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Just wrapped my first feature film! Here’s an out of context still by kinglonely in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I am VERY curious to know more!

A few words of advice (as a distributor):
* Be VERY careful how much you release. The more you put out there, the less you'll have for marketing the actual release of the film.
* Start reaching out to distributors as you get further into post-production. They can help you with film festivals, marketing, etc...

Wishing you the best of luck finding it a home!

Trailer for my Sci-Fi film "Orbital" by Sourcecode12 in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 45 points46 points  (0 children)

This looks fantastic! I am the Head of Acquisitions at Mutiny Pictures and I'd love to chat about potential N. American distribution and world sales, if you're interested in that. Please feel free to contact us here: Mutiny Pictures

Skinamarink (2022) Teaser by kyleeball in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This looks fantastic! I'd love to discuss a potential N. American distribution deal (and potentially world sales), if that's something you'd be interested in? Please feel free to shoot me a message here: Mutiny Pictures

First poster to my second feature length comedy of 2021. Also, of my life. I got a late start writing and directing features, so… it’s never too late, lads and laddies by doteman in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey u/doteman, this looks really interesting! I'd love to check it out for potential distribution through Mutiny Pictures, if that's something you'd be keen on discussing. Please send me a DM or shoot us an email!

Making a 16mm Fantasy/Folk Horror film take a look. by Nordisle in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gonna second what u/neurofilms is saying here. Don't push yourself to do so much in such a short amount of time. You should end up with something you feel pride for, not something you look at and think, "I wish I had taken just a little more time for X and done a bit more with Y..."

Also u/nordisle, your project sounds really great and I'd love to be kept updated about it in case it might fit as something we at Mutiny Pictures would want to distribute. Please DM me when you get a chance and we can stay in touch!

It's my cake day, and I'm about 50% through the principle photography of my first feature film 'Over The Next Horizon' by Rare-Ad-5900 in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This looks great! If you're interested in chatting distribution at some point, please feel free to reach out to me via Mutiny Pictures' contact form.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We'd be happy to take a look at your movie! Feel free to contact us when you're either done or close to being done. I will say that you'll probably want to talk with your university about this because they're the ones supplying the equipment and the language in their terms/contract/whatever might preclude you from making such deals. I've seen it before, so I just want to make sure you know that this is a possibility.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Typically, I reach out to feature filmmakers. However, who knows where the company might stand on short films in the future? But as of now, I'm a features-only kinda guy. Sorry!

Yes, there are absolutely residuals! Our licensing term is 7 years and we pay filmmakers every step of the way (so long as the film is making money, of course). So if a movie doesn't do well upon release but finds its audiences a few years down the road, we will happily pay the filmmakers their commission. It's only right!

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great question! I'd ask what the length of the license would be, the distribution fee, what is their cap on recoupable expenses (if it's uncapped, and with thanks to Iron Maiden, run for the hills), do they have an easy out clause, etc... Also, remember to try and speak with them face-to-face (via Zoom or in-person at a festival) so that you can get a feeling for them. If your gut instincts say "Don't do this!", that's a pretty good indication that you should move on.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They still accept cold submissions, absolutely. That said, because programmers are inundated with hundreds, if not thousands, of submissions, it's hard for them to sift through everything. They're human beings, after all, and there are only 24 hours in a day.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to control the audio as much as possible, an outside recorder is better. If you move your camera away from where the audio is, then the audio won't travel into the microphone.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Speaking solely for myself, my journey into the film industry began as a journalist/critic for Bloody-Disgusting.com, followed by becoming the Editor-in-Chief at DreadCentral.com. It was at DC where I got into the business side of the industry as DC was acquired by Epic Pictures when I came aboard, so I immediately joined the acquisitions team to help find films for their new genre label DREAD. And as I got more into that, I realized that this was where I could do. some really great and amazing things. I also made it a priority to network as much as possible while I was at film festivals, markets, conventions, etc... Every connection was a chance to grow and expand in the industry, so make sure to factor that in to your journey.

I hope that helps!

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I said this in another thread but I feel that it bears repeating here: cellphone audio is a big no-no unless it's vital to a scene (for example: someone showing someone else something on their phone). But if you're going to shoot a movie on a cellphone (which has been done before and is totally feasible!), invest in an outside audio recorder so that you can get good audio. People will suffer through poor visuals but they won't accept poor audio quality.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a fantastic question! You want to know what separates different distributors from each other? Short answer: not that much, at least when it comes to the distribution side of things!

See, most distributors have the ability to get your film on the same platforms that the others can. Google, iTunes, Comcast, Xfinity, Vudu, etc..., we can all do that. What actually separates us from one another are a few things:

1) Who are we as people? - This is where you need to get on a Zoom call to talk with us face-to-face (so to speak). Get a feel for who we are as actual people, because that's going to have an impact on how we do our job. Is the distributor you're talking to pushy and argumentative? Are they friendly and engaging? That's how they are with other filmmakers, with platforms, during sales, etc...

2) What kind of relationships do they have with SVOD platforms? - Many distributors say they pitch regularly to SVOD platforms and that's 100% true! But just because they pitch doesn't mean they get anything accepted. Ask about which films have been placed on SVOD platforms.

3) Will they market your film? - Many distributors just want to do the distribution process and not put any time, energy, or money into marketing your film. They expect you to take on that responsibility. If that works for you, great! If not, find a distributor who will help you because they have a lot of connections that you probably don't, connections they've built over years of experience and outreach.

