Two rules of internet marketing for filmmakers:

1. Have more time than money? Create content to get search ranking.
2. Have more money than time? ADVERTISE!

It is always more fun to get free traffic. But if you gotta pay for traffic, there is nothing wrong with that either (assuming you have the money). And in case you don’t know, with movie distribution all messed up, you will have to become your own distributor.

Best to find out everything you can!

In my next filmmaking article, I’ll talk about some simple marketing tips all filmmaker’s need to know.

With the demise of traditional DVD distribution, you as a filmmaker are responsible for your audience. Why? Because your audience is your business – and without an audience you will have no movie business.

Having an audience database for your movie is essential.

Whenever I give talks, I make people repeat this aloud. This gets a few chuckles, but kidding aside – this is important stuff for any filmmaker.

Building Your Audience Database

As a professional filmmaker, you need to build a database of people who know you and know your work. But don’t let the word “database” throw you off. A database doesn’t have to be complex. At the miminum, it is simply a list of the names and emails of your subscribers.

Once you have this info, you can easily generate personalized email, letters and phone calls to your audience. And having a list allows you to directly promote your current movie project or an upcoming movie project.

Tools For Building Your List

Most of your list building efforts will happen online. So you need hosting for your website. And I suggest you go with a company that allows you to easily set up a WordPress powered website. That way, you’ll be able to grab a copy of the fully optimized WordPress Template for Filmmakers.

But let’s face it… Even with the greatest movie website on earth – The truth is, most of your movie website visitors will NOT buy your movie on the first visit to your site. Think about it. Most people are busy.

So in addition to marketing your current movie (and all of your future movies), you will need an easy way to capture and collect visitor email addresses. I recommend Aweber as an easy way to build your audience list.  And after you grab Aweber, I suggest utilizing this tool to increase subscriber opt-ins.

This is my third and final eMail to you. I think it’s silly that you have a filmmaking website, but when it comes time to actually help people make movies, you just ignore them… So here it goes – again!

My name is Idiot Filmmaker from another planet. I think you should invest in my movie because it is totally awesome. My friends and I are going to do everything – so all we need from you is the money…

I am thinking our budget is going to be eighty-thousand dollars, but I am really not sure. But we think you should help us because you know all that stuff about film distribution. ( We don’t care much about that stuff, ha-ha.)

Assuming that you do invest in our movie project (you don’t want to miss out, right?) – We are prepared to give you all international rights. So again, just 80K will make you as a producer. Sound good?

You can send the check to my return address.

Sincerely,

Mr. Idiot Filmmaker

P.S. If you pass at this opportunity, it’s your loss. But if you find other film financier for our project, we will still give you an associate producer credit.

P.P.S. What is your personal phone number? I’d like to call you with more details.

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This note was modified and slightly embellished to protect this idiot. However, I get at least three emails like this per week. Please don’t send this kind of stuff to me. I’m busy with my own projects… Besides, this sort of thing will never get you anywhere in business, because you aren’t focused on the most important aspect of any deal: “What’s In It For Me?”

If you are going to succeed as a filmmaker, you will need a new strategy. What can YOU do today to build your audience?

Image via Wikipedia

When you’re in the middle of the filmmaking process, you probably aren’t thinking about ways to advertise your movie online.

I want to provide you with a little secret: 

Advertise your movie on StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking tool that allows people to share interesting websites with their StumbleUpon  networks as well as Facebook, Twitter and email contacts. And if someone happens to “stumble upon” your movie website, you have the potential to garner significant traffic!

(Case study: Our zombie movie got over 100,000 visitors from the service.)

But did you know you can actually pay for someone to “stumble” your site?

It’s true. And it’s awesome. The StumbleUpon paid discovery service allows you to choose from three advertising service tiers. Each tier provides a different level of audience targeting. The first tier starts at a nickle per stumble.

But here is where it gets interesting. Unlike other paid advertising solutions, StumbleUpon allows for exponential, unpaid traffic. Let me explain:

Let’s say you want to target someone into horror movies. So you invest a nickle to get that person to “stumble” your website. But then that person shares your site with four of his friends. Guess what?

