On this website and my YouTube channel I primarily talk about tech and how to make movies and/or videos. And while the tech & gear and "how to" is obviously important... In the end it's what you create with that tech that is the most important.
And one thing I've learned over the years as an indie filmmaker is most of us don't know what to do with our work once we actually make something. And this is mainly geared towards those of us making low-budget narrative fiction feature films or non-fiction documentaries.
If you're making YouTube videos or social media stuff for TikTok, then that is more obvious and easier to a large degree (meaning how to get the work in front of an audience - however, building that audience is another story and a discussion for a different article).
So in saying all this I will now occasionally be adding the "film distribution" topic to this website. I realize this doesn't apply to a lot of you, however, for those that have made a short film shot on their iPhone (or whatever camera) and are now considering taking that next step up to a feature film - then this is a topic you need to know about before you even start your project.
Or, if you already have a feature film in the can and are trying to figure out the indie film distribution landscape today, this info will hopefully help you. And actually, this is where I am right now...
I have a new feature film called CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE, which is a coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old kid in the summer of 1981 trying to navigate teen life in a strange new town as she struggles to finish a mixtape (remember back then you had to wait for a song to play on the radio to be able to record it!).
I personally have a decent amount of experience getting films distributed (I've made over 10 features and digital series), but today with streaming it is very different.
In many ways it's easier to get your film out to the world (just like with a YouTube video), but... and this is a big but... it's much harder to get people to actually watch it. And so that means ultimately it's much harder for filmmakers to make money.
Most indie films never make their budgets back. Very sad, but true. And I hope to not be part of that group and I hope that you aren't either. And with some of the options available to us today, I think it's very possible to not only find an audience, but also make money with your film.
I go over most of the best distribution options today in this podcast episode and also brainstorm for myself about what path I am going to take with my own film.
Here are some of the websites I mention:
If you'd prefer an audio only version of the podcast it's on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else that podcasts are available. Listen on Spotify below...
And I should note, briefly going to the production aspect... If you don't know about my film it was mainly shot on a RED Komodo, however, I did a lot of insert shots (like macro) and pickup shots too with an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a 15 Pro Max (and using Apple Log made a really big difference). So check out this BTS video to learn more about that...
I'll do a follow-up podcast on what path I ultimately choose, and I'll also do more on marketing as really that is one of the main things that will make or break a film's success.
My film should be released in the first quarter of 2025, but that is still TBD and could change.
Have you made a movie? And if so, how have your distributed it and has it made money?
Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on YouTube.
Btw, my podcast is on my 2nd YT channel under my name Blake Calhoun. The other video is from my main iPhoneographers channel. Please subscribe to both if you haven't already. :)
Happy filmmaking (and distribution)!
-BC
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