The days of begging distributors to take your work is over. The days of receiving no money for your work is over. Now, exciting new ways are emerging to reach an audience.
If you are an independent filmmaker, you must join this revolution in the cloud and stake out your own digital turf. Get engaged with authentic conversations with your viewers and allow them a seamless and exciting digital cinema experience.
I’ve detailed below four of the exciting new distribution options that filmmakers and content producers can take advantage of.
1. MOVIE CLOUD. With Movie Cloud, The Hollywood monopoly is over. According to their promotion, Movie Cloud is “A MOVIE STUDIO to create & collaborate, a MOVIE THEATRE with 50,000 Films to View & Profit, a MOVIE BANK to fund & finance.”
Indy film guru Dov S Simens calls it “a global, one-stop, open architecture, web-centered movie studio, movie bank and on-demand movie theatre for the 50,000+ comedies, dramas, thrillers, romcoms, documentaries and more that you never get to see. Just as Amazon has become the World’s Biggest Bookstore, Movie Cloud will be the World’s Biggest Movie Theatre.”
They’re a long way from hitting their current Kickstarter goal, but if I know Dov, Movie Cloud will end up launching despite the lackluster response from supporters so far.
IndieGoGo may not have been the best place to promote this game-changing paradigm – but they do get to keep the money they’ve raised so far – pledge your support online.
2. FILMBAY. From Canada comes a global independent film community and shop designed to foster digital distribution and hard copy sales. With plans to integrate an academic portal and showcases of new talent from around the world, FilmBay has a great idea and a wide variety of content.
Filmmakers can join for a nominal fee ($39/year) and start promoting their direct digital streams and hard copy DVDs. Join FilmBay online.
3. DISTRIBBER. This service is designed for full-length programming (short films under consideration) with extended game-specific platforms also under construction.
Filmmakers may sign up for free and select such high-profile streaming options as iTunes, Netflix, Hulu and Cable VOD. It isn’t cheap though. A one-time charge of $1,295 gets you into iTunes only; $1,595 in HD. With a yearly fee of $79 per title, Distribber is best suited for filmmakers serious on selling their work.
There are add-ons for Hulu and Netflix – which vary based on your needs; cable/satellite/Telco access tops the price at $5,000 with an additional submission charge (currently waived). An IndieGoGocompany, Distribber can be reached through their website.
4. DISTRIFY. This is the company to keep an eye on. Offering extensive use of social media to promote films, you can share EVERYTHING with your contacts and fans to promote your film.
Distrify helps you promote live cinema listings, screening tours and on-demand cinema as well as hosting for online streaming and downloads of your media.
You have the tools to sell DVDs and merchandise with automatic on-demand DVD fulfillment with no upfront costs. A nice touch is an e-ticket system built-in so you can sell tickets for live events that you or fans organize.
The built-in analytical trends help you drill down into audience patterns and help you deliver the ultimate fan experience. Is it any wonder that this is my soon-to-be WMD?
Go to their website and check out their pricing. Highly recommended.
Join the revolution! Go to the cloud!
Julian Grant is an acclaimed indie cinema filmmaker and a Columbia College professor. His latest film is award-winning “Fallen Away.” Email news of your project to juliangrantproductions@gmail.com.
