DISTRIBUTING YOUR INDEPENDENT FILMS

Strategies for distributing your independent film must take into consideration the fact that traditional distribution is completely changing with the emergence of digital "new media" production.

With an abundance of great product flooding the marketplace, all the time-tested methods no longer apply. Digital outlets see the rise of digital aggregators, reversed windows, collapsed windows, and DIY options. We have a whole new ballgame with an entirely new set of rules, especially for the most lucrative plum of all: theatrical release.

And proper theatrical release will GUARANTEE a film's credibility and profitability today more than ever before. One has only to look at WALL-E and DARK KNIGHT for testimony of the remarkable potential of what is possible for any well-made film in today's market.

As the people in charge scramble to figure out what to do, Picturehouse (a venture of New Line Cinema and HBO Films) and Warner Independent is no more. Massive layoffs plague New Line Cinema and Paramount Vantage along with the financial crisis at ThinkFilm. The field opens wide to innovation and new technology with solutions that few understand as the future of traditional feature film distribution changes forever.

In an effort to stay afloat, every company jumps on the same tired horse only to find that there can be but one rider. Even great well-made films with star power have difficulty in today's marketplace as Mark Gill recently observed in his recent address at the L.A. Film Festival Financing Conference, “Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling”.

READ MORE by Mark Gill at http://www.indiewire.com/biz/2008/06/irst_person_fil.html


©2008, Stanley N. Lozowski. All Rights Reserved.

Foreign fare evolves with audiences

With an anticipated haul of $16 billion this year, foreign box office has become crucial to Hollywood — but the studios are noticing the makeup of those audiences is changing. This shifts could mean changes for studios’ distribution strategies — as well as changes in their production priorities.

Falling birthrates are just one of the factors affecting who goes to the movies overseas, how often they go and what films they choose to see.

Five countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and South Korea) have seen a serious drop in birthrates. Eastern Europe and Russia are also seeing declines. Each year in these countries, fewer moviegoers enter the core teen/young adult audience — though increasing income levels prop up the box office in most of these areas. Teens and young adults are also increasingly downloading films instead of going to theaters.

Countering those trends is the fact that adults are getting out more and becoming frequent moviegoers. People aged 40 and up are going to movies more often as their children grow up. They are becoming increasingly important in territories ranging from Australia to France.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE By TIMOTHY M. GRAY, DAVE MCNARY -
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997670.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

© 2008 RBL, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Things Investors want to know before investing

Investors don’t give a damn about your screenplay. They also do not care if you are talented or if you have written the Great American Novel.

They do want to see your Business Plan and learn about their Return on Investment (ROI). They are interested in learning how you plan distribution of your completed film and they also want to know who’s running your company. And ultimately, the largest concern is how long will it take and when can they expect to see profits.

Filmmaking is a business and if you're in this business you have to speak their language.

© 2008 Stanley Lozowski, All Rights Reserved.

How Movie Distribution Works

If you are making or have made an independent feature film with the hopes of having it play in movie theaters, you will need to understand how distribution works.

You've probably seen advertisements in your local paper for movies playing at a theater near you. Sometimes, the ad will say "Held over" or "Special engagement." What exactly does that mean? And just how do those movies get from the motion picture studio or the independent producer to the screen of your local theater?

In this aricle, you'll see the path of a film from an idea in someone's head to a movie screen at your neighborhood multiplex.

You'll learn what the "nut" is, find out the difference between negotiating and bidding, and finally understand the big reason why movie popcorn is so expensive!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE by Jeff Tyson - http://www.howstuffworks.com/movie-distribution.htm