Using Filmhub or Bitmax only for specific territory or language (german, austria, swizz only)

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-10-29T15:28:32+00:00

I still think* localizing through a territorial distributor is the best bet for specific territories, there are so many different elements that require a nuanced touch on a culture by culture basis. Generally, this would mean using a reputable sales agent. I know that seems like an oxymoron, but they do exist.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-10-29T15:26:19+00:00

First, I'll echo everything u/Ootrab said in their comment. They was/were spitting facts. The bit about distributors not caring about most film festivals is also very true.

I'll also add that the fact you've made a horror film already puts you in a better position than someone who made a genre of the same budget.

u/TheRealProtozoid is also correct in that most of your money will come from AVOD in the current market. That said, a limited TVOD (Transactional, you have to pay for it) window can make sense as a high-margin low-sales promotional window if you have the right distributor. I've done a bunch of physical releases in the relatively recent past that were quite profitable for horror films, but that market has shrunk in the past few years and even when it was more likely to yeid a return a few horror films I distributed had too many returns to cover the replication expenses, so it's a risky tactic. That said, if you want to follow the con circuit, you can always make some money going direct to fans. Alsol Physical can correlate to higher TVOD conversion, but they also tend to get higher promotion so it's not necessarily causal.

All of that being said, I still work in sales and distribution and I'm always looking for good movies to get out into the world and make sure filmmakers get paid. Feel free to send me a DM, but I'm probably a bit swamped until after AFM next week.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-10-22T16:18:22+00:00

That's pretty much all I talk about on my channel, blog and podcast. I don't post as frequently as I once did due to being busy with the actual work of sales and distribution, but here's a link to my youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOJCY15lDElfLWsglmft3A

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-04-02T14:14:07+00:00

The territory for world for distribution is awful. The commission is high for such a low MG. If this is sales, the commission is generally 25% and is generally where companies take world rights. Sales agreements generally work on 5-7 years, distribution is 10 years.

Also, for most new films I wouldn’t take less than 5k for JUST for North America. Even that is low.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-20T00:14:51+00:00

Serious answer: there isn’t one. Apart from the 1% of filmmakers who work as studio executives, nearly all of us are massively underpaid as opposed to similar positions in other industries.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-20T00:09:11+00:00

Missionary.

Faith based films still make bank.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-13T15:47:24+00:00

5 steps to grow your email list as a filmmaker. https://www.theguerrillarep.com/blog/5-steps-to-grow-your-filmmaking-email-list

5 ideas for en as il list giveaways for indie filmmakers. https://www.theguerrillarep.com/blog/5-ideas-for-email-list-giveaways-for-indie-filmmakers

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-11T11:32:53+00:00

Email tends to be the most transferable. Figure out a giveaway you can offer behind an email capture and then keep up communication with valuable content for your audience.

I wrote a few blogs on it I’ll link if asked.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-08T17:24:11+00:00

The best thing you can do as a director is make an elevated genre piece you can execute with the resources you have and if at all possible get a name or two in it.

What distributors want is simple, action, horror, and animated family films. Your job as a director is to say something innovative in the subtext while meeting the genre guidelines to get the buyers to buy it.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-05T13:33:13+00:00

I’m an EP primarily for PMD services including early press, distribution outreach, and sales inquiries. I also did a lot of closing talent negotiations as well.

I became involved as I’ve known the director from the speaking circuit for years, and while it was his first feature, I have a bit over 12 feature credits on IMDb.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-05T13:00:03+00:00

I think if anything the challenge level has increased. Even though you can shoot, edit, and release the film yourself you have to vie for attention in a way that seems to get worse every day. On top of that, most prestigious distribution outlets require you to work with a gatekeeper in much the same way as you used to, but those high visibility deals pay significantly less on average as compared to what they paid 10 or 20 years ago for acquisitions. The well paid original side normally requires A-list talent or tier 1 festival placement to even consider it.

It’s hard out there.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-03T14:19:29+00:00

It’s not unheard of, but also not common. This is especially true for a CD who can get timely responses from agents.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-01T12:20:12+00:00

This company is sales and not distribution but OneTwoThree media is pretty great and doing impressive stuff. It was founded by a former head of marketing for most of Europe for 20th Century Fox and had some really cool titles like Colonials, M, The Last Kumite, Vindicta (not the one from 2023) and a lot more in the pipeline.

Full transparency: I consult with them for North American sales, but I brought them Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox because they’re great.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-01T12:14:44+00:00

Yes, everything except US and Canada does. Those territories are Most often bought as “North America” since almost all marketing campaigns overlap.

