You made a film. Now what? Chances are you would like other people to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, and if you are fortunate enough to have other people with a financial interest in your project, chances are that they would not only like the film to be distributed, but rather they would demand it. If the latter is your situation, I would hope you have already planned ahead and have a distribution plan ready (see our recent article on how to make a business plan for your film). If you don’t, read on for some of your options.

Tugg

Tugg is a community-driven platform for bringing independent titles to screens anywhere in the US. As a filmmaker you can use the platform to arrange and promote screenings, or you can use it to engage your social media following to the point where enough of them – your fans – request your film shown in a theater near you. It’s not a money-making machine, but it’s a fairly low-risk way of making sure your film gets a theatrical release.

Gathr

Like it’s slightly more streamlined competitor, Tugg, Gathr is a theatrical-on-demand service where either filmmakers or fans can request and promote a screening. Gathr is focused on documentary films.

VOD

Video-On-Demand seems to be the best way for a self-distributed film to generate revenue on a continuous basis and it should be part of any distribution plan you create for your project. Once your film has completed it’s festival run, you need to push for sales on VOD services like Netflix and iTunes. But don’t limit yourself to those brandname services – there are dozens of smaller, independent services that don’t require curator approval before making your film available for download/streaming. As a DIY filmmaker you can make your film more or less instantly available on services like Amazon Video Direct, IndieReign, Vimeo On-Demand and TopSpin, so you can start creating a stream of revenue. Check out this list of services compiled by PBS.

Aggregator Services

There are a lot of film out there. Not only do you need to know who you are marketing your film to, you also need to make sure your film is available for purchase wherever your potential viewers might be looking for it. That means either a lot of submissions for VOD services – or using an aggregator. A service like Quiver Digital takes a one-time fee to distribute your film across all major digital services (like iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Google Play, etc.), after which you get to keep all revenue, less any percentages taken by the service your film was purchased or rented on. Similar services are offered by Kinonation and Juice.

Check out this No Film School article on aggregators – and the same writer’s experience using Tugg for her theatrical run.

h/t No Film School and Oakley Anderson-Moore

#1. The Script

It all starts with the story. Any investors will want to know that your script has gone through rewrites, readings, and has been given the professional blessings of several experienced directors, line producers and actors, effectively telling them that the final script is thoroughly tested and viable for production.

#2. The Shooting Schedule

Remember the line producer we just mentioned? When you find a line producer who sees the potential and marketability in your script, keep her number and start negotiating her fee. A good (read: experienced and with several credits) line producer will be able to take your script from words to numbers. Your line producer will break down the script, create a shooting schedule and subsequently a defacto production budget.

#3 The Production Budget

This is a puzzle you don’t want to put together on your own – and investors will want to know that the budget you present them with has been done by someone who knows exactly what they’re doing. Your line producer should completely describe all costs of production, including editing, writing, post-production, directing, producing and marketing. Check out this leaked budget for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village – not that your first business plan should be in the $70 mio. range, but it should be detailed and professional.

#4 The Marketing Plan

Describe who the film is targeted and why they are gonna love it. Describe how you are gonna reach that target and which similar films has done the same thing successfully. Describe the cost and the timeline. Creativity is great, case studies and proven methods are better. Together they are unstoppable.

#5 The Distribution Plan

This is one of the most important parts of the business plan, but also one of the most tricky. After all, how is your film ever going to make any money if no one is going to see it? You need distribution and you need to describe exactly how you are going to get it. Describe how you can guarantee a theatrical release, PPV sales, cable rights, overseas rights, DVD rights, subsidiary sales and any other avenues of distribution you have planned for your film. Don’t sign a distribution deal before securing financing – it might turn out to work against you in the long run – but know exactly how, why, when and with whom you are going to secure one.

#6 The Cast and Crew

Now comes the fun stuff. Numbers alone are not going to make your film a success, you need a team that investors (and the general public) can believe in and rally behind, and this is your opportunity to showcase them. Though there may not be any actual contracts signed at this point, you would do well to get letters of interest from key crew members (director, cinematographer, production designer, composer) and include biographies, as well as samples of their previous work. Same thing goes for the key cast. Though not signed onto the project, you might be able to get letters of interest from the actors and actresses you believe would make this film everything it can be. In some (read: most) cases this will not be possible, but don’t fret. You can still include cast pictures, biographies, resumes and samples of previous work simply as examples of your vision. Don’t include A-list talent unless you have a letter of interest. Be realistic, be reasonable and be smart. Include cast fees and availability, if you can get it from their respective agents. Your investors are going to want to see that you can make your vision a reality without Jennifer Lawrence and Joaquin Phoenix, and that you can do it with a reasonable budget.

#7 The Visuals

Consider this the one-two punch of business plans. You start out presenting the facts and the plans and the market research, then you make those numbers come to life by attaching cast and crew. You have piqued your investor’s interest – now you start sweet-talking. Adding visual components to your business plan will make your project more tangible and give it a certain sex appeal – and we all know that sex sells, right? Include a couple of storyboarded scenes, pictures of locations, samples of your previous work and distinct visual style – even a professional film poster. You can add additional visuals and look-books as an addendum to the business plan so the numbers don’t get lost in flair, but make sure that what you are presenting – the complete business plan as it reads from start to finish – is a clear vision of your film.

