Filmmaking Stuff Filmmaking Stuff provides resources for independent filmmakers. The website includes articles on how to take a story idea from script to screen, including articles on scriptwriting, producing, finance, shooting, editing, directing, marketing, distribution and how to build an audience. Filmmaking Stuff also has articles detailing how to make money making movies – including interviews with Hollywood Producers, Directors, writers and other filmmaking professionals.

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In the world of indie filmmaking, it sure seems like NetFlix has become the holy grail. But after working with several other filmmakers on their distribution strategy, I really DO NOT think NetFlix offers the indie filmmaker a viable option for distribution.

For starters, in order to get your movie into Netflix, you must first get into their database. How do you do that? Dunno. Luck? Personal relationships with the acquisitions folks? Bottom line is, the company is very discriminatory about what movies get into their database.

And even if you’re fortunate enough to get your title into their database, you still need a gazillion people to ask for your movie in their Netflix Queue. This will influence the actual amount of money NetFlix will offer you. Which for some filmmakers, I’ve heard numbers around the $1,300 range. (I wish I was kidding.)

From a business perspective, I think what they are doing is genius. NetFlix is able to predict demand and also acquire movies for minimal dollars. But from a filmmaking perspective, I think there are better solutions.

Personally, I don’t waste time with this company. While it may be cool to have my titles available in NetFlix, the crappy deals they offer just aren’t worth it. Some of my filmmaker friends argue that getting into NetFlix is good because being there will promote word of mouth.  To that, I usually respond that piracy is also good for word of mouth. And it involves a lot less headaches.

What are your experiences with NetFlix distribution? Click here to comment >>

Posted under Uncategorized

Filmmakers often utilize film festivals as a way to get their work seen and hopefully sold. And while acceptance to top-tier festivals is super exciting – the reality is, many filmmakers do not get in.

As a result, many of these semi-dejected filmmakers take a shotgun approach to their festival strategy. They start applying for most every regional and local film festival, everywhere. And aside from outlandish application fees, upon arrival to these festivals – instead of  meeting a bunch of VIP acquisitions executives, most second tier festivals are populated by a bunch of other desperate filmmakers shoving postcards in your face, eagerly advertising their screening times to, well, other filmmakers.

Sometimes this includes free beer. (Most times not.)

While having delusions of distribution grandeur is still part of the film festival fun – with the demise of DVD distribution, and the odds that you won’t get into Sundance – it is vitally important that you create a film festival strategy PLAN B.

What is a film festival strategy PLAN B?

Simply put, if you are serious about making your movie profitable, YOU are now responsible for marketing, promotion and distribution of your movie. And inline with this strategy, you must view regional and second tier festivals as an opportunity to build your audience list. But instead of handing out postcards to other filmmakers, your marketing strategy will be smarter.

Here are five tips on making film festivals relevant to your movie business:

1. Write a press release specific to the festival and then distribute to the local press. This also involves picking up the phone and personally inviting the press to attend your screening. Many festivals will have a press list. You can use this – but I would also advise conducting additional internet searches for other press outlets.
2. Many local towns have a filmmaker community. Reach out to them. If you are traveling, it’s great to have someone to pal around with. The secondary benefit to this is, many of these same people will have relationships with the festival staff – always good to know people on the staff.
3. If the festival allows it, see if you can take several clipboards into your screening. You’ll want to collect the names and email addresses of each viewer and get their permission to email them. Later you will enter this data into your audience list.
4. If your film website does not include a blog component, add one. Then update frequently. Add pictures and video. Let the world know your movie is screening. People like this stuff.
5. And finally, most regional festivals have panel discussions with industry experts. Make sure you attend these. Take your business cards. And then try to build relationships with whomever is on the panel. (And as a side note, if you know anybody looking for a panelist – I suggest inviting Jason Brubaker from Filmmaking Stuff? Just sayin’)

Out of everthing I mentioned, the most important strategy for your movie and your modern moviemaking career is grow your own fan base. This way, when you focus on building your audience list, you stress a lot less about the traditional distribution deal you may or may not have received at one of the notorious festivals.

