The first step in getting your website established, involves reserving website hosting and a domain name for both your production company, as well as separate sites for each of your movies. And if you already know the name of your movie, you will want to reserve it as soon as you can (before somebody else grabs it).

Create a Filmmaker Website Fast

To set up a website for your filmmaking business, you will need hosting and your domain name. To do this, head over to my friends at www.MovieSiteHost.com – Like most links I mention, MovieSiteHost pays me to promote. I would not recommend them unless I utilized the service myself. And so far I have utilized MovieSiteHost for all of my websites, without issue. In the few instances when I needed to reach someone in customer service, my calls were always answered.

In terms of setting up your actual site, I no longer recommend building a site from scratch. Instead, consder using something called a content management system – or CMS. With a CMS, you can have your own movie website in minutes…

Just in case some of these terms of confusing, let’s recap: Website hosting can be compared to the vacant lot where you’ll eventually build your office building. Your domain name can be compared to your street address. And the CMS is the raw materials needed to build your office building, or in this case, a sophisticated website.

Assuming you are utilizing www.MovieSiteHost.com for your hosting, these elements can be implement in a few clicks of a mouse.

Assuming you have a little technical know-how, when you arrive at MovieSiteHost, you will first need to reserve a domain name for your production company.

To set up your initial CMS website (for your production company or your movie), after you reserve your domain name, you will be redirected to your MovieSiteHost control panel. Once there, click on an icon called “WordPress.”

From there, you will install WordPress on your server.

After a minute or two, your movie CMS will be installed. You will then be issued with a username and a password. Once you have it, you can log into your new website and begin your customization.

In my opinion, WordPress is one of the most robust and powerful content management systems in the world. And the reason I recommend installing a CMS for filmmakers, over building a traditional website is because once you set up WordPress, you will be able to create and modify your content and change the entire look and feel of your website, with the ease of sending an email.

By making these tweaks yourself, you will save the cost of constantly contacting your webmaster.

DVDs are going the way of the 8-Track Image via Wikipedia

With video on demand distribution and the emergence of several new VOD aggregators, independent movie distribution has become non-discriminatory. This means ALL filmmakers can access the marketplace without asking permission.

While this is exciting, it now means the market is flooded with content. Couple this paradigm shift with the demise of DVD sales channels, and you’ll find many traditional distributors are now offering VOD deals to unsuspecting filmmakers, in the hopes something sticks. While these deals hardly every include any upfront cash advances, filmmakers are usually attracted to the silly promise that these distributors will get their titles into iTunes.

But you don’t need those people. With companies like distribber YOU can get your movie onto iTunes without the middel-man.

And as my friend Jared says, anybody with a HDSRL camera can make a back yard barbeque look cinematic. Granted, this technology doesn’t automatically create good cinema – but it does flood the market with competing product.

What this shift represents to filmmakers is in ways akin to what happens when widget factory owners suddenly find themselves in the market, competing with sweat shop labor and cheaply produced goods of a comparable quality.

As a result, the widget that once sold for $100 dollars can no longer compete. And taking this a step further, if your widget company cannot make enough sales to be profitable – my question is:

What happens to the widget factory workers? Do they get pay raises or do they get laid off?

The good news is competition, technological innovations and change has impacted most every other industry since the beginning of capitalism. And despite these challenges, history is full of entrepreneurial innovation – stories of people who have rode the waves of change and prospered.

I believe independent filmmakers can do the same.

What we are facing as filmmakers is no different than any other business. In fact, I would say that we have just stepped into the era of the mini-studio. Filmmaking has become the next small business.

So how do we compete?

Independent movie investors invest because (aside from having an appetite for risk) they want a return on their money. Creating a business plan provides your prospective investors with a road map on how the investment dollars will be spent and hopefully recouped.

In the past, trying to project returns was a pain in the butt, oftentimes based on speculative data. This is mainly because independent movie distribution was discriminatory. And as a result, after production, many independent feature filmmakers held their breath in hopes their movies would get into a film festivals, build buzz, and (hopefully) garner awesome distribution deals, complete with cash advances.

Unfortunately those old business plans, focused on what is commonly referred to as the “Sundance Dream,” were flawed – And thankfully, that dream (or nightmare) is over.