Because your paid stumble resulted in four additional free stumbles,  you really only invested one penny per visit (five cents for five visits). Taking this further, let’s say these five stumblers each share your site with one friend – Now you got ten visits for a nickle.  That is an investment of merely a half-cent per visit!

And if these people tell ten of their friends… I’m sayin’ if you are lucky, then you could possibly get exponential traffic onto your site!

Not bad for a nickle.

Before you get too excited, you should know something. I have tested this service with various movie titles and websites, but so far, only a small handful of my test sites resulted in significant traffic. The rest just were not interesting enough to warrant exponential stumbles.

But for five cents a visit, StumbleUpon Paid Discovery  may be worth a test.

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If you liked this tip, you’ll love my “Film Distribution Action Pack”

Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera -- Image via Wikipedia

As a filmmaker, if you’re interested in buying a Canon DSLR camera, I would go with the Canon T2i. If you have the budget to buy the Canon 5D Mark II – hold off. Canon will be making an announcement at the end of this month and then another camera announcement on November 3rd.

So if you’re on a budget – T2i. If not, hold out to see what Canon is going to announce.

Lenses

The lens that comes with the Canon camera is not really geared to DSLR filmmaking. Sure it will do the job, but there are better lenses out there. The main problem with the stock lens is that they’re not that fast of a lens (at least 3.5) and it’s not a fixed aperture, so if you zoom in it’s going to go to 5.6.

Just buy the camera body and go with a 50mm prime. The reason I like this lens is that it’s very fast and it’s an easy way to achieve that shallow depth. Canon has a 50mm 1.8 that’s around $100, which is a really great deal. They also make a 1.4 that’s built a bit better, but it will cost more.

If you’re on a budget go with the Canon 50mm 1.8. If you’re looking for the best glass to own – go with a Zeiss ZE 50mm 1.4 lens.

Another lens is something that has a good amount of zoom and is a good walk around lens. Canon has an L lens that is 24-70 and is a 2.8. Very sharp and a pretty fast lens. This lens is around 1,500 so it’s very expensive. If you were to own one lens, this would probably be it. However, rumor has it that Canon is going to replacing this lens in the next couple of months. So even if you have the budget, maybe hold out until version 2 is released.

Another way to go is with an another brand – Sigma or Tamron. Tamron has a good 28-75 2.8 lens. This sells for around $400. It’s sharp and a pretty awesome for the price point.

Some other lenses to look into would be a 70-200 and then something wide, a 10-20 or 11-16.

Filters

One of the last things to stock up on is filters. A UV filter is going to protect your lens and it is good to keep on at all times.

Another one to get is a variety of ND filters. This will help keep your lens fast and give you the ability to shoot at 2.8 in sunlight. There’s another option when it comes to ND filters and that is with variable ND filters. They will take way some of your sharpness but if you’re in hurry and need to film something fast, this is a better way to go.

So that’s pretty much my rundown of what to get and why.

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Joseph Ort is an independent filmmaker who has spent the last decade working on his own independent film projects. He is also co-owner of a small based Los Angeles Production company – Shadowmind Productions. More articles can be found at: ShadowmindProductions.com/blog

To do this, you need to plan your marketing strategy from day one.

How will you reach your target audience and sell enough units to recoup your movie investment?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you do not have a movie business. You have a filmmaking hobby.

If you have the same question, here are 5 filmmaking tips for making you movie:

1. Plan a story you can have fun with.
2. Make sure you know how to reach your target audience.
3. Use your weekends to make shorts (for practice.)
4. Break down your screenplay into a workable budget.
5. Collaborate with people who have more experience.

As a reminder, the biggest question you need to ask (and answer) is this:

Given the resources that I have right now, what is the feature that I can make this year?

As a filmmaker, you need to take action and make your movie NOW! The world awaits. If you want more information, make sure you reserve your spot in our filmmaking community.

Hulu Image via CrunchBase

The other day on the Film Distribution Group on LinkedIn, I got into a discussion about the wonders of distribber.

I thought some of the points may be useful for your own movie distribution strategy. I have edited and altered the original conversation to keep it anonymous.

