good movie can get caught in that gap between what the film actually is and the easiest version of it to market. Sometimes the audience is there; they just weren’t given the clearest reason to show up.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was sooo good!