Given the birth of VOD distribution, filmmakers now have the ability to access and enter into a non-discriminatory marketplace as soon as your movie is ready. As a result, you can now create movie sales projections from day one.

To get started, answer these questions:

Modern MovieMaking Model

1. Who Is Your Target Audience?
2. How Large Is Your Target Audience?
3. How Will You Reach Your Audience?
4. What Is Your Marketing Strategy?
5. How Many VOD Sales To Break Even?

While I won’t get into the actual mechanics of marketing and selling your movie here (My Action Guide How To Sell Your Movie provides you with an actual step-by-step plan for getting your movie seen and sold), I will simply note that a marketing plan must now be included with your business plan. And in that marketing plan, you’re going to add some marketing math.

Truth be told, math is a weak subject for me (and I dare say, most of the filmmakers I know) – but luckily there are many spreadsheet templates that allow you to project the marketing return on investment for your movie. One of the early formulas I use is related to pay per visit advertising.  With pay per visit advertising, you simply pay for targeted traffic to your movie website. This works well if you have a movie with a dose of controversy and a strong hook.

Let’s assume only 1% of the targeted folks who actually visit your website, buy. Then how many visits will you need to sell 100 units?

100 units = Our goal for this ad campaign.
$.05 = Amount you may pay advertiser per visit.
X = Number of Visitors Needed to buy 100 units if only 1% buy.

(X).01 = 100 units
EQUATES TO: X= 10,000
THEN 10,000($.05) = $500 paid for targeted traffic.

So in other words, if you were lucky enough to get a 1% return, you just paid $500 dollars in pay per visit advertising to sell 100 units of your movie. But let’s go one step further. Let’s assume you’re like me – and you hate order fulfillment and shipping. So you decide to let a company like Amazon’s Create Space or iTunes (or some other popular marketplace) handle your order.

Video On Demand For Rent
100 units ($3) = $300 – 50% paid to marketplace = $150
minus $500 paid for advertising = -$350 NEGATIVE

In this VOD rental scenario, the Pay Per Visit Ad numbers don’t work, unless you like losing money.

—
Video On Demand For Download
100 units ($10) = $1000 – 50% paid to marketplace = $500
minus $500 paid for advertising = BREAK EVEN

In this VOD download to own scenario, the numbers work a little bit better. Assuming you’re lucky enough to get 1% of your money returned, at least the advertising pays for itself. But unless you can increase profits, pay per visit advertising is going to be very difficult method for returning money to your investors.

—
Physical DVD Sales
100 units ($20) = $2000 – 50% paid to marketplace = $1000
minus $500 paid for advertising = $500 in profit.

Ah ha! If you’re fortunate enough to get 1% return on your pay per visit advertising, you can see how physical DVD’s sold at $20 dollars may offer a slight profit margin. In other words, in this scenario, for every $.50 cents you spend, you get $1 dollar back.

So let’s tackle the bigger problem. Let’s try to get a return on our 1Million dollar movie, selling physical DVD sales and using pay per visit advertising alone:

Movie Budget = 1 Million dollars
Physical DVD Sales using Pay Per Visit Advertising

$1,000,000 divided by $20 per unit = 50,000 Units

Since we will give 50% to the marketplace for all sales, we will need to project for double our budget.

100,000 units = Our goal for this ad campaign.
$.05 = Amount you may pay advertiser per visit.
X = Number of Visitors Needed to buy 100,000 units if only 1% buy.

(X).01 = 100,000 units
EQUATES TO: X= 10,000,000 (Yes, TEN MILLION people.)
THEN 10,000,000($.05) = $500,000 paid for targeted traffic.

100,000 units ($20) = $2,000,000 – 50% paid to marketplace = $1,000,000
minus $500,000 paid for advertising = $500,000 in profit.

So to break even, you would need to sell 100,000 units and make $2,000,000.

Filmmaking Conclusions

Based on this scenario, as a filmmaker you will (obviously) need to expand your promotion beyond pay-per-visit advertising!

But importantly – and most AWESOMELY -  for the first time in independent moviemaking history, you can now treat your movie business like any other small business. Find the marketing formula that works for your movie and crunch your numbers until they work. Once you have a plan, then simply include your marketing costs in your budget.

