We're less than two weeks before the start of production on our next project and a lot is happening, as you might guess.
The new film, In-World War, is a smart and quirky sci-fi feature about a bankrupt beta-tester trapped in a virtual reality simulation of the "war on terror". It's a big departure from our last film, Quality of Life, both in terms of story (futuristic sci-fi vs. gritty graffiti drama) as well as our approach to making and distributing it.
Here's a quick overview of how we're doing things differently on In-World War, focusing on the all-important distribution process:
1. No investors.
With
the indie film market going to hell in a hand-basket, there's not much
traditional market for a film like ours. How can I justify a return on
investment to investors? We spent a ton of our time and energy trying
to raise money for Quality of Life -- most of it was unsuccessful.
Rather than spin our wheels on trying to get investment, we'll focus
on making the film solely, this time.
2. Nonprofit sponsorship.
Since
we don't have investors and we are not considering this a strictly
commercial venture (i.e. we'll probably never make back what we are
spending), we were able to get nonprofit fiscal sponsorship from the
San Francisco Film Society. This allows anyone who donates money to
have the donation be tax-deductible (the donors actually write the
check to the Film Society, who basically turns it into a grant from
them to us, minus a processing fee). The reporting is fairly simple
(twice a year) and allows us to offer another incentive for Uncle
Melvin to write a check.
3. Planning for self-distribution.
Since
we're not likely to get a traditional distribution deal, we are
planning for self-distribution now. That means a number of early
decisions: start building the audience now through blogging/tweeting,
budget for DVD to be available during festival screenings, ignore
standard delivery items like pan-and-scan and M+E mixes, and generally
avoid anything or any action required because "that's the way
distributors like it."
4. But we're ready if distributors are interested.
Even
though we're assuming our Plan A is self-distribution, we are still
setting things up so we don't totally disqualify ourselves from
potential wider distribution, so that includes clearing all music,
getting appearance release forms signed and making a kick-ass movie
with cinema-quality production value.
5. It all starts with the script.
The
only way fest audiences will buy the DVD at the merch table or a
distribution exec will make a sale offer is if the story is great. We
didn't rush the screenplay (three years in the making, actually). And a
good script gave us the possibility of engaging a stronger crew for
less money since they want to work on good projects and not crap.
Better crew will mean better production values (and fewer headaches in post) and
thus more possibility for wider distribution. So great script = better
chance of wider distribution. It's a law of nature. I think Newton discovered after the whole gravity thing.
6. Blogging started yesterday.
Since
we're trying to self-distribute as our main pathway, we are blogging
already (ipso facto). Actually, I've been blogging about In-World War for over three years, including
during the initial "test footage" we shot back in the beginning of the
journey. This will build up a bank of content and also encourage
traffic via Google searches. Soon, we'll start asking other sci-fi
projects and indie film sites to swap links. Then things will really take off and
by the time we do that, we'll have a thriving site full of content and
activity.
7. PR starts NOW.
Since we have a huge cast and
can't afford to pay them, we had to spread the word widely to find enough people to audition. We treated
our casting calls and crew posts as marketing opportunities for the project. We
included a pitch plus information about the success of our last
project in each casting call. Then, we asked a number of key people who could reach our target
actors and crew (in this case, it was Muslim and Arab Americans) and
they posted to their lists. This gives us visibility with possible
future audiences plus also got us in front of some important
influencers. Net result: feature story on SF360, with resulting
coverage on io9 and Film School Rejects. All because of our casting
call. And all before we started shooting.
8. The festival run will be our theatrical run.
Theatrical
is a black hole for cash. You never break even or make money on
theatrical. So why do it? Everyone loves to see their film on the big
screen, so it's sexy. But there's a business reason too: it's
marketing. Basically, the single most effective way to get people to
buy your DVD is for them to see it or hear about it from someone who has -- and that's most
effective through theatrical screenings in one form or another.
So, how do you do a self-distributed theatrical run without losing a brick of benjamins? Festivals.
The festivals bring the audience (that's the expensive part:
marketing to bring paying butts into chairs) and you bring the movie.
You don't share the ticket sales, but you don't incur the marketing costs, which are always higher anyway. Thus: a net gain. Do this many many times -- play at as many festivals as you can. And,
if you're in the area (or if they can fly you in -- some will), you
sell DVDs and merchandise. Thus, doing the impossible: turning a profit
on theatrical. That's our goal, though it's unlikely even in that scenario. We'll be happy with not losing as much as we would through a traditional theatrical.
9. The secret of profitability on low budget films.
Lastly,
the best way to ensure you turn a profit on your indie film is to keep
the budget low. We're not talking $1M low. We're not talking $500,000
low. We're talking under $100,000 low. Much lower than that in fact. So
use volunteers, interns and have a solid script to get great pro crew
(the key department heads) to work for low day rates. And that's what
we're doing. Which is why I need to get back to work right now in fact.
So wish us luck and if you believe in this vision (or found this info helpful) come to our website and make a TAX-DEDUCTABLE donation:
Donate to In-World War -- support our next film!
Or just buy the DVD when it comes out. :-)
[A version of this post was originally written for Stacey Park's Self-Distribution Starter Kit available at Film Specific.]
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