I spoke at the UCLA film school and I got the impression that the next generation of filmmakers are open to new ideas, and new ways of making movies. Thanks to familiarity with YouTube as well as access to affordable production equipment, many modern filmmakers are embracing accessible, non-discriminatory distribution channels without hesitation or excuses.
If you’re like most filmmakers, you have a website for your movie. And odds are good you are trying to fit too much into it. So the first thing you need to do is remove all the distracting crap. Whenever I mention this at a talk, invariably someone asks me how to determine what’s distracting? It depends on your website objective.
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.
I believe video on demand distribution represents freedom for filmmakers. While there are many great sales agents and distributors, I am totally bothered by the sales agents and middle-men who have taken a bottom-feeding approach to VOD. These jerks make a living trying to sucker unsuspecting filmmakers into long term video on demand deals that suck. I put together the following video to express my disgust and also provide a new hope. As a modern moviemaker, there has never been a better time to make, market and sell your movies without the middle-man.
I interviewed Nathan Wrann because he serves as a good example for any filmmaker who ever wanted to make movies without making excuses. In our talk, you’ll get down and dirty tips for no-money productions, promotion, marketing and distribution. This is a man who doesn’t care about reviews. This is a filmmaker who wants to do meaningful work that is unique.
Many filmmakers must take charge of their own publicity and distribution. One trick that I utilize is frequent press releases. In the past, the idea of using press releases frequently may have been a borderline no-no. The common thought was, traditional journalists would see your “news” as noise.
