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Getting Distribution:
5 Secrets & Lies
By Jerome Courshon
One of the major Achilles’ heels for producers and directors
is the distribution game. Once you’ve made your movie, what do
you do? How do you play the game? What strategies do you employ?
Is there even a strategy? Well, there’s good news and bad
news. The good news is there are indeed strategies to use and
employ. The bad news is that most filmmakers don’t know what
they are and flounder around trying to figure them out. I know. I
was there myself.
It took me several years to find distribution for my movie,
God, Sex & Apple Pie. I floundered, I struggled, I learned. I
eventually did get distribution through Warner Bros. amazingly
enough. But what I learned was how to do it, and I’ve been assisting
other filmmakers in successfully getting distribution for their
movies. (No, I’m not a producer’s rep. I have no interest in taking
a piece of your movie.)
In this article, I’m going to share a few secrets and debunk
some prevalent lies (which we’ll call “myths”) about getting distribution.
Myth #1: I’m a director, a filmmaker, a creative person. If I
make a good movie, I don’t have to worry about the business or
marketing stuff because someone else will do that.
Secret #1: This is not so much a secret as a reality check.
There are some people who get lucky and either have a producing
partner who does the business and marketing, or they have
the money to hire the right people to do everything. However,
for most this isn’t the case, especially if one’s movie career is in
the early stages. You really need to become a businessman (or
businesswoman) once your feature film is done. At least until it’s
sold. The more you can become a “salesperson” and marketing
maven, the more success you will have in your quest for distribution.
Yes, I know this part isn’t nearly as sexy and fun as making
movies, but as Orson Welles famously said about the film business:
“It’s about 2% movie making and 98% hustling.”
Myth #2: Distributors are calling me and they’re excited to see
my movie! I’ll send it to them and if they like it, they’ll buy it!
Secret #2: All major distributors track the movies that have
been listed in the trades under their production columns. If you
were in those columns, you’re going to be phoned. Do not send
them a rough cut. Do not send them a final cut. Do not send them
the movie. If you do, you will not get a theatrical distribution
deal, if this is what you are going for. You must “unveil” your
movie in the right place at the right time, such as a top film festival,
to get the buyers to really want your feature. Movies that
have been sent on DVD to a distributor do not get picked up for
theatrical releases. So when they call, say, “It’s not ready, but I
appreciate your call.” Repeatedly.
Myth #3: My movie was selected for the Sundance Film
Festival (or Toronto or Cannes). Woohooo! All I have to do is
show up and I will get a deal!
Secret #3: Okay, you won the lottery and got a slot at one
of these three coveted festivals for your movie premiere. Guess
what? Your work hasn’t even begun yet. You must now assemble
a team of people—a PR firm, an agent from one of the top agencies
in Los Angeles, an attorney, and possibly a producer’s rep.
(But beware…most producer’s reps are useless.) You will have to
work, strategize and position your movie—before it premieres—
as a very desirable movie that distributors must have. You have
one shot at the top festivals for a theatrical deal, so don’t screw
up. Unfortunately, most filmmakers don’t know or understand
this. Their movie plays at Sundance, they come away without a
deal, and they don’t know what to do next.
Myth #4: I was rejected by the top festivals, so now I’m
submitting and getting accepted by the next tier of festivals. This
is cool. All I have to do is show up at my screenings and be treated
like a rock star!
Secret #4: Yeah, okay, if this is you, at least you’re having
fun. But you’re not going to get distribution this way. There is a
real purpose to the festival circuit beyond the top festivals. The
obvious purpose is, of course, exposure. But there is actually a
MORE important purpose: Building a pedigree. What is a pedigree?
It’s press coverage, positive quotes from critics, awards if
you can get them—that says you have a hell of a winning movie
on your hands. Once you have built this pedigree, then you are
ready to parlay this into a distribution deal.
Myth #5: I’ve submitted my movie to the 15 home video
companies. I’ve talked to my producer friends and looked at industry
reference books. I’ve even perused the video store shelves
to see who all the home video companies are. If they all say “No,”
I’m out of luck for a home video deal.
Secret #5: This “secret” right here may be worth tens or hundreds
of thousands of dollars to you. I didn’t know this when I
was going through my journey, and most people don’t. There are
literally over 75 home video companies in the marketplace, all
operating under their own labels. On top of that are additional
companies that pick up movies and programming that have output
deals with these distributors. So if you think you’ve exhausted
your search for a home video deal and you’ve only contacted 15
or even 25 companies, you’ve only just begun.
With over 4000 movies being made every single year, that’s
quite a few producers and directors working with often erroneous
information. And 4000+ are a lot of movies vying for limited distribution
slots. These two factors combined can make for a daunting
journey filled with frustration and failure.
The silver lining to all this? There are eight basic paths (or
distribution models) a movie can take to get into the distribution
stream, and if you know what to do and employ the right strategies,
you can achieve real distribution. You do not need name
stars in your movie to get a deal and your movie does not have to
be phenomenal. If your movie is at least decent—or good—you
do have a real shot.
Jerome Courshon is an award-winning producer/writer. He
has written articles for MovieMaker Magazine, Indie Slate Magazine,
and Film Festival Today. For more information, visit: www.
distribution.LA. (Photo courtesy of Jerome Courshon)§
Page 14 March 2007 www.screenreport.com