While there are no guarantees in any business, having a plan for marketing, sales and distribution sure beats the old days when your only plan for ROI involved crossing your fingers in the hopes someone will offer you a profitable, traditional deal. Treating your movie business like any small business simply means you don’t have to ask permission. You can make your movie NOW!

And your prospective investors might take notice…

- -

Can you do me a favor? If you liked this filmmaking article, could you kindly retweet or share it with your friends?

Netflix is Now Available for Indie Filmmakers on The iPad. This Image via Wikipedia

A few years back traveling the festival circuit with a newly produced movie seemed to offer and air of excitement and promise for a great career making movies.

If you think about it, as a filmmaker, getting a movie financed and actually produced was (and still is) an incredible achievement. However, as you probably noticed – things are changing quite a bit in the world of distribution.

And while it would be nice to get a grandiose distribution deal, or even the validation of seeing your movie somewhere in the local Blockbuster, the reality is – this will probably not be a reality for many filmmakers.

However, if you’re ready to face the future of independent movie distribution, you’re in good shape. With the release of the iPad, and the new NetFlix application, we now have clear indication that Video On Demand has arrived in a majorly portable way. And while many of you will argue that the iPad is not the most ideal way to watch a movie – few of us can argue that the future of movie delivery has arrived.

Check out the following iPad clip featuring the NetFlix application:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJ98u0kIKI

So as movie distribution becomes more and more portable, what is a filmmaker to do? Here are five digital self distribution tips I have for you:

1. Know your target market. Just because there are more tools that can instantly deliver your movie to millions of people doesn’t mean every one will like your movie. In fact, only a small percentage will. Your job is to find that small percentage and market accordingly.
2. Build a fan base. Over time, having a few thousand people on your mailing list who like your work and are always up to date on your productions will help you sell more and more movies. Think of bands building a fan base. You have to do the same thing.
3. Stick out from the crowd. As you can guess, the market will soon be flooded with a whole ton of movies. This doesn’t mean every movie is worth watching. In fact, you will have to figure out a way to make your movie better. What is your unique hook?
4. Don’t be afraid to make people hate you. Seriously. There should be two types of audiences for your work. The audience that hates you and your work. And the audience that loves you and your work. Anybody in-between will not be profitable.
5. Your website is a hub to help your prospective audience find your movie, buy your movie – or at least get on your mailing list. Make this easy for your prospective fan – or suffer the loss of independent movie revenue.  And please, please, please ask for the order.

And in case you’re wondering how I learned this stuff – Like YOU, we got a few bad deals and a lot of rejection with our first feature. But thankfully, digital self distribution allowed us to find our audience (In an AWESOME way!)

As a result, our first feature is still selling like crazy over the internet – And believe me, waking up with an email that reads “You Got Money!” (without a middle-man) goes really well with coffee. In fact, it goes a lot better than the months I spent watching our first feature collect dust on a book shelf.

So, if YOU have a feature film that flat-lined, don’t worry! Your time to resurrect your title(s) is coming! Stay tuned – in a week or so, I will have a digital self distribution surprise for you. . .

ALSO: I am gearing up to share my digital self movie distribution tactics all over the country. So if you know of a workshop or a festival that could benefit from this kind of information, let me know.

Richard Abramowitz is president of Abramorama, a consulting firm specializing in the production, marketing, distribution and representation of independent films. Earlier this week, Richard took a few minutes to answer some questions regarding the current state of independent movie distribution.

Jason Brubaker
Hello Richard. Thanks for taking time to chat with us today.

Richard Abramowitz
It’s my pleasure.

Jason Brubaker
Could you tell our readers a little about what you do and how your business works?

Richard Abramowitz
I do a variety of things related to independently made movies. Most of my day is devoted to marketing and distributing features – both narrative fiction and documentary – theatrically and semi-theatrically.

I also consult with filmmakers during all parts of the process: development, production, distribution, etc., to help them navigate the constantly changing environment and get their films seen.

Jason Brubaker
Where do you find most of your material? Festivals? Submissions? Recommendations?

