Distribution

Great question Geoffroy Faugerolas While I am certainly biased, for which I make no hesitations, I strongly always advise and utilize my own such advice - know what the project costs to make. Without a real, professional film budget, it's a guess at where it fits in the market. Then you can talk about what cast is affordable, which companies it fits with, which financiers to approach, etc. Going in ambiguous, uninformed on one's own project is not a look I tend to respond to much. I am a big believer of taking charge, but then again I am a producer. That's what we do.

Geoffroy Faugerolas This has been evolving for the last decade. Vertical integration, IMO is inevitable as the studio-controlled distribution nets dissolve along with brick-and-mortar, physical distribution itself. Part of this you didn't mention is the disappearance of a meaningful MG, following the disappearance of the meaningful advance. So in the era where a company actually can get to market without gatekeepers, we should all be doing it. For my company, the decision about who we deal with is based on "skin in the game." No opinion from people who aren't willing and able to put investment in is important. NO distribution goes through any party who doesn't put actual money down for the license.. We won't be doing MGs without a reasonable advance, won't be doing arrangements with anyone who doesn't have skin in the game. We can get to an audience ourselves and don't need parties on board who remove us 1, 2, 3, or more steps from the revenue stream, unless they can ensure that revenue stream is big enough to justify their take. To this end, we are part of the FilmPod startup which brings tools and streaming to independent filmmakers so they can control their own product.

Geoffroy Faugerolas what really stands out in what you’re sharing is this tension: the money is there but attention is scarce. That’s a very different problem than we were dealing with even five or six years ago. It used to be about access to capital. Now it’s about signal versus noise. And you’re absolutely right, talent has become the shortcut through that noise. But talent attaches to writing. Which means, once again, the script is the leverage point. What fascinates me most about this shift is how much it reinforces strategic thinking. The creative and business sides are no longer separable. The question isn’t just “Is this good?” It’s “Where does this live and who is incentivized to champion it?”

Ashley Renee Smith Exactly. And this is what it goes back to talent. Actors with a large following can make a different as we saw with IRON LUNGS: influencers can make an impact in a crowded space.

We actually have a really awesome class coming up where we are breaking this down - how to think about your budget and what your distribution options are: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/a-step-by-step-guide-to-getti...

Thanks for the insight and quick wins for strategic trailers, David Ríos! What's it called when a trailer has a mini summary of the trailer at the beginning?

Hello Maurice Vaughan !, It's still a trailer, it just would be less optimized for selling the film as you removed a key element at the beginning: the hook.

You want to hook their attention at the first seconds, for that feeling goes first than thimking, if you place a "mini summary" at the beginning you are making them think before feeling.

Always happy to help!

Thanks for the answer, David Ríos. I've seen a mini summary at the beginning of trailers for big movies and franchises.

Maurice Vaughan That's a great insight!, as my scope is within independent filmakers, I would deduct a mini summary would work for them as they feature already widely known cast and stories so it hooks attention instantly.

In the case of independent filmakers, hooks should be designed for attracting audiences to soont-to-be-discovered stories!.

Structure your trailer like a logline. Establish the world, the main character, the inciting incident, the goal, the stakes, the obstacles.

Find a professional trailer with the tone and rhythm that you like. Then break it down and see if it hits all the points of a logline. WHEN does it hit those points, time-wise? What methods do they use? (Dialogue, voice over, title cards.)

Bring that trailer into a fresh timeline. Fill in the blanks with your footage right over the top of the old one. now replace the sound, make slight adjustments for timing. Delete the inspiration trailer and see what you’re left with. It’s not stealing because all you’re taking is structure and rhythm.

Trailer editing is a real art. It’s hard to stand out, especially if you’re still thinking in a slow style that went out of fashion 15 years ago. Trailer styles go through trends, and if you’re not doing it for a living, lean on the experts who are.

Looking forward to the webinar, see everyone in less than 2 hours!

Thank you so much to everyone who attended the webinar. I hope you found it as insightful and inspiring as I did. And a big thank you to Suzanne for doing such a wonderful job moderating!

I also wanted to let you know that your handout has been added to your Stage 32 My Library portal, so you can access it anytime!

I had a family emergency and missed the event. Was it recorded?

I’ve been diving deep into TikTok lately and realized it’s much more than just a "video platform." From a professional standpoint, it’s one of the best ways to archive knowledge and build real authority in your niche. If anyone is interested in the kind of topics we’ve been discussing here, I’ve started putting together some deep-dives and tutorials. You’re welcome to check it out if you’re looking for more context https://prstor.com/tiktok/followers/

Thank you, everyone.

You're welcome, Rich Terdoslavich.

I think it's a smart move for studios too, Shadow Dragu-Mihai, and I hope indie films without studio backing get more exposure at the festivals.

A film market would be a good place to start. AFM, Venice, Cannes, Berlinale. If travel is out of your budget, there are sites those markets use that list distributors.

The Film Catalogue is the site I used when I visited AFM several years ago.

https://www.thefilmcatalogue.com/

Search through the distributors for ones that carry similar material to yours. Send out query emails with your trailer link.

If no one shows interest, consider Filmhub.com

Hi, Svetlin Mitrev. Nice to see you again. I just watched the teaser. ALBA - PATH OF DESTINY looks great! Congratulations to you, the cast, and crew on the selections and Staff pick award!

You can post the teaser on your profile so more members can see it. You can add it by moving your mouse over "Profile" on the bar near the top of Stage 32's home page and click "Video/Audio." You can also post the teaser by moving your mouse over "Browse" on the same bar and clicking "Video."

were there technical difficulties? I haven't been able to get on live.

Sam Rivera Is Sony producing a similar project or releasing one shortly? This smells like a common studio tactic, where they option a property and keep it in development so that it won't compete with a similar project. Then it gets dropped when the first one is about to get to market.

That’s too bad. Where I live there are 4 chains and two independent theaters! Three if you count the George Eastman Museum. Most are available to four-wall, although some are very expensive.

For those looking to run screenings of their own, you can also look into non-traditional spaces like college or museum auditoriums.

I wish I was in Atlanta. I know they have quite a few independent cinemas that are open to this.

Do you have a film ready to screen?

It’s like a four wall release which is very common for indie filmmakers to get theatrical. Depending on how you negotiate box office you’ll have to make sure you can draw up a large enough crowd to attend - the P&A is in your hands for a four wall - but it’s a great way for your film to get theatrical.

This is basically renting a cinema for a community screening. It works best if you already have a built-in audience (schools, fan clubs, local orgs) who will actually buy tickets. Without that, it's easy to lose money. Do you have a specific community or location in mind that you think would show up for your film?

This sounds like an incredibly practical and timely webinar. You're absolutely right that the gap between "great script" and "executive reads it" is often less about craft and more about navigation, understanding mandates, timing, and how to make yourself findable within a system that actively filters out unsolicited material. For writers who have strong scripts but are early in building those trusted relationships, what would you say is the single most underestimated or overlooked entry point they should be focusing on right now, beyond just querying or contests?

I saw Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man, Pat Alexander. They're incredible! I also saw other movies on the list like Havoc and A Minecraft Movie. Incredible movies too! I think it's interesting that a sequel to a movie that came out in 1996 is #1 on the list.