Distribution

This looks interesting James Lagrimas. Docs are so important for filmmakers to consider.

Hey, Debbie! Hope we can have you attend :)

is there really going to be a session now?

the email says,

Virtual Class Details:

- Title: Stage 32 4-Part Class: Step by Step Distribution Guide for your Documentary, Doc-Series or Unscripted Projects

- Hosted by: Chris Hazenbush

- Date: 11/17/2025

- Time: 03:00PM PST

Hi all, Chris Hazenbush here, your instructor! Apologies that there was inaccurate information sent around by Stage 32, but I'm so excited for our first class tomorrow (Wed 11/19) at 3p PT! Thank you for filling out your Questionnaires, as it gives me a better idea of what you're looking to gain from the class. Please come prepared with questions so we can make this as fun and interactive as possible. Thanks and see you tomorrow!

Congratulations on finishing Expire, Muhammad Abed Baryal! Unique concept! I'm looking forward to watching your film!

Stage 32 has free in-person Meetups that are great for networking (www.stage32.com/meetups). You might meet international film media companies, journalists, publications, and others at a Meetup. If you don't see a Meetup in your area, keep an eye on that page for new Meetups. And you're welcome to start your own Meetup.

Thank you so much! Maurice Vaughan I really appreciate the suggestion about Meetups — I’ll definitely look into attending or even organizing one. Excited to connect with the community

You're welcome, Muhammad Abed Baryal. Hope it helps! And it's Stage 32's November Write Club. It can help you reach a goal(s), and it's a chance to connect with writers, directors, producers, etc. Write Club isn't just for writers. There's prizes too! Week 3's blog comes out Monday.

Let's set some expectations about short films. First off, I like your idea of the short film. Curious to know, watch it. Since there are hundreds of short films made, and posted online monthly, almost all of them are not covered by any media or press. There is a website, and it's on Facebook, called DUST (also on YouTube) that caters to Sci-Fi shorts. You can submit to festivals, and if your short wins you will have press exposure. If it goes viral, it will get attention. Keep going strong, break a leg!

Thank you, Lindbergh E Hollingsworth this was very helpful. I appreciate your suggestions and insights. Let’s stay in touch

I like creative marketing strategies that don't give too much away, Stephen Folker, like the marketing strategy for Weapons. It's something indie filmmakers can do without a big marketing budget.

Stephen Folker As you know, it's all about getting heard above the noise, and all about getting access to the audience. We just completed a deep analysis of marketing in the internet age, and will later today be releasing the first of two reports on it. The first details the current crisis in marketing, which is not film-industry specific, but more than disturbing especially when the impact of AI tools in the search engine have been accounted for (which has created ZCS or "zero click search"). The second is how to get around the controlled internet search algorithms and strategies to combat the anti-competitive effects of ZCS. We have answers for filmmakers.

Yes! Maurice Vaughan said exactly what I wanted to write.

If there’s no budget, then you have to rely on creativity. I think the advertising budget for Weapons was probably large (at least for me as an indie filmmaker), but that’s the right approach.

I’m planning to go through social media, possibly combining influencer ads and trying to create viral reels.

It's funny to see not getting more money characterized as an actual loss. IMO this is not fragmentation, this is the drawing of lines between the studio cartel (legally so, now), and Google, who is a defacto (though still illegal) monopoly over internet search results wanting to extend its power over serious entertainment media. Google's influence on advertising over the decades has made it both accessible to everyone, and unprofitable for those of us in the independent space. Mainstream has maintained, for the most part, it's price level for advertising, because they don't sell ads through Google. Google wants to destroy that because it wants to control all revenues and all information. This isn't conspiracy, this is the real strategy they have followed over the last two decades and the reason the DOJ is investigating them . So this has less, indeed nothing, to do with distribution per se. Google, if it were to win this and future tug-of-wars, would ensure that no film makes money unless the majority of revenues land in Google's lap; That's the stakes.