Also, in full disclosure, I am sponsored by distribber. This means that I get paid to promote. So do your own due diligence prior to utilizing any services mentioned here.

Here is the film distribution discussion:

Q:  How is MovieSalesTool different than a traditional distribution “middle-man”?

A:  Most traditional “middle-men” lock you into an exclusive deal. So even if the deal turns out to be less than promised, as a filmmaker, you’re stuck. Distribber is non-exclusive. You can leave any time.

Q:  A sales agent only makes money on the back end. With distribber, you pay money upfront?

A:  Correct, each digital marketplace has various fees. Without looking at the FAQ page, I believe iTunes is $1295 for standard def and you get that money back minus $39 dollars if your movie is not accepted. You can also access Hulu for less than $800, which is a great deal for filmmakers. Past that, each outlet, like cable VOD has a separate charge.

Q:  It seems like a lot of services are focused on making money based on a Filmmaker’s desire for distribution.

A:  This is why the distribber model does not take revenue off the backend. It’s a one time, upfront, done deal.

In regards to your comment about services making money – There is a whole independent film history of filmmakers getting royally screwed by traditional DVD distributors who held the keys to the kingdom. Now that distribution sales channels are less discriminatory, I would say that we have entered an era of transparency.

Q:  Many aggregators keep the gatekeeping model alive and well. And because of this, many indies are still shut out from access to popular marketplaces.

A:  Yes. Many traditional distributors are playing aggregators – but it is not the same game. The internet has fragmented traditional, physical retail sales channels. And with companies like distribber, filmmakers now have easy access to the popular marketplaces.

Q:  Amazon allows filmmakers to get into the market, without scraping up the money required by distribber.

A:  In terms of paying money upfront, if that is the only issue – then I have 2 questions:

1. Do you think your movie will make less than the required $1295 on iTunes? If so, then distribber may not be a good fit for the project.
2. Since distribber is owned by IndieGoGo, you could always do a crowdfunding campaign to cover the distribution gap.

Special thanks to my LinkedIn friend Elizabeth for the questions.

Yes filmmakers. The world of distribution has changed. This is an awesome time to make, market and sell movies. If you are looking for a system to help you get into the action, check out The Independent Producer’s Guide To Digital Distribution.

Should Filmmakers Move To Hollywood? Image via Wikipedia

“My filmmaking friend in LA told me NOT to make anything in my small town because I would just be wasting my time. He told me no one in the industry will take me seriously if I make my 1st feature outside of Hollywood. So instead of making what I CAN make right now, I’ve been working to move to LA to start doing something… My question is this: is he right?”

My response to this question is a big fat NO!

Unless you plan on working for a major studio, you no longer need Hollywood.

If you are a filmmaker with an idea and the passion to create a feature film, you can do it from anywhere on earth. And here are a few reasons why:

Getting Money In Hollywood Sucks

Everybody in Los Angeles is competing to find someone (or some studio) willing to back their movie project. Can you imagine a town where your waiter is an aspiring actor, your cable guy is an aspiring screenwriter and your taxi driver is an aspiring producer? Hollywood is saturated with a supply of willing, talented, aspiring workers. And they are all waiting for their big break.

Even if you do raise the money to make your movie, you’ll have to raise a lot more to shoot in LA, because everything (locations, equipment, props, and permits) makes making movies in LA cost prohibitive and a royal pain in the butt.

What a mess!

On the other-hand, if you live in small town and you have good material and ambition, you’re in luck. If you can get past the fact that all your non-filmmaker friends think you’re crazy, you can build a team, find cheap locations (and other resources, including free food) and you can take action.

Heck, you might even make the nightly news (If this happens, just make sure you advertise your movie website and start building your audience list!)

Also, unlike trying to get a meeting with a busy, semi famous studio executive who never heard of you – If you call up the local rich guy to make a pitch, your odds of getting a lunch meeting are pretty high. As I detail extensively in my film financing program, getting meetings does not guarantee success. But it’s a start!

And let’s pretend for a moment that your town has no rich people. Well, thanks to crowdfunding sites like indie GoGo and Kickstarter you can now reach an entire global audience of people who may be interested in sponsoring your work.

