Distribution

Seth Rogen once said something that made more than one Hollywood executiveIt’s infuriating and disheartening to see how much injustice is committed from the top, all to protect massive profits and sustain an empire that grows increasingly dirty and less credible in professionalism and transparency....

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They’re adults playing characters from children’s magazines, packed with digital spectacle and offering very little real weight in terms of script or professional acting craft.His comment wasn’t gratuitous, nor was it meant to position him as the one who “discovered” anything. He simply voiced what many in the industry already know but don’t dare to say out loud for fear of retaliation. It’s absurd to watch these productions collect award after award while other films—with far stronger writing and genuine acting—receive crumbs… or nothing at all.The reason is darker than it seems. Films that question the system, that expose real injustices, that portray the cruelty embedded in real events and real people, are not Hollywood’s favorites.

They’re uncomfortable, dangerous, and therefore kept away from the spotlight at award ceremonies. Instead, we get an endless stream of personal‑triumph stories, family‑success narratives, autobiographies where positivity prevails, fantasy action with no human ethics, and of course, films that inflate the supposed invincibility of the U.S. military.

It’s infuriating and disheartening to see how much injustice is committed from the top, all to protect massive profits and sustain an empire that grows increasingly dirty and less credible in professionalism and transparency.

This idea did not in anyway start with the intention of distribution. In my 20s there were a group of 12 of us, who shared a whatsapp group and every thursday, we had a standing appointment to decide and watch the interesting movie for the week.

Over the years as life happens and folks got married, m...

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Over the years as life happens and folks got married, moved, priorities shifted, that ritual that almost lasted a decade fell apart.

During the pandemic, given that most of us had a VR headset, we reconnected and started watching movies together - we'd setup a shared stream and would have a google chat going on the side, so that we can hear each other while the movie played.

VR has been surprisingly good to recreate that theatrical atmosphere - but the worst bit is sitting in a virtual cinema as the only person. Dimming the lights out (within the virtual environment so that you don't see the empty chairs) and having a video call where we can hear each other on one of the ears, kinda felt a bit like the gang was back together.

Even if it hasn't been as much, we have done this on and off since the pandemic and we enjoy it. It helps us stay connected with something that was our shared ritual - movies. And as of late it has expanded to shows as well.

I recently met a filmmaker friend and was showing them this and they asked why we arent thinking about rolling this out as a platform. And that got some gears turning.

Given that I love films, and also have a background in software meant we can think about building a dedicated VR app that doesn't involve setting up a separate video call for the audio. So we built one and have been testing it and love it.

We are now opening it up. Indie filmmakers face a mountain of issues making a film - and distribution (like Stephen Follow's recent article shows) is another big mountain to climb. And most folks would just get overwhelmed by that. And given that filmmakers are building audiences through instagram / youtube, having an avenue where they can monetize their audience directly (by ticketing) and not having to do a roadshow for years across the entire country to recoup their money back, seemed like a problem worth solving.

You can check it out at www.contraband.watch - its only been a week and we have quite an active community that has signed up and is engaged. If you are a filmmaker who'd like to leverage this / test it out, let me know.

Related Reading :

1. We need to talk about Theatre Rental Fees by Aaron : https://substack.com/home/post/p-1981292782. https://stephenfollows.com/p/costs-of-self-distribute-and-promote-indie-...

Shadow Dragu-Mihai

4 days ago

and your answer is...?

Frank Farramola

I would never build a story based on that kind of genre, everything about is ridiculous. Even its made to twist the reality, an example of it is Iron Man. 95 per cent of the young people don't know wh...

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Vijay Anand

1 week ago

Also, oddly on the timing - there are only 41 theatres in the world which can show Nolan's film the way it was meant to be. The total seats is approx somewhere between 12,000 and 25,000. for a movie m...

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Deborah Dennison

2
2 people like this
- Ray Gh
- Shadow Dragu-Mihai
2 weeks ago

Yes, they have a distribution division and have a number of features and docs which they have sold.

2 weeks ago

Deborah Dennison I see their fee structure and of course the agreement they have would have to define "gross receipts" as money they actually receive (which is not what the streamer/exhibitor charges...

Ray Gh

Deborah, feel free to send a message....

Abhijeet Aade

Deborah Dennison Thank you for starting this discussion, Deborah. I recently had conversations with Buffalo 8 regarding one of my feature screenplays, although it was for executive producing and packa...

Ken Chamitoff

Congratulations on the offer, finished docs that draw offers are rarer than people admit. Whatever company it is, judge the paper on five things: how gross receipts are defined (money they actually re...

Karolina Ferguson

3 weeks ago

Thank you for sharing that with me — I'm sorry you're going through this. Unfortunately, music/YouTube promotion isn't my area of expertise; my work is focused on screenwriting and script editing. I h...

Elena Schumann

I am not doing so well either, but I have no set departure date. You really never know for sure what is going to happen until it happens. Leave your songs to someone who will take care of them, if it is not today, maybe someday they will be heard.

Michael Teisan

There’s a music promotion option within YouTube. it’s also important you use eye catching thumbnails, relevant key words, catchy titles, video descriptions that grab the audiences attention. Tags can...

Joseph Ryan

So I have had a crazy life and wrote a thing about it would u like a copy currently I'm paralyzed shot by Seattle cops in 2001 I'm diabetic I have chronic bone infection in my hips and 2 stage 4 pressure sores

Sorry to hear that hope you get better thanks

1
1 person likes this
- Bliss Ganza
3 weeks ago

Interesting concept a cinematic archive is an ambitious way to house a franchise's world and mythology. I'd be curious to see it in motion. As a screenwriter and script editor, I always enjoy seeing how creators build out world and lore before the story itself takes shape.

Bliss Ganza

Thank you, Karolina! I really appreciate it.

My goal is for SAVAGE SMILE to feel like you're walking through the archives of a real universe rather than just visiting a movie website.

The lore keeps e...

Muhammad Muhammad

I like the direction you're taking with this. It feels less like a promotional website and more like a place where fans can explore the universe at their own pace.

As someone interested in how audience...

Thank you so much, Muhammad!

That honestly means a lot. My goal has always been to make SAVAGE SMILE feel like a living universe rather than just a place to promote a film.

I'm excited to keep expandi...

The film marketing or release campaign that stuck with me.

JFC Week 4: soo... Which film marketing campaign has stayed with you the longest?

JFC Week 4: A master class in successful campaigns.

Marvel: a universe created to reward digital marketing.

Crowdfunding, Distribution, Networking & AI—All in One Place

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Script Coverage & Consulting Available — TV Writer (Dr. Ken, Alex Inc., Brickleberry, Detroiters)

Alternate Distribution for Indie Filmmakers

CONTRABAND - A cinema for films that deserve a real audience.

worked with Buffalo 8?

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Youtube music

What better combo

A cinematic archive built to s…

SAVAGE SMILE

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Top Contributors

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