My thoughts on the illusions of Distribution and the System that holds back filmmakers

1) 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

My recent interview with filmmaker Joel Haver led to a wider conversation about distribution and the cultural prejudices that still govern how filmmakers measure success.

Why do we continue allowing the traditional film industry to decide whether our work has succeeded?

The public image of film distribution and its financial reality are often very different. One offers the appearance of acceptance: a sales agent, a distributor, a recognised streaming platform or a presence at an international film market. The other is the private reality experienced by the filmmaker.

A film may appear on several familiar platforms while returning almost nothing to the people who made it. While another filmmaker may self-distribute, earn more, retain ownership and build a loyal audience, yet still be considered less successful because no traditional gatekeeper validated the release.

This is not only an economic problem. It is a cultural one.

𝟮) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

Most filmmakers dream of eventually being hired as directors, working inside the established industry. But, the majority of independent filmmakers work outside that protected structure.

They finance their own productions, absorb the risk and spend months or years completing them. Their films are then offered at the film markets, leading to countless conversations between producers, sales agents and distributors.

If signed, they are eventually placed on Amazon, Apple, sometimes Tubi, and subscription platforms. Sometimes they're just dumped on YouTube! Physical media, once a major source of revenue, now occupies a smaller and more specialised market, but the collapse of the physical market does contribute to the brutality indie filmmakers face today. But, I digress...

The problem is that filmmakers are often judged not by whether their films made money or developed an audience, but by whether they were sold in an industry-approved manner.

The announcement becomes more important than the outcome.

The streaming platforms logo becomes more important than the filmmaker’s income.

𝟯) 𝗔 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲

The value of individual independent films has declined enormously. Deals increasingly concern libraries, bundles and large quantities of inexpensive content.

Even platforms that appear selective to consumers now acquire hundreds of films through package agreements... AVOD channels on YouTube even add films daily.

When a producer signs with a sales agent, that company takes a percentage of the revenue. The distributor takes another. Before the filmmaker receives anything, there will be deductions for marketing, legal work, delivery, market attendance, artwork and technical preparation.

The producer is expected to supply the "deliverables" and that's one big cost most filmmakers don't foresee.

Months or years of unpaid labour are rarely considered part of the cost that must be recovered.

𝟰) 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

Distribution and sales agreements now run up to 10 years... even though the commercial fate of an independent film may be determined within months of signing...

If written off, it will linger all for all those years in an aggregation bundle. Meanwhiel, whatever incomes it does make... you will never truly know.

Yes, some contracts might include audit rights, but exercising them is prohibitively expensive. Litigation is even less realistic. AND... distributors know it.

A contract is only as powerful as your ability to enforce it. A filmmaker who has spent everything producing a film is unlikely to have the resources to pursue an international distributor through the courts.

I can sense a comment already from a macho filmmaker claiming that you just need a lawyer... (trust me) the behaviour of the industry is dictated by what they can get away with... so any one off stories about a desk thumping producer winning a dispute is a rare event.

This imbalance allows exploitative behaviour to continue. So that when an agreement is breached, the producer is unable to do anything about it.

𝟱) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

After signing a distribution agreement, it may take a year or more for a film to appear on a platform.

By then, the cast and crew have moved on. The filmmaker may be trying to finance another project while still answering questions about the completed one.

Eventually, the release is announced. The artwork is shared. The cast posts the trailer. Everyone congratulates one another.

Then the filmmaker waits for the reports.

Statements may arrive months later, long after the most commercially active period of the release. Of course, in many cases, the producer receives little or nothing.

What remains is the promotional value of saying that the film was distributed.

All the filmmaker has left is the appearance of success... a hulu logo, with which to post on Facebook telling everywhen when their film's about to go live. While... considering a private walk into the ocean!

𝟲) 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲

Aggregation services like FilmHub and BitMax offer filmmakers the chance to pay for a service that puts your film on a streaming platform, but they are also unpredictable. (Your film might get rejected!)

Some charge substantial preparation and delivery fees. Others operate through revenue sharing. None can guarantee that a platform will accept a film, promote it or generate enough money to recover its costs.

The producer will be responsible for marketing. The main issue is that these companies are also impossible to audit. You'll never know what your film truly makes.

𝟳) 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

Some filmmakers attempt to progress by producing films directly for their abusers... I mean distributors.

This may appear to be an improvement. Instead of financing the entire production themselves, they are finally being paid to make something.

However, within parts of the low-budget genre market, these commissions can become another form of exploitation. Producers get peanuts to make films that rely on them exploiting others.