Filmmaking Equipment is Now Cheap

When I was getting my start, I saved up an entire summer to buy a used Arri BL 16mm Camera. I shot a short film over a weekend. And then I spent the entire winter saving up enough money to process and transfer the film to video.

That sucked.

Times have changed. These days, if you want to create cinematic quality content all you have to do is go to your local electronics store and pick up an HDSLR camera and start producing your backyard indie. As long as you take time to understand lighting and camera angles, your end result will look pretty amazing.

Distribution Changes Everything

Read this carefully. Everyday I am amazed that more filmmakers are not getting naked and running into the streets cheering (Ok. I’m kidding.) But here is the deal…

The biggest, most awesome change in cinematic HISTORY is distribution. And modern movie distribution changes EVERYTHING!

Thanks to companies like distribber (my affiliate link is  MovieSalesTool – they pay me to promote) – Anyway,  you can now get your movie into sites like Hulu, Amazon, iTunes and NetFlix (and other cable VOD outlets) without giving away all of your rights (for life) to some bottom feeding distributor who will likely never pay you what they promised. This is BIG.

What does this mean for Modern MovieMakers?

This means that instead of raising money and crossing your fingers for a dream distribution deal, you can now create a marketing plan within the context of your movie business plan. This is important and liberating. Non-discriminatory distribution allows filmmakers to treat their movie business like any other business. You do not need to ask permission to create a product, access a marketplace and make sales!

In other-words, as long as you have a camera and internet access, you can now make, market and sell your movies without asking permission. (Ok, if you really want to get naked and run into the streets, I won’t stop you.)

A few words about marketing.

Whenever I put on my  film distribution talks, invariably someone will ask me about marketing. And it’s a good point. Because distribution is now part of your movie making business, you will need someone on your team who can market.

Here is the big disconnect. Hollywood (and traditional sales agents and distributors) will tell you to leave distribution to the experts. They will tell you to give up the rights to your movie because their company has been in business for a gazillion years.

But this kind of talk is crap. I mean, obviously if these guys offer you a huge cash advance, it might make sense. But if there is no money involved, what value are they giving you? The promise of getting your movie seen and selling on iTunes and Hulu? You can just as easily access iTunes and Hulu too.

My point is, unless these old-timers know how to source the appropriate target audience (and they openly share their marketing budget with you and are fully transparent with each marketing step) then there is no value to give away your rights in exchange for validation. Validation and a crappy distribution deal does not pay the bills!

In MovieMaking Conclusion

Wow. I intended to write a quick reply to Jake’s question and I totally blasted you with my filmmaking passion. Just remember, the best question to ask is this:

“Given the resources that I have now, what is the movie that I can make this year?”

Hopefully you are now inspired to make, market and sell your movie from anywhere on earth. If that’s the case, I’d love to read your comments below.

One last thing…

After reading articles like this, I get a lot of email from filmmakers who need my help marketing and selling their movies.

If that’s you, here are some options:

Option 1 – Hire Me

In the event you want to hire me to help market your movie, please know that my fee is roughly $10,000, plus expenses. Compare this to what studios spend on marketing. When you add up all the costs and labor necessary to build buzz (including advertising and social media and blogging and outreach) – it’s intense. So 10K is actually a bargain.

Option 2 – Apply For Inner Circle Coaching Program

A lot of you don’t know this (because I haven’t promoted it) but I also have a movie marketing coaching group open to a dozen filmmakers. The group coaching lasts for six months. And the fee is $2,000 dollars. Aside from working on a marketing plan that you can implement for your movie, the group coaching includes a weekly call and group strategy session. The coaching group is a good way to share ideas with other filmmakers. And inturn, they share ideas with you.

[Note: If you are interested in the coaching program, you must first be selected. Please send an email providing an overview of your movie, as well as the reasons why you want to be included in the next coaching group. ]

Option 3 – Just Grab Your Action Guide

If these options are out of your budget, you might just want to grab a copy of your movie marketing system.

How to Sell Your Movie Action Guide

Also – Special thanks to filmmaking Jake for the question. Hope this helped!