Distribution Channels

Everyone in the film production industry dreams of having their personal film project grace the silver screen in a world wide theater distribution deal. However, the chances of that happening are as likely as getting ornery old Johnny Depp to star in your pet project. The real problem with most pet projects comes down to funding and profitability - after all, even though we all love our jobs in the film industry, we still need to make a living.

If you are lucky and come from a family with a fat trust fund, or your have friends that are wealthy and funding isn't an issue, stop reading now - all you need to do is throw millions of dollars at your project, shoot some really shaky hand-held actions scenes, car-chases, and explosions and you'll have a blockbuster on your hands, for the rest of us - read on.

Well, now that the worldwide distribution deal is off the table, we can explore a few more realistic options for distribution. First, there are always film festivals. Film festivals aren't always the best way to monetize a project but for the true artist or budding film maker they might be a great place to start or be discovered. Some festivals can actually be great places to launch your low-budget film into the territory of a larger budget independent film. Companies such as Lions Gate Entertainment find a good portion of their films at festivals. Still, the chances of getting your film picked up (especially if it is your first) can be difficult.

Aside from some of the obvious and traditional distribution options for your project, you may want to consider many of the new channels that fall under the term we hear all too often, "New Media." New Media is a label that I feel can be applied to anything that was born in the last few years. Most of these channels leverage the internet to varying degrees.

For instant satisfaction consider, TotalVid.com. TotalVid serves as a clearing house for everything from the larger independent niche films from production companies like Teton Gravity Research to smaller single releases such as, "How to mow your lawn" by Joe Smiths video-pro company. "If you build it, they will come" has never rang truer, you'll certainly find an audience on TotalVid.com. You recieve a small royalty when someone downloads your film and you will recieve larger royalties when they purchase a hard-copy of your film. The smaller the niche the smaller the royalty checks which arrive quarterly. TotalVid.com is a great idea and the company has been around for sometime and has a good share of the market for online rentals and video downloads.

More recent developments to YouTube have allowed the producers of videos with large numbers of viewers to be rewarded for their efforts. YouTube works on the model of capitalism - the more people want it the more money you'll make. They state on their site:

"There are no guarantees under the YouTube Partner agreement about how much, or whether, you will be paid. Revenue is generated based on a share of advertising revenue generated when people view your video - the more views you get, the more money you'll make."

YouTube (which is owned by Google) isn't very explicit on how the Partners earn money for the viewers they draw to their videos. Plus, they have a number of different methods in which partners can earn money. Needless to say, there are millions of dollars to be made and the bottom line remains: a bigger audience equals bigger paybacks. There are a number of small production companies and even larger established film studios that are attempting to create episodical content that is distributed exclusively via the internet and YouTube in particular.

The key to New Media is competing effectively with all the other options that are screaming for attention. Of the millions of videos on YouTube getting yours recognized is the difficulty. If you are purely in it for the money, focus on issues at hand, as well as current trends and fashions. In essence, what are people searching for online. A good tool for pin-pointing trends is the Google Trends Lab.

The real difference between old and new media is that with new media the bandwidth and channels are almost limitless. For the creative purist this means the new media and distribution channels will be the creative breading grounds for a revolution in film production. Corporate giants driven solely by their bottom lines can't restrict creativity just to make a buck. For the more business minded this means an almost non-existent barrier to entry but a highly competitive and 'noisy' enviroment in which to compete. The upside for everyone (except maybe the slow moving archaic media giants) is that consumers can now get exactly what they want, artists can now create and distribute at will and the budding entrepreneur has a new worldwide marketplace as their playground.

Distribution channels have never been so numerous and the ability to monetize those channels is just as expansive but finding funding and attracting an audience will remain just as difficult as always. As you consider your next pet project maybe you should start with the end in mind. By understanding your distribution channel, potential audience and any constraints new media might create, you'll be better prepared to acquire funding and appeal to a large audience.

The Biz is written by freelance producer and technology entrepreneur Daniel Beck. He can be reached via his website, Renaissance 5.