TFC Tidbit of the Day 16- Qualifying for Academy Award Consideration for Documentary Filmmakers
Just because a documentary doesn’t get a theatrical distribution deal doesn’t mean it can’t be considered for an Academy Award. Since many great docs don’t get distributed theatrically, many filmmakers choose to qualify the film themselves. But it’s not cheap. The least expensive option is the IDA’s DOCUWEEKS program (www.documentary.org), or you can four-wall the film yourself. It needs to run at least two times a day, for a week in New York City AND Los Angeles. Theaters that regularly cater to this kind of Academy-qualifying runs include the Laemmle’s in LA, and the IFC Center in NYC. Know in advance that you should expect to pay at least $30,000 to qualify this way. If you are considering this kind of run….TFC can help.
Are you a documentary filmmaker who has worked with a distributor for theatrical exhibition? Tell us about it on our Distributor Report Card.
Orly Ravid July 18th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized
Tags: Academy Award, Distributor Report Card, documentary, IFC Center, independent film, Laemmle's, The Film Collaborative, theatrical exhibition
TFC Tidbit of the Day 15- Mitigate the middlemen
Ask for revenue potentials and examine how many layers of middlemen there are between the distributor/aggregator and the stores or platforms that you most want to be on, assuming that you cannot go direct (which often is the case). Make sure distributors are not going through too many middlemen, or selling to themselves and double dipping, or simply offering to do something on your behalf that you could do yourself. And make sure you know what their deals are with key stores or platforms.
Did you know that The Film Collaborative has a social networking platform for filmmakers called The Film Collaborators? Visit the site to set up your free account.
Orly Ravid July 16th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution
Tags: aggregators, distributors, independent film, middlemen, The Film Collaborators
TFC Tidbit of the Day 14- Ask questions
There are a few aggregators and lots of distributors so before committing yourself, weigh your options, and ask lots of questions. Always ask for and check out references and don’t trust any one source. Different films have different potentials so compare yours to ones that match up from a marketing and demographic perspective. Get clear about expenses being recouped, layers of middle men between the consumer and the company you are contracting with, and marketing efforts that either you or your distributor or both need to undertake to have your film known in the marketplace.
Did you know that The Film Collaborative has a social networking platform for filmmakers called The Film Collaborators? Visit the site to set up your free account.
Orly Ravid July 15th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution
Tags: aggregators, contract, distributors, film distribution, independent film, references
TFC Tidbit of the Day 13- Aim for flexibility when negotiating your contract
It’s critical that one’s contract contain language that covers a wide range of contingencies and possibilities in a rapidly changing and unpredictable landscape. Plan for changing revenue models, companies to go out of business, and rights classes/categories to shift and have your contract drafted accordingly. There is nothing you cannot protect yourself from in a contract, as long as you are reasonable, and an honest distributor will expect you to cover yourself.
Did you know that The Film Collaborative has a social networking platform for filmmakers called The Film Collaborators? Visit the site to set up your free account.
Orly Ravid July 13th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution
TFC Tidbit of the Day 12- Rights licensing is very tricky
Think before you put all your eggs in one basket. Broadcasters and home video distributors sometimes want competing rights. Sometimes distributors want all rights and yet won’t exploit them all. It’s prudent to analyze options and the possibility of breaking up rights and windows and explore available options with people who have experience with this and can help you. This is our mandate, to help. Consult with someone who is up-to-date with industry standards, guidelines and rights definitions but most of all, someone who is experienced with revenue models, windows and all the possibilities in negotiations. And no one should get exclusive rights without paying properly for them.
Did you know that The Film Collaborative has a social networking platform for filmmakers called The Film Collaborators? Visit the site to set up your free account.
Orly Ravid July 12th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution, Distribution Platforms
Tags: broadcast, distributors, home video, independent film, rights, The Film Collaborative
TFC Tidbit of the Day 10- Rental Platforms
Popular rental platforms include iTunes, YouTube, and Virgin Media. Caution: Rental in due time. New Video, for example, notes seeing a clear cannibalization of DTO when Rental is turned on too soon. The number of people who will buy, just have to have it, are stronger if a rental release is delayed. If released at the same time, those that would have bought will rent if they can.
To keep up with all of our latest updates and news relevant to the world of digital distribution, check our Facebook business page.
Orly Ravid July 9th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution, Distribution Platforms, iTunes
Tags: DTO, Facebook, iTunes, New Video, Virgin Media, YouTube
TFC Tidbit of the Day 9-What’s Transactional?
Download-To-Own (DTO) is a transactional platform. iTunes, Playstation, Xbox, Amazon VOD are all DTO sites. iTunes and Xbox account for the majority of the non-cable revenue in the digital space, for now.
Several Hollywood studios have announced that they are doing deals with a new download-to-own store from DivX and the site FreshFilm.com such that their movies will be playable on millions of DivX enabled devices.
To keep up with all of our latest updates and news relevant to the world of digital distribution, check our Facebook business page.
Orly Ravid July 7th, 2010
Posted In: Amazon VOD & CreateSpace, Digital Distribution, Distribution Platforms, iTunes
Tags: Amazon VOD, DivX, download to own, Fresh Film, iTunes, transactional, Xbox
TFC Tidbit of the Day 8-Success with VOD
Cable VOD likes films with a theatrical profile. VOD is very marquee (name) driven and genre driven. Its marketing effort is limited, hence the need to have films with a recognizable name in the marketplace or with recognizable “stars”. Regarding Day and Date, cable operators like to note that the film is in theatres while it’s on VOD. In the past, Comcast had asked for a 90 – 120 day window ahead of all digital distribution, but is now sometimes doing Day and Date releases. It depends on the film, the platform, the distributor, and the campaign.
Orly Ravid July 6th, 2010
Posted In: Comcast, Digital Distribution, Distribution Platforms, Marketing
Tags: Day and Date, TFC, The Film Collaborative, VOD
TFC Tidbit of the Day 7- Top 10 Revenue Generating MSO’s (multi system operators-Cable and Satellite, basically)
These figures are accurate as of Dec. 2009 (reference NACTA). Take these figures into consideration when negotiating with an aggregator who promises to get your film onto these platforms.
| Rank | MSO | BasicVideoSubscribers |
| 1 | Comcast Corporation | 23,559,000 |
| 2 | DirecTV | 18,560,000 |
| 3 | Dish Network Corporation | 14,100,000 |
| 4 | Time Warner Cable, Inc. | 12,859,000 |
| 5 | Cox Communications, Inc.1 | 5,195,000 |
| 6 | Charter Communications, Inc. | 4,824,000 |
| 7 | Cablevision Systems Corporation | 3,063,000 |
| 8 | Verizon Communications, Inc. | 2,861,000 |
| 9 | Bright House Networks LLC | 2,264,000 |
| 10 | AT&T, Inc. | 2,064,000 |
* DirecTV usually does not take films for VOD with grosses less than $10,000,000 in box office.
Orly Ravid July 5th, 2010
Posted In: Digital Distribution, Distribution Platforms
Tags: AT&T, Bright House, cable and satellite revenue, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox Communication, DirecTV, Dish Network, The Film Collaborative, Time Warner Cable, Top 10 revenue, Verizon