So yes. Film festivals are still relevant. They offer a great way to source an audience for a minimal marketing investment.

Also, I’d like to thank one of our filmmaking stuff readers named Michael for this question. If you would like to get on the filmmaking stuff VIP list, click here >>

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

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As a filmmaker, you are expected to make a product (your movie). The money invested to create your product should be less than the eventual sales of your product. If you can not figure out how to achieve this goal, you do not have a business. You instead have an expensive hobby and probably a good demo reel.

There are a lot of filmmakers who attempt to raise money without first considering how their movie will recoup the initial investment. These filmmakers say things like “I have a vision” or “I’m going to make this for the love of filmmaking. Then I’ll get into festivals, get noticed and garner a great distribution deal!” And while it is true that passion, tenacity and blind optimism play an important role in getting your movie produced and seen and hopefully sold, this alone is not enough to drive the masses to your screenings.

This happens in Hollywood all the time. A filmmaker creates a typical business plan that focuses on film festivals as the most viable distribution strategy. And played out, the filmmaker gets the money, hires a crew, makes a movie and then enters the festivals. But months after wrap, well into the festival circuit, these filmmakers realize that the market has changed. The days of awesome DVD acquisitions deals and huge upfront advances are over. And when the last frame flickers off the silver screen, these filmmakers take their dashed-dreams back to their day job.

The veterans of the industry tell us that all this distribution deal disappointment is a result of improved technology. They optimistically tell us that our lost DVD revenues will be recouped by Video On Demand. Some refer to this as simply a market correction, implying that someday, somewhere, someone will figure out how to once again pay the big bucks for movies. But this is a pipe-dream.

Here is the flaw. Most filmmakers depend on DVD distribution for a return on investment. And with deteriorating DVD sales channels, filmmakers are currently left with iTunes, NetFlix and Amazon as the most prominent VOD sales options. My question is this. Who on earth is going to pay a major advance to get your movie into a marketplace that YOU can easily access without the middle man?

This approach to the marketplace changes everything. Your business is no longer dependent on production and capital gains. Nope. These days, the focus for the filmmaker lies in creating multiple streams of movie income over the long term. And if you want to make a living making movies, you need to realize that your libary and the subsequent auidence you source (over your career)  are your major assets. And as a result, your most important filmmaking focus (aside from doing good work) is to acquire and keep a customer.

Like it or lump it, filmmaking has become a small business. The same rules now apply.

- – -

Jason Brubaker is a Los Angles based independent filmmaker and an expert in Video On Demand distribution. If you are one of the many filmmakers seeking movie distribution, you might want to check out The Independent Producer’s Guide To Distribution.

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Since my last filmmaking podcast, I have been contacted by many of you. Some of you like my filmmaking ideas. Some of you think I’m crazy. But regardless of what you think, the world of independent filmmaking is changing. This is mostly because distribution is changing, which affects financing, which affects your ability to pay your cast and crew.

As a result of these changes, filmmakers who want to make a living making independent movies need to start thinking about their target audience from day one. While I would never suggest that you completely forgo your artistic integrity, I would suggest you answer the following questions:

1. Who is going to buy and watch your movie? (Hint, if you answer everybody, you answered nobody.)
2. How will you reach your intended niche, target audience?
3. How many VOD downloads will it take to recoup your initial investment?

Since those of you who make movies are mostly filmmakers, not marketers, it becomes increasingly challenging to market your movie and your work. But some aspects of marketing are easier than you think. How do you get started?

One easy thing you can do is set up your own email marketing system. Email marketing works like this, the bigger your list of targeted subscribers, the more sales you can potentially make.  I use email marketing for both my filmmaking and my filmmaking stuff, for an example of how this works, grab your free filmmaking book by clicking here.

