Distribution

Alex LeMay Absolutely. I'm working to finish a manuscript and have it published or ready to publish by the end of this week, so I will message you then.

Thanks Alex LeMay, I have send you a message, maybe we can work together.

Maurice Vaughan Love that. You had me at experimental film. I'm curious, what would that film look like?

I would take the rest of Peter Ford's amazing and funny sci-fi book and expand the pilot I wrote for him into a series! He is on stage 32.

Probably a unusual first-person POV film, Alex LeMay. 

I haven't seen any of these films yet, but I just added them to my watch list, Sam Sokolow. FLOW was already on my watch list though. The last international film I saw was a slow burn movie called OUTSIDE on Netflix. It's my 6th favorite movie of the year. What really stands out about the film are the characters, their broken relationships, and their choices.

I'll put OUTSIDE on my watchlist now, Maurice Vaughan!

PBS, Amazon, or Netflix, Sam Sokolow.

Sam Sokolow probably Disney will buy it. I mean, it does fit.

Let's hope it finds a happy home and can continue to put out its quality, fun shows.

This thread has a good overview of the past HBO deal with CTW.

https://www.threads.net/jwtonglet/post/DDpRKtEuXcv?xmt=AQGzwFEtt7w__flQy2CqV_W3rDYWlo9pNz7uF8vaZad_wg

This guy, David Zaslav, is the worst; legacy will be the Exec who cancelled Sesame Street. Smh.

Distribution is the hold up in many well-laid plans. No a-listers-not interested-but with a -listers the budget blows up 100x. Non-union-low budget-no a-listers-you can make a great film with 40 actors, many locations, great props, etc-for almost nothing-where are your a-listers??? LOL

Jon Shallit A-listers is such a deceptive term which has no true definition. It's no guarantee of anything and there are a number of examples of this. It's the same thing with the word "bankable talent." There are no compensation is your A-list actor opens his/her mouth about a non-film political issue and turns half the country against said talent or exposes themselves as pompous morons and turns off the general audience..

While I do not personally find Rachel Zegler all that offensive, her interviewing skills seem to rub people the wrong way and the live action Snow White is looking to be a disaster. Why would Peter Dinklage kill opportunity for other actors and why did Disney even listen to him? Now they are stuck with CGI dwarfs that do not represent "live action" and frankly look terrible?

One just has to make a professional film that inspires a huge amount of the movie going audience to see your film multiple times whether it's because it brings joy to them, inspires them, or gives them repeated thrills. A-listers only exist because of the material and execution and filmmakers have the responsibility to bring out their finest artistic and professional qualities to make great entertainment..

Its always a tricky juggling act. The classic "need cast to get funding - need funding to get cast" is a constant. But usually all you need is one of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to fall into place and the rest start to follow.

Agree with Ewan Dunbar - there are no finites nor has the industry ever been set up for easy entry - but the one constant has always been getting that first element - an actor, one territory, first money in.

Sam Sokolow Don't I know it. What I'm sick of is the lying. I have a project with a kick ass cast waiting to commit once the funding is in. I have a concept that for the budget ($1.5M) is a sure sell in what is both a moderately low risk investment and has a very high curiosity factor attached to it while having a hook being common thread found in most families. It's thrilling. It's funny, it's unapologetic and desperately needed in a field of overpriced vapid content with a bar for profit set so high, a pole vaulter couldn't clear it if he was shot out of a cannon.

No, I don't have a distribution deal and to be honest, getting one now is a big mistake with all the Hollywood accounting going on, but seriously, you need to sell about 4.4 million tickets at $11.50 to have a $50M domestic gross. If you can't sell this product to 4.4 people out of 340 million in the United States alone, you really shouldn't be in the distribution business.

Still this entertainment lawyer (who I think was just looking for a retainer fee) said that I'm in the early stages of the process and there are too many unknowns. 1) You think being an entertainment lawyer for 20 years, you would know that that the whole business is based on unknowns! There is not one solid piece of data that you can compile, (and I'm not talking about the rental costs of Porta-potties) that doesn't leave you with more unknowns than knowns. The simple fact is either this guy doesn't know the business or when I said the IP wasn't for sale, he booked because that's all they want; to legally steal your work. "But I have too many unknowns..." Sounds like I know too many knowns so that I won't get screwed.

I love filmmaking but the people that keep it going, don't care about about profit and loss as long as you lose everything and they profit from everything you created. That should be your next lesson about filmmaking.

I didn't go to the theater on Christmas, but I'm looking forward to seeing Sonic 3 and Nosferatu, Sam Sokolow!

Fascinating article, Geoff Hall. My hope rests at the end of the article - clearly a course correction is needed in the UK but there will always be an audience for good work so its about reaching that audience responsibly. Someone will crack that code in the UK and reap the benefits.

Sam Sokolow Hi Sam, the glimmer of hope for me, was to do with Vue Cinemas developing their own distribution wing. What’s the situation in the US? Do Cinema chains have their own distribution companies?

Happy Holidays, Kaitlin Moose. Congratulations on your short film making it into Sundance! I hope you get the tips you're looking for and you have a great time! Safe travels!

Go to a film market like AFM. Set up appointments with buyers. Make a one-sheet for your film, set up password-protected screener links on Vimeo.

If you don’t want to wait for AFM (in the fall) sign up for their Film Catalogue emails to get access to distributors’ contact info. Look for companies that carry films of a similar budget and genre.

Here’s the Film Catalogue site with hundreds of films listed.

https://www.thefilmcatalogue.com/films

Look for comps (movies like yours) and click through to see who handles them. Send brief but well-written query letters. (Better written than your post here. You need a proofreader.) Good luck!

Thank you so much Mike for your kind suggestion and sharing this source. I seriously read every page. There are all good and some of them, have won Oscar, the best director, the best picture, and the best actor. I see Hollywood studio here too. That’s very impressive!

I have specific Hollywood pictures , I want to go just only my vision. Maybe no one understands what I am talking about it. but I know what I want. Why I need to go.

With my gratitude, I wish you all the best.

Happy Holidays!

An Nuo An Nuo get imdb pro and look up the production companies and distributors contact information. Film markets are less and less relevant these days, as most deals are now done online. (no one needs to travel anywhere to find the films they might want to sign... nor in the current economic climate can they actually afford to do so unless they are selling a film themselves).

Thank you Dragu for your thoughts. Yes, traveling for sign! That’s why and how excited to go!

Well written piece. For people working on their first features or just want to understand more about how independent distribution works, I'd highly recommend going to a film market or at least read up on how the process of a film market works. Most of these are run in tandem with a film festival (Berlinale/EFM, Cannes/Marche du Film and next year's TIFF) and are mostly independent companies representing independent films. Some of the big studios also visit these independent companies to acquire indipendent titles, as well as distributing their own.

Any one of these in USA East???