Jack Binder My personal experience and conclusion is never to trust FilmHub and that's specifically because I have had personal communications with Alan De'Escragnolle, and his subordinates, as well as discussions with people whose work is on the FilmHub service. I will not post publicly but can share in private conversations.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg Thank you for the insightful feedback. Good to know for us all. Makes sense why I was not familiar with them. Yes, please feel free to share on DM or info@filmbudget.com - Can't beat first hand experience.

Congratulations on finishing directing Big Bear, Robyn Symon! What's it about?

Robyn Symon We should have a chat about FilmPod. Add me here and we can go from there.

Finishing a film is a huge win, congrats Robyn Symon.

Key is to find a transparent company that doesn't overpromise and underdeliver with reasonable terms. I'd start by finding similar budgeted films with similar genres and seeing who distributed the film. Then ask the filmmaker their experience with said company. Did they make money, are they happy with the arrangement, etc.

Do you have a trailer for your film?

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg Hi Shadow, the author of this article is Richard Korber of Kino Korber Media, so I think you mean ‘he’ throughout?

With his roots as a gatekeeper in distribution, I think it’s clear why he thinks there are “too many films” being made and that’s because traditional forms of distribution can’t cope with them all. I think he answers his own statement, when he talks about “meta-cinema” (beyond cinema). For Mr Korber, he may need to look at other means for distribution for his films?

So, can I ask you to answer the questions in the post, please Shadow:

What do those channels look like for you? How do you see the possibilities for the transmission of your content, beyond traditional distribution?

Geoff Hall That's a good question, unfortunately the way to my answer has a several components. As the FilmPod paradigm begins to roll out, we deal with this question again and again, almost daily. One thing people need to understand is that the environment is complex. We have internal studies (in the IPG) which we are about the release, which confirm on one hand that the historical vanishing of MGs and advances for indie films - and their "lack of profitability" - are a direct result of MPA cartel activities - not a result of too many titles or of market economics. Since the DOJ set aside the Paramount Decrees in 2020, the cartel has openly employed the same tactics that landed them into antitrust and RICO trouble many years ago. The tech exists for everyone to stream your film from your own website. The major studios cannot stop it. But there is another challenge, and it has nothing to do with film: (a) search engine algorithms and commercial advertising have converged and (b) are now controlled by a de facto monopoly, Google, which (c) has introduced AI controlled searches. When I started Moviesight.net in 2002, we had organic traffic from day one, with absolutely NO advertising. Today, organic traffic is nearly nonexistent for any website. You cannot get significant traffic to your website without paying a lot of money, and essentially feeding the Google machine. This is made worse by the AI search, which now creates the "zero click search" - in other words the Google search summarizes your web page on the search results so that the user never even has to go to your site. This puts Google in the role of an "arbiter of truth" and owner of all information - your website and the info on it is de facto controlled by them. (DOJ is investigating this with the potential aim of breaking up Google, but don't hold your breath yet). So - an individual producer can make a film and physically deliver it, but marketing it has gotten orders of magnitude more difficult and more expensive. This calculus affects ALL platforms and streamers including the majors. The clear answer is that independent filmmakers need to be on a centralized site, but one which allows them to have the lions share of actual revenues (which is what FilmPod will do). How to deal with the algorithm? That's where our Digital Box Office structure comes in - it secures audience in advance of releases, and generates word of mouth outside the algorithm. I can't explain how here, but I will do in another post very soon.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg thank you, Shadow. I am eager to see what effect the FilmPod has, to benefit indie productions.

I look forward to your post on the Digital Box Office.

Geoff Hall The first of several articles, examining the current environment independent film faces, is posted and I comment on it under this lounge. There will be a couple others and I have to say the challenges get worse. But we have to have a thorough understanding of what we are facing as individual producers and as an industry sector, before being able to craft a viable set of strategies to get us into profitability.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg thanks, Shadow. I will check it out.