Samuel W. Reed's Lounge Discussions

Most of our offers had no MG, the terms were too long (7 - 10 years), the marketing expenses were too high & their "marketing plan" was just to use the same marketing plan that WE pitched them! Some had fees for representing us at the film markets, which was absurd. There were a couple with shorter term lengths and the potential for capped expenses, but when I reached out to filmmakers who had done deals with those companies most had not had a great experience or were so inexperienced themselves they seemed happy just to have a film in release.

I will say, we had one viable offer which was through an actual distributor (not aggregator) and they were offering a license fee plus an MG, and we know that their platform is very popular. Unfortunately we could not agree on term length (10 years, we wanted 3-5), and a few other smaller points. It really came down to the fact that we know our audience for this film, we have done some research to find out how wide this could go, and comparatively even our best offer couldn't compete.

It is not lost on us that we will be forced to use aggregators of one kind or another to eventually reach our full market potential, but the reality is we just don't need them yet. We have faith our film will make a splash with or without their help, and once it does, then we will capitalize on that momentum by putting it "everywhere." Until then, we are maximizing revenue the best way we can: focusing on a few platforms we can distribute to directly (including Amazon and our website), with the goal of exhausting all potential there before going wider. It's the VOD version of a platform release, basically. Thank you for everyone for your thoughts and help.

I have not gotten to distribution yet but I do know a few indie filmmakers that have been very successful mainly on Tubi and some on Amazon Prime. I believe they used Film Hub for their distribution.

I also wanted to thank you for sharing your experience with your distribution offers and how and why you handled them the way you did.

Thanks Angel! Yes, we will eventually be putting our film on Tubi and Amazon Prime, potentially through Filmhub or Bitmax. However we are not currently looking for AVOD offers in order to maximize our revenue before "opening the flood gates" to the masses, so to speak. Basically, those opportunities will always be there for us. We just want to see what we are capable of accomplishing on our own first.

Also, for anyone who is wondering, we have partnered with Seer (seer.la) as our OTT provider who will be bringing not only the platform (& their analytics!) but also their marketing expertise to help us reach as wide a customer base as possible. We decided to do this instead of a more traditional route like Vimeo (which we are also using, just not through our website) because of the additional services Seer provides that Vimeo & other OTT platforms do not- from not having to create a vimeo account (or an account of any kind) before watching the movie, to being able to gather email addresses from our customers (which you can't do through Vimeo or Amazon) to the plethora of analytics and data that will be provided to us about our customers, which through their marketing they can create copycat profiles to target similar customers in a seamless distribution/marketing workflow. We are excited to partner with them and definitely recommend other filmmakers checking them out as well!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Gfe-zzDY8

I saw it live! Thanks David!

Samuel W. Reed I am using that in connection with my Eartha Kitt film and Sin 13, which we are in process of fundraising for now.

Is this state wide in USA? Can non Americans apply for it if they film within the USA? It’s a great incentive? So do you need an American accountant, Americanaddress and bank account?

Jane Sanger This is not any kind of grant, but is part of the US Tax laws, so applies to anyone who files US taxes whose business and project qualifies.

As above, this is a controversial aspect of the US tax code currently as revised and updated. Recent changes and advice from attorneys has been that as currently written the code it can be overstated as an advantage to indie film finance investors. Consult a tax / entertainment attorney, as always. Posted as above. https://www.forbes.com/sites/schuylermoore/2022/01/19/the-ugly-truth-abo...

There's a lot of truth in this, but it's not exact. A mumble core film for $200k? Please. & Lifetime and Hallmark movies, when produced independently and sold to those channels, should be made for $250-$400k or you aren't making any money. And there's no difference in budget between those two companies. Many of the production companies that make those films work for both, at the same budget tier. The $1.2mm film is an indie Sundance/SXSW film. Hallmark & Lifetime only put that amount into their biggest productions, if ever.

If you really want to be smart, you will backward engineer your script to match the resources you have as an indie filmmaker, and budget accordingly. Using this method I was able to spend $30,000 on a suspense thriller that I'm wrapping up now, but I went in knowing I could ask friends in the business to help post produce it for free. That would have easily been another $30,000.

The most important thing to know is that the market is completely saturated and the competition is better than ever. Watch low-budget films that have been successful to know what works (Krisha, Thunder Road, anything by the Duplass Bro's, etc). You also need to know your market before you ever start. And honestly, if you haven't yet, make a short film. It's the best learning tool you will ever get.

Just a hire a Line Producer and let them handle all that!

Bring on a Co-Producer who is line-savvy but can still connect with you on the storytelling level to ensure the themes and story you are trying to share truly come through - logistically, not creatively - and then identify each of your own goals. If everything clicks, their script breakdown wearing a 'line producer' hat is next, then cross-reference that with the budget you privately had in mind. We all wear too many hats in this shrinking business, so it's a matter of finding the one(s) who wear the right combination the best. Basing the screenplay on one of your published works is probably a great jumping off point, too.

I don't know Damian Lloyd's experience, and he doesn't know mine, but I have personally written films for Larry Levinson productions who produces a ton of these films, as well as other companies in this space (MarVista, UFO, etc.) Plus, I also know a whole different producer friend who just personally shot a film for $250k and sold it to Hallmark for $400k, and it aired a few months back. That is his 3rd for them. So to throw a blanket over this conversation and say Hallmark films only cost $1 - $3 mm is ridiculous. But thanks for the shade, Damian! It's hot out!

Thanks to all of you for the great feedback. Much appreciated!