When you arrive on the page, you’ll see that I ask for your name and email address. The reason I ask is because I want to build a long term relationship with you. And if I don’t ask, I won’t get.

In the context of movie promotion, Kenton Hoppas (who once participated in one of my workshops – and we are now working together) provides a great example of how this works for his movie Career Courier. [Example is found here]

As you can see, Kenton’s initial movie website is very streamlined. It involves both a YouTube trailer as well as an opt-in form. This is intentional. The goal of his initial site is to collect names and email addresses of prospective audience members (AKA potential customers) and he’s starting early.

Through both online and offline marketing efforts, his objective is to grow community around his movie – which could spread positive word of mouth… Which could eventually lead to DVD sales. After the movie, Kenton would have the ability to promote related products or other movies of a similar genre.

If you’re wondering when you should start promoting your own project and company, I’d say the sooner the better. But there is a science to this – know your audience. And make sure all of your communication is on point. For example, if you are making a movie about vegetarians, it would not be a good idea to send out coupons for hamburgers. (Unless you were being ironic.)

As a rule of thumb, never email blast from your own servers. Always use a 3rd party email marketing company that insists on something called a double opt-in. A double opt-in means that after people submit their name and email to your list, they will still need to check their email for a confirmation link. Then in each subsequent email you send them, you will always provide an easy way to opt out.

In my business, I prefer Audience List (which aside from being awesome pays me a commission to say this) www.AudienceList.com – Once you sign up and put an opt in form on your website, you can being growing your list. Then as your list grows, you will want to always find ways to reward your loyal fans. Usually this comes in the form of offering free stuff. Two simple examples would involve giving away poster art as well as your movie soundtrack.

Sometime down the road, long after your movie has played the festivals and sold out on iTunes, you may find there is value in promoting other movies of a similar genre – or better yet, selling your next movie. This is when having a list really pays off, literally. Or as they say, the money is in your list.

To join the filmmaking stuff community and get over $100 dollars in free filmmaking tools, visit www.FreeFilmmakingBook.com[podcast]http://filmmakingstuff.podbean.com/mf/web/3tg63c/FilmmakingforMultipleStreamsOfMovieIncome.mp3[/podcast][podcast]http://filmmakingstuff.podbean.com/mf/web/3tg63c/FilmmakingforMultipleStreamsOfMovieIncome.mp3[/podcast]

Posted under DISTRIBUTION, FILMMAKING

A few weeks back I silently releaseda new product called The Indie Producer’s Guide to Digital Self Distribution. The product involves a step-by-step workbook and action guide to teach you how to self distribute your movie on the internet.  This was actually version 1.0 – and I am planning some MAJOR updates.

Let me explain. . .

I know a lot of people are talking about how to distribute movies on the internet. But like a lot of  the internet information, much of the stuff out there is fluff, brought to you by folks who have never actually produced and distributed their movie on the internet. And because I have had a TON of success marketing and self distributing my movie on the internet, I want to share my knowledge with you.

If you read my articles, you probably know our first feature (a silly zombie movie) would have been a flop if it wasn’t for internet marketing. Like a lot of you, the movie was rejected by every distributor on the planet. (Ok. We did get some deals. But they were horrible!)

So through trial and error and a lot of sleepless nights, we got our movie on the internet and it started selling. That was almost three years ago – and I am pleased to say, as I type these words – our little zombie movie is still selling. There is no middleman. And there is no need for a traditional distribution company.

Anyway, in compiling the 2.0 version of The Indie Producer’s Guide To Digital Self Distribution, I really took all of my internet movie marketing experience and shoved it into a system that you can implement for your own movie, today. (By today, I mean immediately. Even if you aren’t a tech geek.)

The Indie Producer’s Guide to Digital Self Distribution contains a crazy amount of material — first I provide you with a step-by-step guide, with a no-holds-barred recount of my personal story – I share what worked and what didn’t for our movie (so you don’t have to repeat my silly mistakes.) The system will also include a 65-step movie distribution checklist, over 90 minutes of MP3 audio instruction and several bonuses – all geared to help you get your movie selling like crazy.