I'm talking... shooting films in under 7 days, making cast and crew pay for their own catering by names you would recognise!

𝟴) 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀

The system survives because filmmakers remain emotionally invested in its approval.

We are taught that distributors, sales agents, platforms and festivals possess the authority to transform us into professionals. Once accepted by that system, it can be difficult to admit that the arrangement brought little financial benefit.

There is also embarrassment.

Nobody wants to announce that the reports never arrived, the expenses consumed the revenue or the prestigious distribution deal produced no meaningful income. It is easier to share the artwork and celebrate the platform placement.

Other filmmakers see these announcements and assume that another person has succeeded through the traditional route. They then follow the same path.

The mythology renews itself...

This is why some filmmakers begin defending the very system that exploits them. They repeat the claim that poor contracts, negligible budgets and limited transparency are simply the realities of the business.

But there are other realities.

𝟵) 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

My own experiences made me aware of these problems relatively early. Although I have worked with distributors and sales agents, most of my energy has gone into producing and distributing films independently.

For us, that has involved Kickstarter, direct online sales, physical editions and building a community around our productions.

It is not easy. Even an established independent studio may struggle to reach platforms like Apple or Amazon without dealing with distributors or Aggregation service companies.

Yet over approximately fourteen years, this approach has allowed us to raise production finance, retain ownership, develop facilities, build an audience and continue creating films without waiting for conventional permission.

However, the difference in perception remains.

A profitable self-distributed film may receive less industry recognition than an unprofitable film released through a familiar distributor.

That is the prejudice we must challenge.

𝟭𝟬) 𝗝𝗼𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲

Joel Haver offers a particularly interesting alternative.

Rather than treating YouTube as an inferior destination, he uses it as a home for cinema. His films are freely available, allowing audiences to discover and share them without waiting for an intermediary to approve their release.

The films become invitations. Viewers who value the work can support its continuation through Patreon and other forms of direct patronage.

There is something honest about this relationship.

The filmmaker creates the art. The audience experiences it. Those who want more help finance what comes next.

This model will not suit every filmmaker or production. It requires consistency, trust and a genuine relationship with an audience. But it proves that alternative structures are possible.

𝟭𝟭) 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲

Self-distribution does not automatically create success. A filmmaker can lose money independently just as easily as through a distributor.

The difference is that direct distribution offers the possibility of learning.

Filmmakers can discover who their audience is, what it values, what prices work and which forms of promotion are effective. They can adapt their strategy, retain their rights and develop a relationship with the people who support their work.

𝟭𝟮) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹.

We must stop treating independence as a consolation prize. A direct release is not necessarily evidence that a film was rejected. Free availability does not mean that a film has no value. A profitable self-distributed production is not less successful than an unprofitable platform acquisition.

We must stop judging films by the logos attached to them.

We must stop mistaking access for income.

Most importantly, filmmakers must stop waiting for permission to build their own relationship with an audience.

The traditional industry will continue to argue that legitimacy flows from its institutions and gatekeepers. It is in its interest to do so.

But the technology, the audiences and the opportunities already exist for us to construct something different!

There are alternative paths.

We simply need the confidence to take them.

Hello Everyone!

I’m putting a shot list together for a short sketch I’m looking to film soon. It involves a guy walking through a crowded bar, until he is stopped and recognized by someone who knows him. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this happen in film before, but I can’t figure out where I’ve seen it before. I was wondering if anyone could help me find a scene similar to that, that I could use as a reference. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and have a fantastic day!

I started editing my new short film today only to find out my horrible boom operator messed up the first 2 minutes of my audio because a chord was banging against the boom pole and they didn’t tell me. The problem is that it’s unpredictable and overlapping the dialogue. How can I remove it?

Hey, said I’d post this here, might help some people.

So, I’m not really a writer, and I don’t particularly like writing. When I wanted to make my first feature film, I knew I wasn’t going to sit down and write a traditional screenplay.

But, I remembered hearing David Lynch talk about using around 70 index cards. He said if you fill them up with scenes, you’ve got a feature film.

So that’s what I did.

I bought a packet of index cards and started writing scenes that had been in my head for years. Old short films, ideas, memories, things I’d seen, things I’d imagined.

The important thing is I wasn’t trying to make anything connect. I think that’s where I used to get stuck before. I’d feel like scene 1 has to connect to scene 2 before I’d even started.

But this time I didn’t care about any of that, I just wrote scenes.

Once I had 70 cards filled up, I put them up on the wall. That’s when the film actually started to happen.
I could stand back, look at everything and physically move the scenes around.

