WonderlandStream.com just conducted a great interview with self-distribution innovator and author Peter Broderick today. Its interesting to note, that although droves of filmmakers and bloggers have been talking about self-distribution, few are able to deny that although the expectations of a film festival run should be all but forgotten, the need for a run itself in building public awareness about your film is still a necessity. Read more of Peter's thoughts on film fests, rights-splitting, online streaming, digital downloads, website DVD sales, and self-theatrical screenings after the jump:
In just the last few years, consultant Peter Broderick has helped hundreds of filmmakers figure out the right strategies for their films. As a result, his impact on the industry at large is far-reaching: Last year's big Sundance buy, My Kid Could Paint That, came from documentarian Amir Bar-Lev, one of Broderick's discoveries; he also played a key role in helping out a young Christopher Nolan, whose latest accomplishment is a little movie called The Dark Knight. An early pioneer of the role new media can play in the lifespan of a film, Broderick invented the concept of hybrid distribution, in which a filmmaker divides up rights among several outlets, rather than signing a single, exclusive deal. He took a break from working on his upcoming book to speak with Stream about various issues relevant to the independent film community.
In a recent speech, former Miramax executive Mark Gill declared that the sky is falling for the independent film industry. He was mainly addressing distributors. What are your thoughts on how this relates to filmmakers?
"I think there's a sense, for a lot of people, that he's right. It's a misperception. Mark is really talking about the old world of distribution, but there's a whole other world where the possibilities and successes are different. I don't really disagree with what he said, but it's important to be clear about what it applies to."
How do you distinguish between the specialty film distribution business and the other options for independent filmmakers?
"I don't think it's a question of the specialty business. His perspective is one of somebody who has been an executive with the traditional model of distribution. He details a lot of companies that are going out of business, or that are financially challenged. The possibilities for a filmmaker are broader and more diverse than the state of some companies operating in a traditional way. The spectrum of possibilities has broadened over the last six years, and there have been a number of filmmakers out there trying a lot of different things, creating new models. They've had a lot of successes. The fact is that independent features and documentaries are having a really difficult time right now, and I think that these tentpole movies are going to continue to dominate movie theaters. There will be aberrations, like when The Visitor came along and made headway theatrically, but mostly it'll be about movies that have big marketing budgets and big stars. "
The place that independent films will have, whether foreign or domestic, documentary or nonfiction, it's more of an opportunity for them to get some major awareness. It isn't a question of whether you can make money theatrically; it's a question of how low is it going to cost you. If you can break even, people are taking it as a way to build awareness that will help with video and television [releases]. You have to have a pragmatic approach. More and more filmmakers are getting into theaters by working with bookers, but they're hanging onto all their other rights, so they can take another distribution approach where, eventually, they're working with several partners. Maybe they're making a TV deal, an educational deal, a digital rights deal. But they're also doing things directly from their websites, like selling DVDs or digital downloads. "
Go HERE to read the rest of this informative interview.
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