Jonathan Marlow's wake up call to some indie filmmakers is getting read & commented on over at GreenCine Daily. Here is my comment re: the post, might be of interest & use to some indie filmmakers in dealing with the challenge of distribution & making money from distribution:
"Lots of people check out indie films at festivals, so, that's a positive starting point; people are willing to pay money & give time to watching indie movies in a theater type setting under certain conditions/at festivals.
Groups of indie filmmakers could work together to create new festivals; ones where some of the ticket sales $s can go to the filmmakers.
Another production/distribution option is to approach indie filmmaking & distribution not from a Hollywood or indiewood model, but from an independent music model; the artists make the work, tour & bring the work to audiences at whatever venues (clubs, theaters, etc.), and a home version of the work (DVD in the indie film case) gets sold through outlets available to the artists.
As television has failed to end the movie theater going habit, thankfully, I don't think the web will put movie theaters out of business either. So indie filmmakers can look forward to solving the "getting the movie to theaters & making money from it" puzzle for decades to come. However, internet VOD, cable VOD, etc. is already a revenue stream for some indie films (those in IFC In Theaters program, etc.), also any films that might get included in iTunes type sites.
Some indiewood companies shutting down is really no big problem for real indie filmmakers, because most likely our "no budget, no star" films were never going to be picked up & distributed by those companies anyway.
In general, this seems to be a very good time to be an indie filmmaker; cost of production is lower than ever, lots of interest in film festivals, and the web is hopping with indie film blogs & sites & other gathering places."
- Sujewa
"Lots of people check out indie films at festivals, so, that's a positive starting point; people are willing to pay money & give time to watching indie movies in a theater type setting under certain conditions/at festivals.
Groups of indie filmmakers could work together to create new festivals; ones where some of the ticket sales $s can go to the filmmakers.
Another production/distribution option is to approach indie filmmaking & distribution not from a Hollywood or indiewood model, but from an independent music model; the artists make the work, tour & bring the work to audiences at whatever venues (clubs, theaters, etc.), and a home version of the work (DVD in the indie film case) gets sold through outlets available to the artists.
As television has failed to end the movie theater going habit, thankfully, I don't think the web will put movie theaters out of business either. So indie filmmakers can look forward to solving the "getting the movie to theaters & making money from it" puzzle for decades to come. However, internet VOD, cable VOD, etc. is already a revenue stream for some indie films (those in IFC In Theaters program, etc.), also any films that might get included in iTunes type sites.
Some indiewood companies shutting down is really no big problem for real indie filmmakers, because most likely our "no budget, no star" films were never going to be picked up & distributed by those companies anyway.
In general, this seems to be a very good time to be an indie filmmaker; cost of production is lower than ever, lots of interest in film festivals, and the web is hopping with indie film blogs & sites & other gathering places."
- Sujewa