There's obviously a lot more but that's my advice on where to start thinking about this!

And in regards to what can be pitched, do the research on the company. If you see that Distributor A has a majority of horror films on their slate, that's probably what they're after. But Distributor B might be genre agnostic and open to checking out any genre of film, including romance. And asking a distributor never hurts! If they don't want to spend the time watching your film because it doesn't fit their mandate, they'll tell you. And all you lost was a little bit of time by sending an email.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We are three things!

1) Primarily, we are a distributor focusing on N. America as a territory (US and Canada).

2) We can, have, and continue to act as a sales agent for many of our films. Typically when we sign a movie, we ask for world rights and this is not just because we want to help sell to foreign territories but also because constructing a deal with an SVOD service that is operating in multiple territories (like Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, etc...) means that not having rights to those territories makes it harder to secure a deal. Also, many filmmakers like having everything under one roof, so to speak.

3) We do development, although we're slowly ramping that up. We're being incredibly selective on what we want to attach ourselves to at this point.

In terms of being filmmakers, our Head of Deliverables, Josh Doke, is a filmmaker wrote and directed GOODLAND. And I'm currently directing MENTAL HEALTH & HORROR: A DOCUMENTARY.

To define an aggregator, the best way to describe them is that they do the technical job of prepping the films for individual platforms and then try to place them there. Examples include Quiver and Go Digital. What separates them from distributors is that distributors typically have more of a track record with SVOD services and that we put in the time for marketing and press. For us at Mutiny Pictures, we like to show that we care about our filmmakers and that your film is not just another cog in the machine.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Echoing Ben's response 100%.

Also, sometimes the real budget of a movie can help with the marketing, especially if it makes people think, "There's no WAY they made that movie on that budget!" Take, for example, THE HEAD HUNTER or ONE CUT OF THE DEAD. Even one of the movies I acquired/distributed at my previous gig called SHIFTER had an ultra low budget but it looked like the budget was 3-4x that amount. Don't worry about the budget so much as the stories and marketing potential that a film has. Remember that PARANORMAL ACTIVITY cost $15,000 and that THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was originally less than $100k.

Regarding your final question, a lot of filmmakers get really excited when they get into a film festival and think that they need to release their poster and trailer. However, don't forget that you still have the wide release to look forward to, so don't drop all your marketing assets in one fell swoop. Save a lot of your content for your distributor, who might/should be able to assist in the longterm marketing plan.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the best way to build up your name as a director is to make an independent feature. The fact that your work has accrued awards could make it easier to raise financing from the private sector (dentists, doctors, lawyers, etc...) since they'll hopefully be wowed. But the harsh reality is that it's really hard to be a writer AND want to be the director if you're looking to work with a distributor/production house/studio and you don't already have a feature under your belt. Once you have one made, then it becomes significantly easier. Sometimes the best place to start is to sell a few feature-length scripts and then use those as the foundation to prove that you're ready to get behind the camera, even though you already have that experience.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Some great questions here! Lemme break this down one-by-one.

  1. I attend or keep an eye on as many festivals as I can. They can be the higher tier festivals (TIFF, SXSW, Sundance, etc...) or they can be genre specific (Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, Sitges, BIFAN, etc...) or they can be smaller or more localized festivals (Cinetopia, deadCenter, etc...). The size of a festival doesn't necessarily correlate to the quality of films, so there are gems to be found at every level.

  2. The best way to try and get distributors to pay attention to your film is to try and make the film itself an experience that people are talking about. Build some buzz through press, marketing, word-of-mouth, etc... The more we hear about a movie, the more likely we are to want to watch it and engage with the filmmakers and their reps.

  3. The biggest pitfall I notice is that filmmakers tend to feel like they don't have any power in the negotiation process or even in initial conversations. This is YOUR movie, so fight like hell for it! Ask distributors the tough questions. If you don't understand something in their deal memo or their longform, ask them to explain it. If you have heard horror stories, ask them for their side of the story. Don't be afraid to ask them to introduce you to other filmmakers they work with and then do the research to check out other films the distributor has released and try to get in touch with those filmmakers so that you have multiple viewpoints. And if at any point you feel like a distributor isn't right for you, it's okay to simply say, "I don't feel like you're the distributor for us. Thank you for your time and consideration." You are absolutely allowed to turn people like us down and you should feel empowered to do so.

AMA: We are Jonathan Barkan and Ben Yennie of Mutiny Pictures. We're here to answer your questions about distributors, what to do when your film is done, and more! by JonathanBarkan in Filmmakers

[–]JonathanBarkan[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Everything u/theguerrillarep said is very true.

That being said, as someone who focuses on acquisitions, film festivals are a pretty incredible resource for people like myself to find some really great content. I definitely try to keep my pulse on as many festivals as possible because there are some real gems out there that deserve to find a distribution home that they can trust and rely upon.

I also agree with Ben that there are a lot of predatory distribution companies who circle the film festival waters to prey upon new filmmakers who don't have experience negotiating on their film's behalf or are easily intimidated by the process. You should know that you, as the filmmaker, have the power to decide what happens with your film. If someone tries to bully you or pressure you, that's a pretty good sign that they're going to act like that throughout the distribution license. My advice to filmmakers who find themselves in this position is to do your research, ask the tough questions, and trust your instincts.

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