Back to the Contest: The winners will get the entire product, including ongoing updates and a 30 minute digitial self distribution coaching session with me (over the phone or Skipe). I totally love this stuff and am so happy whenever I hear of a filmmaker who has resurrected his or her movie from the dusty book shelf.

Win a Free Copy

It has been my ongoing mission to help indie filmmakers surpass limitations that hold them back from developing their own movie business — For this contest, I want to give the entire product away to two filmmakers who will benefit the most. . .

I’m looking for one person who already has a feature that is currently getting rejected by traditional acquisitions folks and distributors. . . But this person should be someone who believes their movie is awesome, and wants to make sure it finds the appropriate audience. I am also looking for one filmmaker who just finished their first feature (maybe it is in post), but isn’t quite sure what to do next.

So, if you’ve read this far, my only question is: Are you a filmmaker who can benefit from The Independent’s Guide to Digital Self Distribution? If so, let me know why you would benefit from this product in the comments section of this post.  (Just scroll up and click the title of this post, and you will be able to leave comments.)

After all the comments are in, three of my filmmaking friends will review all the entries and make a decision by Sunday night, April 24th at 8PM EST. So your time is running out!

OK. I think that’s it. I am going to go work on a proposal for my current project. But I will check back on the comments throughout this week. And again, you have until Sunday night at 8PM EST. (We will vote for the winner later after the deadline.)

Happy Filmmaking
Jason Brubaker
www.FilmmakingStuff.Com

Brubaker Unlimited LLC

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

During the NYC shoot, one guy gave me the telephone number of a NYC indie feature film producer who was working on his seventh feature.

In the months that followed, I packed my car and moved to New York City. There, I quickly learned how to hail a cab, where to find cheap food and how to navigate the subway. I remember those first couple months… Everything in that town seemed like an adventure!

Soon after, I began reading stacks and stacks of screenplays and writing coverage for the producer. Every day a new shipment of scripts would come from managers and agents (and a few savvy writers who got past our gatekeeper). Then it was my job to go through the pile and read everything in hopes of finding a gem. Unfortunately, most of the screenplays were pretty bad and ended up in the filing cabinet.

But every so often we found a story that worked. As this happened, my role in the company changed. Because I had so much production experience from my days working corporate shoots, I was invited onto set, and helped out with production. In addition to this, I was invited to deal making meetings with potential investors and was able to participate in conference calls with acquisitions executives. This experience gave me a script to screen understanding of indie filmmaking.

But my best lesson came on our last movie together. We were going into production on a 1.5 million dollar budget. At the time, this was our most ambitious project, which seemed like a good investment because all the marketable elements were in place. We had great actors, a great script and money in the bank… Then disaster stuck. Three weeks before production commenced, the project fell apart.

Suddenly, I was in New York with no job, bills to pay, and 96 dollars in the bank.

But like all periods of adversity, there is always a silver lining. My former instructor in Maine needed an assistant for his filmmaking course and I was just the guy for the job. So I packed my car and drove to Maine, where I spent the rest the summer helping new filmmakers learn the ropes.

Somewhere between then and now, I relocated to Los Angeles, spent time working as an executive for a fortune 500 Investment bank, started a production company, garnered producer credits on some feature films, became a cult zombie fighting action hero (dream come true!), and made friends with some of the most well respected professionals in the industry.

With Filmmaking Stuff, I’m going to work very hard to provide you with Hollywood success strategies and help you avoid common pitfalls. And above all, I want to give you confidence to not only make features, but make money making features.

I invite you to check out the filmmaking articles, the filmmaking and screenwriting books. Additionally, we have included filmmaking 101 videos as part of the site. Basically, I’m working to supply you with everything I wish I would have had. Also, if you look to your right, you should sign up for the free 21 part mini course.

Thanks. Happy filmmaking. www.filmmakingstuff.com

Posted under FILMMAKING