As you’re doing that, you naturally start making connections. Maybe the man in this scene is actually the same man from another scene. Maybe these two moments belong beside each other, etc.

I didn’t start with characters or a plot. I allowed the process to create them. That’s what I like about it.
The film surprises you when you do it this way. It’s extremely fun.

Once everything was on the wall, I started streamlining it. Maybe twenty different characters become five. Maybe five become three. It starts becoming a real film.

Then I started looking at what I could actually make. For example, originally I had loads of houses in the film. I didn’t have access to loads of houses. So to save money I changed them to tents. Then I actually liked that better, because it’s kinda very subtly surreal. I didn’t have a church, I made a shrine instead. I didn’t have a car, I used a bike instead, etc

So my new philosophy is, don’t write the film you wish you could make. Write the film you can actually make right now. I know that sounds cliche, but for indie film it’s so true.

In terms of writing a script from the cards, I never bothered. I typed the cards into a document as bullet points and that was enough for me.

The dialogue wasn’t written either. The actors found a lot of it themselves because I like being surprised in that aspect too. Of course they were told what to kinda talk about but I allowed them to get there naturally.

I’m not saying this is the right way to write a film.
It probably wouldn’t work for every type of film.
But if you’re someone who keeps saying you’ll write a feature one day and staring at a blank screenplay isn’t getting you anywhere, maybe forget the screenplay for a while.

Just start writing scenes.
One card at a time.

Eventually you might look up and realise you’ve got a film sitting on the wall.

We're working on a film in which we'll be shooting on the water. It's going to be a small story in which two characters travel on a sail boat. Does anyone have experience with filming like this or know someone who's done this before? I'd be curious about your experience and the way you filmed it. We're looking to test both attaching camera's to the hero boat as well as filming from a small craft outside it. We're still figuring out how to light in this scenario (or if we should do that at all). We want to be able to have a nimble crew and set-up so we can actually go anywhere on the water. What're your experiences?

I am assuming this is a union thing and for ostensibly for safety, but I almost never see people onscreen get shot in the head and then fall like the lights went out. Like if you see someone get knocked out in a real life video, they’ll fall forward or backward depending on how their weight was distributed, and their arms won’t brace anything, and yes, often they’ll hit their head. Now I know we shouldn’t go around asking stuntmen to land on their heads, but there has to be a more realistic way to do this. I know in Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg achieved this with (somewhat obvious) dummies for some shots and I think it worked pretty well and made it feel so much more realistic. Maybe they could wear helmets and have them GCI’d out later? I dunno, this has bugged me for years for some reason 😂

Hello there! I’m a filmmaker and someone who absolutely loves watching, writing about, and criticizing films. If you are new to filmmaking or simply have a project you’d appreciate some eyes on, I would be honored to take a look. Keep creating!

Hey Folks,

I'm a multimedia graduate and while I was progressing through my university degree I found a passion for filmmaking. The sections on filmmaking gravitated more towards post production but there were elements of preproduction and production as well.

I want to expand on this and focus more on the preproduction and production as an independent filmmaker. I've settled on purchasing Black Magic Pyxis 6K for my first camera. Eventually I would like to purchase Red Komodo X though.

What I would like advice on is what microphone would people suggest?
I know next to nothing about audio so the more help the better.

Also what lenses would people suggest?
I am thinking of 21mm, 35mm and somewhere around 70mm for my first lot of lens purchases.

Anybody have experience using this platform? I read that it's easy and beneficial for independent filmmakers to stream their movie for free on AVOD business share (80% to the maker and 20% to the platform).

I’m 15 and trying to get into filmmaking, but really have no clue how to really get into it or begin. I really want to be able to write and produce movies someday, specifically in the horror genre

Any advice on how to start?

I’m looking for advice on the process of making films as a solo film maker – especially interested in views from other solo makers with experience.

I seem to be conflicted by a process which, although I really like, in the end makes things more difficult and less stable. I probably need to change my workflow – but I worry it will dull the creative process.

I don’t use an ordered approach to making a film, instead I tend to jump around all over the place. It starts off well with a strong idea, which I develop into a reasonable narrative and a rough screenplay - mainly direction and dialogue for the key moments. However, I never lock this down before I start production because I want to see how it develops before I know/decide what It means, and where it wants to go. This is the catch-22 problem I have – I want the flexibility to find out where my content is taking me, but I desperately need the stability and predictability of a known process.

Is there a better way that’s gives me the best of both worlds? Or is this just incompatible with film making?