#8 The Revenue Projections

Back to what most filmmakers might consider a bog of eternal stench, but which your potential investors will find just as sexy as the visuals described above: The revenue projections and rock-solid market analysis. Show how 15-20 recent films comparable to your own performed in theatrical release and on VOD/PPV. Be specific. Do lots and lots of research using resources like boxofficemojo.com, the-numbers.com and filmspecific.com. Go the extra mile and include revenue from product integration and state film production rebates. Companies like brand-inentertainment.com and Entertainment Partners will be useful resources.

#9 The Letter of Intent for a Completion Bond

If you have all of the above-mentioned sections sorted out and you have (tentatively) secured your locations, you can get a quote from a bonding agency. Your line producer will likely be the one to do this, as she will (hopefully) have done it before and have a working relationship with a good agency. Providing a letter of intent to get a completion bond will give your investors added piece of mind.

#10 The Letter of Intent for Insurance

Investors are not going to want to bet there money on anything but an (almost) sure thing. One way to eliminate risk is to have your film insured. Get a quote and a letter of intent to insure your film from a reputable insurance company. Again, this will be something your line producer can/should help you with.

#11 Wrap it up nicely and get it out the door

Rarely will you need to have a physical copy of your business plan handy, but make sure that your digital package looks and feels like the real thing. Check and double check spelling, grammar, formatting, graphics, alignment, colors – and then click “Save as PDF”. PDFs cost $0 to send, so make sure this gets into a lot of hands. If you attend film markets or social events where angel investors may be present, carry USB sticks with the complete package or an iPad with a presentation-ready package.

Please, please, please be aware that there are many hopeful filmmakers looking for easy money, so there are just as many scammers looking for the same. If you find yourself in negotiations with an interested investor, always require proof of funds and only ever go into business with investors that have a proven track record. If something is too good to be true, it’s because it is. Do your due diligence.

h/t Bright Hub and Nancy Fulton

But what exactly is a film market and what can you expect when you attend? Networking, sales pitches – and lots of films featuring Danny Trejo?! Producer Buz Wallick shares his experience.

Chin up, friends. It might be hard, but it’s not impossible.

Whichever way it’s done, it’s never too soon to start preparing for this holy grail of festival submissions. Watch above and below to get a head start on the competition.

These video interviews, from our colleagues at Film Courage, center on Diane Bell and Chris Byrne, and their Sundance experiences with ‘Obelidia’ – which, even though it was submitted on the very latest day possible and with no personal connections to the festival, went on to win the Alfred P. Sloan Award, a cinematography award AND was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

The biggest take-away from these interviews, in short, is that a unique, personal vision and a great product will get you there. And once you’re there, don’t sit back and hope for the best. Make the most of every single bit of publicity your Sundance acceptance gets you. That’s how you open the door to the distributors.

A friend of mine works for a little company called Quiver. While I’ve yet to use their services myself, every time my buddy talks about it, I make a mental note for when the day comes that I have a film of my own to share with the masses. Let’s face it, distribution is not the sexiest part of filmmaking, but unless you’re an auteur who doesn’t give a crap about the life of your work after it’s done (’cause it’s about the PROCESS, man!), distribution may very well be one of the most important parts. Not knowing a whole lot about shopping distribution rights, theatrical releases or how to get anything up for sale on Amazon, services like Quiver are a godsend.

So naturally, I was excited and intrigued when Mashable broke the news about a new partnership between Quiver (which has been around since 2011 as en extension of Premiere Digital Services) and the Sundance Institute, announced right before the Sundance Film Festival. Enter Quiver Digital.

First, a word from Quiver – about Quiver:

Quiver is a digital services and distribution company.  We provide technical services for your feature and short films, episodic content, music and music videos.  We also provide aggregation and distribution capabilities for content to popular digital retail platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and more.  Unlike much of our competition, we provide services for one-time service fees, so you keep all revenue from your specified retail platforms.

 

Quiver is a tool in the filmmaker and rights holder’s arsenal. We give control to the people who deserve it most.

 

You.

And here’s an excerpt from the Mashable story:

Quiver Digital is a distribution dashboard through which participants can very quickly and easily push their movies to iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Google Play, Vudu and Sony Entertainment Network, all at once and all in one place. No more need to deal with different distributors and their Byzantine conversion protocols, which can still be a headache-y and time-consuming process.

 

Sundance Institute’s deal with Quiver’s parent company Premiere Digital Services, announced Wednesday on the eve of the Sundance Film Festival, gives artists streamlined access to the major retailers through Quiver. The software is available only through the institute’s Artist Services initiative, which has been providing filmmakers with creative self-distribution, funding and marketing tactics since its launch in 2011.

 

“In today’s market, creative funding, marketing and distribution strategies are required to ensure that that independent content creators retain their rights and earn fair, sustainable revenue, and audiences find distinctive, authentic narrative and documentary stories,” Keri Putnam, executive director of the Sundance Institute, told Mashable. “Artist Services through Quiver Digital offers efficient and easy-to-use tools that allow filmmakers to more effectively connect with their audience.”

 

Premiere Digital put the software suite together via direct distribution deals with major digital platforms. Quiver offers encoding, licensing and digital delivery services, giving filmmakers exclusive access to a diverse menu of distribution models. It can be used alone, or to complement deals for certain territories, categories or time frames.

 

The Artist Services initiative has already launched over 100 new and encore Sundance Institute films into the digital marketplace, with more than 200 alumni artists — including Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia), Shane Carruth (Primer and Upstream Color) and Tiffany Shlain (Connected) — taking advantage of the services in its four years of existence.

Easy access to all the platforms? For a one-time fee? I’m on board.