TFC mailing list members will be notified first, so if you want a first look, please join that list here. Everyone will have access via this blog once the document is published. Our aim is to have the whitepaper ready for distribution by the beginning of the new year. We sincerely hope you will agree to help us, all of us, by participating.
The whitepaper will be published online, for all to download for free. The results will be compiled into a whitepaper of best practices and charts showing budget levels and revenue levels that will benefit the creators operating in this turbulent and confusing period of plenty of consumer choice, but creator uncertainty about the financial viability of their work. No questions will be asked about the identity of the creator or of the project which should allow participants to be completely honest about their efforts and results. We propose to do something different.įor the next month, we are asking any creator who has actually participated in the marketing and distribution of their project (this is a requirement) to come forward and fill out this 10 question survey in detail. We know, many other entities have tried to compile statistics and details and have invited independent creators to contribute, but we think a lot of that information has been less than forthcoming or distributed within only a small subsection of creators who participate in closed labs or mentoring sessions. Now, we want to open up this opportunity to all creators, whether you make features, short films, or web series, so that we all may learn from each other in an anonymous, but factual way. We learned a lot and we thank those who took part that day. Last month, TFC invited a select group of Los Angeles-based filmmakers to share their knowledge and specific details about how they marketed and distributed their independent films. “What’s the point of making the film if no one sees it?Marketing and distribution budgeting is the only way to assure the film will get seen and make an impact, short of an excellent marketing commitment by an honest distributor, something so relatively few documentary films enjoy,” said Orly Ravid. You have to have a plan and you have to have a budget,” says Richard Abramowitz. But every day, people do that because this is art. Then you have a warehouse filled with pencils, and then think about how you will get these into Staples? That’s not a business plan, that’s lunacy. I’m going to raise $100,000 to make pencils. “In what world would someone say I have a great idea for a pencil. While it is all great and good to produce a film using credit cards, an iPhone and the good will of your friends, distribution is an integral part of the process and needs a budget. Filmmakers can wait up to 18 months to upload to the platform, allowing for further festival and theatrical revenue. Also, Amazon Festival Stars program was offering $200,000 to filmmakers at the Toronto International Film Festival in exchange for making Amazon Video Direct the exclusive SVOD home for the film. Netflix will pay anywhere from low 5 figures to high 6 or even 7 figures for documentaries. because of online marketing, it makes sense to time theatrical releases in other countries to coincide. Cristine Dewey of ro*co films champions the idea that if your domestic distributor is already launching a marketing campaign, much of which will be found by audiences outside of the U.S. There is value in having a global marketing campaign, rather than one territory at a time.Richard Abramowitz named several documentaries that his company has theatrically distributed that had an excited and motivated fanbase that could be tapped into with less marketing money than a wide audience film. A devoted core fanbase can make a film successful.For a good primer on this, visit this article: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Music Licensing. This is especially crucial for anyone looking to make a music documentary. Distribution contracts cannot be signed if music clearance has not been secured on your film. Surprisingly, many new filmmakers do not realize that any music used in a film must be licensed, both the publishing (the person who wrote the song) and the master (the entity that recorded the song) rights must be secured.
Here is what we learned from the 1 hour+ panel, primarily focused on documentaries.
A recent online web series featured our founder, Orly Ravid, as well as some powerhouse guests in indie film producing and distribution, hosted by WestDocOnline.