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 Independent Filmmakers Alliance Presents
Indie Notes.....
Should You Distribute Your Own DVD?
The technology
available in the marketplace today makes it possible - and affordable
- for independent filmmakers to code and author their own DVDs for
distribution. But just because you can, does that mean you should?
In
addition to DVD, there are a variety of options available to
filmmakers unable to find a distributor for their work: web video
hosting sites, iTunes, CreateSpace and Blu-ray, among others. So
where does DVD fit into the puzzle? And if you do choose to
distribute a DVD, is it better to use a professional post-production
house for compression, authoring and packaging, or can you get by on
your own?
The
answers to these questions depend a lot on your goals for the project
and, of course, your budget. Jon Krashna, Senior Vice President of
Cinevision Digital, a comprehensive post-production facility in Los
Angeles, says the cost of authoring a high-quality DVD master at his
facility would run somewhere between $2,500-$3,500 for a 70-90 minute
film, including a still or motion menu.
"We're
set up at a studio level," Krashna explains. "A studio like
Fox or Paramount
would require certain items that meet rigorous standards-way beyond
what you could do at home."
These
standards ensure, for example, that your DVD will work in any DVD
player, including menu or subtitling features that can often cause
problems when created using a program like Final Cut Pro.
"If
a viewer has problems, they'll just move on to the next movie,"
Krashna warns.
He also
points out that there has been a strong trend toward the
high-definition Blu-ray format in the marketplace recently, which
threatens to render DVD obsolete in the near future. Unfortunately,
however, Blu-ray currently remains cost-prohibitive for most
independent filmmakers, as its manufacturing costs run several times
that of DVD.
So if you
can afford it, using a post-production house like Cinevision, Gosch
Productions or Blueroom will help you create a studio-quality DVD to
which viewers are accustomed. Now comes the hard part-reaching those
viewers.
There are
myriad websites currently available that help independent filmmakers
distribute and market their work to a worldwide audience. Amazon
offers CreateSpace, which allows filmmakers to sell DVDs and video
downloads on the site for free, and earn royalties on every sale.
It's not as popular as iTunes, however, so you'll still have to work
hard to drive consumers to the site.
The
iTunes store offers a similar service (despite providing no help or
instructions to filmmakers on its website), but currently works only
with aggregators like IFC or New Video, who gather a number of
independent films and deliver them to iTunes for distribution.
Kirawat
Sahasewiyon, a freelance filmmaker who runs Bung Eye Productions in
Wellington, New Zealand, also suggests setting up your own website to
sell your work using PayPal as a possible alternative. But again,
this requires a tremendous amount of marketing support to gain the
film much exposure beyond your own personal network.
If these
options make self-distribution seem like an extreme uphill battle,
that's because it is. As Tanya York, the President and CEO of
independent film distributor York
Entertainment, puts it, "Self-distributed DVDs never seem to
make money. If you can't find a distributor, it's usually a sign your
film isn't worth getting into distribution. Take it as learning a
lesson and move on"
On a more
hopeful note, York
added that some types of films tend to do better than others with
independent distribution.
"Family
films are currently underserved. You always have a better chance with
producing a genre that's underserved - it's supply and demand."
Dana
LoPiccolo-Giles, managing director of CreateSpace, has some
additional tips for filmmakers self-distributing online:
"CreateSpace's
most successful members are those who actively and creatively market
their products; creating the film is only part of the equation. Also,
choosing what type of film to make matters a lot when it comes to
making a title successful. Films with a specific focus may see higher
sales due to niche audiences and less market competition. Some keys
to online sales success are having an attractive, effective cover
design that will look professional and interesting as a small
thumbnail on web searches. Filmmakers should generally optimize less
for shelf presentation than online presentation, since they are
likely to make more sales online with on-demand distribution versus
on increasingly scarce retail shelves. Finally, filmmakers should
choose online keywords carefully, and make sure the title they choose
will help the film be found in searches. Often a subtitle as part of
the name can make it more specific and easily searchable."
Whatever
you decide is best for your film and your budget, a combination
approach is probably the best way to maximize earnings and exposure.
And if you do go the DVD route, don't expect to make your money back
unless you're working from a strong track record of previous success.
But if you have the budget, DVD could be a good option-particularly
to add another avenue of exposure for your project, which should be
the ultimate goal.
"By
all means, what's best for indie filmmakers is to get your film to
the public eyes as much as possible, rather than worry too much about
making money," says Sahasewiyon. "That's how to build up
your CV, get your name out there. It makes it a lot easier to get
funding and distribution for your future projects when people know
you."
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