1. Publicity - start a place on the web - a blog, or a web site, such as this blog that you are reading now, can be started for free - to promote the project and tell people about your story & the story behind the movie & get all manner of related work out.
2. Make clips & trailers available to view on the web - you can use Vimeo, YouTube, etc. for this
3. Make DVDs available for sale - home made DVDs are fine for this purpose at first, make sure they play in most computers & DVD players - if you can. Eventually, if you start to sell a lot of DVDs you can get DVDs made in large numbers from a duplication/replication business such as DiscMakers. You can advertise the availability of your DVDs through your blog(s) & site(s), e-mail people about it, spread the word through all available means, and use a post office box if it makes keeping track of the orders easier, and can use PayPal or checks or money orders to collect payment for DVDs. If you get a bar code/UPC label for your DVD you can sell it on Amazon. Keep track of the $s earned through DVD sales for tax purposes.
4. Try to get screenings (festivals, etc.) or set up your own screenings. Screenings can generate publicity & maybe you'll be able to sell some DVDs at the screenings also.
I think that's a very basic, relatively simple, number of things you can do to make your movie available to interested people/potential customers.
One indie filmmaker I know is following these steps and is selling about a dozen DVDs a week (at least he was when I checked in on his project back in early December). I myself will be taking these steps with Date Number One & Indie Film Blogger Road Trip soon/before the end of this month.
A filmmaker could, if they wanted to, just do those 4 items for each of their DIY/"no-budget" movies & the movies will be available for the public/will be in distribution. And then they can focus on making other movies & building the career & the catalog/body of work.
2. Make clips & trailers available to view on the web - you can use Vimeo, YouTube, etc. for this
3. Make DVDs available for sale - home made DVDs are fine for this purpose at first, make sure they play in most computers & DVD players - if you can. Eventually, if you start to sell a lot of DVDs you can get DVDs made in large numbers from a duplication/replication business such as DiscMakers. You can advertise the availability of your DVDs through your blog(s) & site(s), e-mail people about it, spread the word through all available means, and use a post office box if it makes keeping track of the orders easier, and can use PayPal or checks or money orders to collect payment for DVDs. If you get a bar code/UPC label for your DVD you can sell it on Amazon. Keep track of the $s earned through DVD sales for tax purposes.
4. Try to get screenings (festivals, etc.) or set up your own screenings. Screenings can generate publicity & maybe you'll be able to sell some DVDs at the screenings also.
I think that's a very basic, relatively simple, number of things you can do to make your movie available to interested people/potential customers.
One indie filmmaker I know is following these steps and is selling about a dozen DVDs a week (at least he was when I checked in on his project back in early December). I myself will be taking these steps with Date Number One & Indie Film Blogger Road Trip soon/before the end of this month.
A filmmaker could, if they wanted to, just do those 4 items for each of their DIY/"no-budget" movies & the movies will be available for the public/will be in distribution. And then they can focus on making other movies & building the career & the catalog/body of work.
