Self-Distribution: Not Just for Amateurs Anymore

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There are countless stories in the entertainment industry concerning the difficultly in, not only making a film, television series, record, etc., but also the struggles in finding a company to distribute the final product. Blood, sweat and tears are poured into these works of art only to be shelved and never seen by the masses. In the film industry, big named distributors are primarily interested in safe projects by well-known filmmakers and will take a hefty fee and ownership rights in exchange. Even venues once loyal to the independent artist, such as the Sundance Film Festival, have reverted to a more corporate structure in the past few years. Recently however, the phenomenon of online marketing, funding, and viewing of films has created a venue for online distribution as well. The concept is quite simple in that a platform is provided for filmmakers to create and interact with their own fan base while maintaining creative control and rights to their projects. It also saves a fair amount of money in the process, considering how expensive it is to produce a film in the first place.

Print on Demand (POD) companies such as Kaltura and CreateSpace provide a safe, connected and respected venue for filmmakers to create a virtual as well as tangible product for the public.  Filmmakers are also encouraged to speak and sell directly to their target markets through websites and social media forums.

One such social media tool in the self-distributor’s arsenal is Twitter. The site has become a necessity for all independent filmmakers looking to distribute their own material without the backing of a major studio. Kevin Smith, infamous Indie director and sometimes actor, has brought this issue to the forefront. He famously denied all studio funds and backing for his 2011 film, Red State, in order to maintain creative control by distributing the film himself. He has 2.3 million Twitter followers (myself included) that follow his work and respect his craft. John Sloss of Cinetic Media and a close friend of Smith’s told The Hollywood Reporter that Smith has always said “he doesn't have to work for the studios, because he works for his public”. Studio Daily printed a statement Smith released describing his frustrations with the fact that marketing and distributing films cost twice as much as actually producing them, especially since he had already cultivated the audience on his own. His goal is to educate other filmmakers on learning to work outside the traditional methods. This grassroots mentality has led other well-known and established artists such as comediennes Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari to sell concert tickets and promote projects solely through their social networks.

The major studios are taking a queue from independent filmmakers and formulating ways to utilize social media in their distribution techniques. The Hollywood Reporter describes a panel discussion at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival led by Paramount Digital Entertainment president, Tom Lesinski. The panel examined the importance Twitter and Facebook hold in bringing films to not only theaters, but also homes and mobile devices globally. The social media activities of celebrities are even being tracked in order to dissect the methods they use to interact and sell to their fans.

This shift in tactics has not gone unnoticed by industry staples. Mashable reports that even the aforementioned Sundance Film Festival announced this year that they have partnered with POD, Reelhouse, to allow their participants to self-distribute online once the festival is over. If apps, games and music can find distribution success in the virtual world, there is no reason that film should not be quick to follow.

The Oscars Shed a Light on Sundance Darling

Every year at this time, film enthusiasts from around the globe begin making predictions, planning viewing parties and criticizing Academy members for overlooking their personal favorite as the Oscar nominations are announced. While most of the nominees come as no surprise, there are always a few shockers that are thrown into the mix. Many times, films and actors are nominated that have received very little publicity and recognition or had scarce viewing opportunities due to limited distribution. This year, the imaginative and powerful independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, made its way into the hearts of the Academy while remaining relatively unnoticed by the rest of the world. The LA Times reports on the struggles the film encountered with unknown and inexperienced actors relaying the vision of relative newcomer, Behn Zeitlin. Beasts was made on a $1.5 million budget and struggled to find appropriate crew and equipment. Worldwide distribution was not considered to be a reality by the director and producers when they entered the 2012 Sundance Film Festival until the film and its breakout star, 8-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, captured the hearts of the jurors, the audience and coincidentally, Fox Searchlight Studios.

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Katey Rich of Cinemablend.com describes the magic Beasts of the Southern Wild created that led to a 6 minute standing ovation, the Grand Jury Prize and executives from Fox Searchlight to offer a distribution deal before the festival even ended. Fox Searchlight has a reputation for bringing darling independent films such as Little Miss Sunshine, which would ordinarily go unnoticed, into the lives of the public. Beasts was released June 29, 2012 in limited markets to fair reviews and is still an unknown to mass audiences.

While everyone loves an underdog, many times those stories cannot be made or viewed by the masses due to the difficulty in obtaining a distribution deal. IMDb revealed a total of 110 feature length films were entered into Sundance in 2012 with only 30 securing deals with studios for distribution, many only limited releases. Stories such as Beasts of the Southern Wild showcase how important it is to have a studio sign on to distribute but simultaneously demonstrates how easily they can still slip under the radar of the general public. In a statement I very rarely admit and will certainly deny in the future, the members of the Academy shed a beacon of light on this beautiful film. Where it would otherwise have gone unnoticed, the usually elitist group will allow this small and scarcely distributed film to enter the lives of audiences around the world.