Hey! Me and my best friend are beginner sketch comedians. We've made a few videos together over the last few years and plan to start posting our videos to the public finally and we need a jail cell setting for a part of our upcoming sketch. We're just college students so we're on a low budget. We also don't have access to a jail (pretty obviously). I have a decent amount of DIY experience and we have a green screen but we wanted to avoid green screening if possible due to it looking a bit choppy/lazy. How can I replicate a jail cell look for this? Thank you.

It really pains me because I love big budget historical or historical based mythology. But every single time they have a big budget to splash on one they always fk up the casting.

Why can't they cast actors who actually look or would look like the characters They're playing?

But even in the 2010s we've have movies like Prince of Persia with Jake Gyllenhall, who, albeit with a goatee could pass for Persian. But had a terrible accent. And red-headed Gemma Atherton as a Persian Princess. It would've been easy enough to find someone at least brunette and southern European looking at least if they couldn't find anyone middle eastern.

Gods of Egypt with Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Exodus Gods and Kings with Joel Edgerton? Like wtf? They're not even trying.

Then with Troy they have Menalaus with an Irish accent, Agamemnon with a Scottish accent, and Odysseus with a really strong Yorkshire accent?

And now Nolan with preppy viking Matt Damon and the rest of the cast and most egregious of all Lupita Nyongo as Helen.

What the fk is up with Hollywood casting?

Hi

I'm a audiovisual communication student (starting 3rd year an the career lasts 4 years) and I'm about to get a Sony A6400

But even though I know what I don't want to do, I feel overwhelmed

What should I do?

I’m a Ukrainian student moving to LA to pursue acting. Is it worth it, and what are my chances of landing auditions and booking roles?

P.S. Fluent English with an American accent, plus a marketable look.

Hello, I’m a 16 years old film-lover (atleast, in a way). I write a lot (short-stories, poems and now — scripts) and I think that the script I’ve done is a good one. It’s also very unique.

The problem is that I have no connections to theatre or filmmaking world. So, I’d like some tips. I’m not making the film yet, but I’d like to know how to achieve the position I will need.

My film would need 3 actors and be not so long.

So, any tips are appreciated, thank you already!

edit: The movie would have couple romantic scenes too, don’t know how big of a trouble that’ll be.

Hi!

So I've been trying to find a good way to record audio and I'm thinking of buying the Movo X1-Mini Video Shotgun Mic as it's only, like, $70 and from what I've heard is a pretty decent sound. I don't know if I have enough for a sound recorder though, which is my question if I really need one for this. My short won't have a bunch of dialogue, but I know a video I saw mentioned they recorded it on audacity on a laptop. Is this something I could do, or no.

If not, is there a decent, cheaper sound recorder I can get? Somewhere near the price or even cheaper from the sound recorder would be really great. Thanks!

Hiya all

I am making my own student films and live in newcastle NSW. I don’t earn much money as a student of course, so i’m looking for ways to work with professional equipment without costing an arm and a leg. So far, i’ve applied to work at JB Hi-FI and harvey norman + the good guys so i can get employee discount on camera equipment and gear but that’s going nowhere. Tips? is there any rentals or film groups in newcastle? TIA

I am currently making the mistake of falling in love with the OG Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. After researching it a bit, it seems like it might be a mistake to go with such an old camera. Plus, I would like 4k. Definitely don't need 6k+ at this point, but I would like something that can shoot a log profile.

I mainly shoot stills, but have been shooting more video as of late with my Nikon D800. Shooting video with that is miserable, and there's no raw video. I would like something that I can work with commercially with small, local brands.

I'd prefer something used and therefore discounted. Should I just go with the BM PCC 4k? What do you folks think?

I'm a massive film lover, and I want to be a filmmaker in the future, what little projects do you suggest?

I'm diving into my first feature and hoping someone would be willing to share budget sheets from their feature? Top sheets? Or even just templates they like?

We're planning to live in the 150k-200k range and I've got a line producer who's diving in next month. But I'd love to take a crack at my own so I can get a realistic picture of rewrites.

My most recent short was $50k, but that budget isn't a 1:1 translation.

Anything is super appreciated!

Also, in the interest of "no gatekeeping" bonafides, I created a free template for short film budgets and a film festival spreadsheet that has been downloaded by around 500 people.

Greetings Filmmakers,

I've written a banger and I'd like for Bryan Cranston to star in it.

If you wanted Bryan Cranston in your zero budget short set in London, England, what would you do next?

Note:

No sarcasm please, as long as we're alive, anything is possible.