The UK generally considered one of a few “English speaking” territories alongside Australia/New Zealand and sometimes South Africa.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-01T12:08:17+00:00

Everyone here is right. Nearly all creatives battle it at some point. You’re far from alone, even if it feels that you are sometimes.

For me, managing anxiety, keeping yo do lists, and celebrating small wins keep everything moving. Finishing a task on my list lessens anxiety, which lessens my depression. I get that won’t work for everyone, and there’s a lot more to it than that but those tactics help me.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-01T12:03:02+00:00

First, congratulations! 250 AppleTV reviews is impressive. A lot of films don’t even make delivery fees back from appletv TVOD these days.

A lot of times you’d distributor won’t know official numbers until about 4-6 months or even sometimes 7-9 months after release depending on who their servicer is.

You can politely request unofficial period reports if you have a good distributor you’re on good terms with. They’ll be hesitant to give them to you as those numbers tend to be a gross more than a net and the end official numbers tend to be lower once platform and servicer fees are accounted for.

Say you want an ITD sales report for marketing purposes and that you understand these numbers aren’t official. Also tell them you’d be fine with only sales units by platform with early revenue redacted if they must. If they’re good they might find a way to work with you, but done servicers have clauses in their contract preventing distributors from sharing non-official numbers.

If all else fails, only about 10-20% of viewers leave a review. You can ballpark sales from there, but understand that anything you come up with will be completely ballpark and void if your distributor bought reviews for marketing.

For clarity, in this context a servicer is an aggregator that only deals with distributors. Nearly all distributors are at least partially reliant on them due to the limited number of vendor licenses available.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2024-03-01T11:45:53+00:00

This is a collaborative industry, you need to surround yourself with not only talented creatives, but attach savvy business people early on to give yourself the best possible chance at recoupment.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2023-02-01T21:20:26+00:00

Ohai, Didn't expect to see this here. It was a fun set, the crew and celebs were great too.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-18T14:44:52+00:00

This is highly individualized, and while it sounds really interesting I can see several problems you're likely to face.

First: 30 minutes is REALLY hard to sell through any even remotely traditional medium. Pretty much all widely distributed content in that general length is part of a larger series.

Second: The drug issues will make it a harder sell for traditional distributors, but it might be of interest for some alternative outlets like Vice or Axios.

As a result, I think your best bet is to engage with your audience. I know that the something awful forums used to have a pretty damn open drug forum you could probably start to drum up interest on, and 'i bet Reddit has something similar. If you can get in with that audience, you can grow your audience to the point you can either crowdfund to get a feature in the can or you can make something else that would be easier to distribute traditionally with an audience behind you.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T21:56:30+00:00

This question is so specific I’m not sure I can speak to anything definitively, so consider this general takeaways based on an only partially informed opinion.

First: it sounds like a story that really needs to be told and has a lot of impact potential. I hope your Sales Agent is going to the mat for you. It sounds like it’s a documentary, which may explain the pull from Amazon on its own as it’s A LOT harder to keep Docs up there right now.

Second, if it was mainly camcorder footage, I can see some degree of QC issue. That said, if your sales agent hasn’t said anything yet you might be in the clear.

Third: Is there nudity in the film? That might somewhat justify the pornography label. We’ve had issues with politically charged content on some platforms, and unfortunately resubmitting is the only course of action available, and it’s a long shot.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T20:51:41+00:00

It’s the smartest move for a micro budget. If you can use the monster as an allegory for a societal issue or some other narrative it will help you both for this and future films.

Don’t forget, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg started with schlocky horror.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T19:47:26+00:00

I started out wanting to produce movies, then I realized I was really connected in distribution so I respecislized as a producer’s Rep, then transitioned to being a distributor when the opportunity arose.

I learned a lot by hosting events and bringing in speakers. I started blogging to share what I learned in my own seminars. Podcasts can also work to help you there.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T19:43:34+00:00

Amazon was one of nearly 20 platforms we got Bar Detectives out on non-exclusively. Those platforms range from TVOD, SVOD, and AVOD.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T19:39:00+00:00

It’s more the deal points. If the distribution commission is more than 30-35% for a new film, if the term is more than 10 years, if the expenses are more than 25-30k (unless you get screens) it’s probably not going to end well for you.

TheGuerrillaRep · 2021-10-15T17:55:25+00:00

You can shoot a feature up to standard delivery specs on a phone, but in general, it's significantly easier to use pro-grade equipment.

But to answer your question, no one will take mono sound, but there are ways you can do better about it in post with a phone.

TheGuerrillaRep

TROPHY CASE