Richard Abramowitz
I go to quite a few festivals to stay current with what’s being made – and because watching 5 or 6 movies a day is my idea of heaven – but most of the films I work on come to me from recommendations, usually from filmmakers I’ve worked with in the past.

Jason Brubaker
What do you look for when selecting a movie to represent?

Richard Abramowitz
Quality, which is subjective of course; the filmmaker, which is to say, someone who understands the distribution process, or is willing to learn, and participate actively; and, marketability, so that we can define the audience or audiences and determine how to reach them.

I’m interested in a distinctive voice, a filmmaker who’s looking to collaborate, and a film that has an audience or audiences that can be defined and addressed in a cost-effective way.

Jason Brubaker
OK. Let’s say you’re a filmmaker, setting out to make a first feature. What sorts of things do distributors look for when they pick up a movie? For example, over the years we’ve heard countless stories of filmmaker who got a deal based on the DVD cover art or poster. Is this stuff just a myth?

Richard Abramowitz
That kind of thing may have happened some years ago when the video/DVD market was thriving but it doesn’t happen anymore, at least not with any frequency.

I’m interested in a distinctive voice, a filmmaker who’s looking to collaborate, and a film that has an audience or audiences that can be defined and addressed in a cost-effective way.

Jason Brubaker
What format should filmmakers stick to? In the past, it seemed like you had to shoot film or it wasn’t a real movie. Is it now acceptable to shoot HD?

Richard Abramowitz
The technology is the least important aspect of the process at this point. Five or six years ago I released a film that was shot on Super8 and blown up to 35mm. The material worked – thrived – with that look. So I’d say you can use anything that makes sense.

Jason Brubaker
When a filmmaker is deciding on a first feature, based on your experience, would you say there is a genre that seems to have more sales potential?

Richard Abramowitz
As I’ve said, films with definable, addressable audiences are a good place to start. But, to answer more directly, horror films have worked in that way historically, and I’d say gay films, as well.

Jason Brubaker
In sales 101, friends always buy from friends. When representing a movie, how much do your personal relationships with buyers influence a deal?

Richard Abramowitz
I wouldn’t necessarily use the word “friend,” but it certainly helps to have known and worked with people over the years. And, even if you don’t know everyone personally, the reputation you develop over time, combined with a broad scope of associations, makes it easier to reach out to people you need in order to do the right thing on any particular project.

Jason Brubaker
There is a lot of talk in the film community about Video On Demand and how services like CreateSpace and iTunes are altering the distribution model. Do you also utilize these services as an option when working with filmmakers to recoup the investment?

Richard Abramowitz
It’s clear that VOD, et al, are becoming absolutely essential sources of revenue so, yes, that’s part of the equation.

Jason Brubaker
How has VOD affected traditional straight to video outlets?

Richard Abramowitz
VOD, along with a number of other factors, has substantially diminished the value of traditional straight to video outlets.

Jason Brubaker
I know it happens. But these days, how often do independent films get picked up for theatrical distribution? Is this even worth dreaming about?

Richard Abramowitz
It still happens. IFC Films alone must pick up 50 films a year, many of which get some degree of theatrical exposure, but it ain’t like it used to be. I suppose it’s worth dreaming about but I would caution filmmakers to be aware that the dream can turn out to be a nightmare. It’s important to consider how much you’re willing to give up in return for some of those deals and to consider alternative approaches to getting the film out and returning money to investors.

Jason Brubaker
Every so often I receive questions from documentary filmmakers. Given your background, how should a documentary filmmaker approach potential distributors VS those of us who typically focus on narrative features?

Richard Abramowitz
One of the great advantages of documentaries is that each one usually has an obvious, defined audience. If it’s a dance film, demonstrate how the dance audience can be reached. If it’s an environmental film, define that audience so that the potential distributors understand how it might be reached. And look at what other filmmakers have done, for example the folks who make KING KORN or any number of other films.

Do the research. Hand it to them. No one’s going to hand it to you.

Jason Brubaker
And one last question. To help our new filmmakers avoid some serious pitfalls – What do you know now that you wish you knew then?

Richard Abramowitz
Don’t wait for permission.

- – -

To find out more about modern movie distribution

“How To Sell Your Movie” action guide.