There are many different strategies for how to distribute your film. How do you know which one is right for you? This blog post will explore the top distribution strategies and help you decide which ones are best for your new movie.
Pre-sale Financing
Pre-sale financing is a great way for independent filmmakers to raise money before their film even hits theatres. This works best if you have fans of your movie who want to see the project succeed and are willing to donate or invest in order for it to happen.
Digital Distribution
Digital distribution is the leading film distribution strategy. One of the most important things about getting your film out there these days is having it available online through various digital platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, etc. These services allow users from all over the world easy access when they’re ready to watch content on-demand whenever they feel like watching something new. So many people rely on streaming nowadays instead of down to their local video store, so you need to be available online if you want your film watched.
Minimum Guarantee
This is the fee paid to a producer by the distributors who buy the film. This fee is often used to pay back investors or any pre-sales that have taken place. This amount is an advance against the distributor’s future receipts.
TV Rights
TV Rights are another great distribution strategy because it ensures that your film gets broadcast to the masses on TV. You can get your movie on TV through cable networks such as HBO or SyFy Channel or through stations such as PBS or ABC. This distribution strategy usually involves getting your film picked up for free or at a low-cost licensing fee in order to get it aired on these channels.
Territorial Distribution Agreements
Territorial Distribution Agreements are where you offer your film to distributors in territories that they have the right to distribute in. This is a good strategy if you’re looking for exposure in new areas.
Territorial Distribution Agreements involve the selling of video rights in small parts of the world in order to generate revenue outside of your own country or region. This would work best when you have a film with worldwide appeal and want to be able to sell it all over the globe.
VOD Distribution
VOD Distribution is the newest of the top distribution strategies, which is great for up-and-coming directors because it’s more affordable. VOD Distribution is new, but it’s growing in popularity because filmmakers are able to get paid more money when they get their films on these sites. You get to set your own price or charge a small fee for users to watch your content on-demand, which is why it’s great for independent filmmakers.
Foreign Co-productions
Foreign co-productions are when two countries come together to make a film. These films are often made in order to facilitate cultural understanding because it can be difficult for people in different countries to understand each other sometimes. However, there are also times when two countries work together in order to have the best production team for their movie.
Foreign co-productions can be tricky because they involve so many different cultures. It’s easy for the message of the film to get lost if it’s lost in translation or interpreted too literally. However, with open lines of communication and two countries that are willing to work together, foreign co-productions can be successful.
Television Syndication Pre-sale
Television syndication pre-sale is a distribution strategy that allows filmmakers to sell off their television rights before they even start production of their films. This is usually done by determining the target audience for the film and then using marketing strategies to get people interested in it. The filmmaker can then sell these rights to distributors who will later broadcast the program on television networks such as HBO, ABC, etc.
Negative Pickup
Negative Pickup is a distribution strategy where distributors buy the film for a lump sum and then decide whether to release it or not. The advantage of this strategy is that the filmmaker gets money upfront and doesn’t have to use any of their own funds in order to pay back investors. The disadvantage is that distributors can reject the work if it’s not commercially viable.
Distribution Aggregation
Distribution aggregation works when an aggregator acquires licenses for multiple films, which they then sell onto individual buyers or companies such as Netflix, HBO, etc. This distribution strategy allows filmmakers to get more exposure by getting their content on different platforms instead of just one channel like TV would provide them with.
Cooperative Arrangement
A Cooperative Arrangement is a partnership between two parties who split profits equally after production costs are paid off even though there might be unequal contributions during pre-production stages, e.g., one filmmaker might have contributed more money to the production.
So there you have it, these are the top film distribution strategies for the new upcoming year. Agreements and foreign co-productions can help to reach new audiences, while negative pickups give your film a better chance of being seen by more people around the world. TV syndication pre-sales allow filmmakers to get money upfront before they even start production, which is great for independent films looking to gain momentum in an industry that’s so hard to break into. Distribution aggregation helps smaller indie films find their niche market, while cooperative arrangements provide a way for two parties who didn’t contribute equally during the pre-production stages to still be able to profit from making a movie together.
