Evaluating Digital Aggregators

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow.”— Helen Keller If you’re a savvy indie filmmaker, you’ll want to focus on getting your film listed on a few of the major digital platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, Fandango Now, Google Play, Sony Playstation, TubiTV, and Vudu. You’ll also want to […]

Booking a New York or Los Angeles Theater

“Some grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”— Maya Angelou Peter Broderick, the well-regarded film consultant, wrote the following in his recent Distribution Bulletin: The dream of a national theatrical release still burns bright for most filmmakers. But the reality is that traditional releases with week-long runs have gotten much […]

Streaming Is Becoming a Flood

Based on Consumer Reports’ most recent survey on streaming, “almost half of U.S. adults–47 percent—are watching programs streamed over the internet.” It’s easy to see why this is so: People can now watch movies on a TV, computer, smartphone, tablet, and cellphone. It’s inexpensive and it’s convenient. You can be sure that in the corridors […]

Film Distribution – Where’s the Hook?

Sheri Candler, a highly esteemed film writer and consultant, wrote the following in MovieMaker Magazine: “What’s your marketing hook? If you don’t know, you have some brainstorming to do. Hooks allow an audience to immediately recognize what is interesting about your story and decide whether they want to investigate further.” Thousands of independent films are […]

Determining the Real Cost of Making a Film

It’s quite common. To determine the  cost of making a film, most filmmakers simply add up all the payments they’ve made to the writers, the crew, the actors, for equipment rentals, and for post production. This number, they conclude, is their cost. This kind of calculation is not only misleading—it’s also hugely inaccurate. What many […]