Despite filmmaking being more democratized than ever before with readily available technology enabling almost anyone who wants to make a movie able to do so, film distribution remains somewhat obfuscated. They don’t teach you the business of selling movies in film school.
So many filmmakers are left naïve, confused on what to do with their completed film, and gullible to the sweet words and empty promises (and one-sided boilerplate contracts) of the many sharks out there also known as film distributors.
Here is a sad story we have seen play out time and again. Broke independent filmmaker finishes their first feature after many years of blood, sweat and tears. Broke filmmaker signs a contract with a shady distributor …
Read MoreCan you remember the last time you watched a DVD? I can’t. And I assumed most people were the same, hence why for many years we didn’t bother with DVD and Blu-ray distribution for our films.
But last year, when we distributed Machination, we decided to include DVD and Blu-ray in our plan. It is a film with elements of horror and we knew horror fans were more likely to buy physical media, merchandise, and collectables.
We didn’t really have any expectations on how it would perform. But then the first performance report came in and Machination was doing well. Very well.
Read MoreThe indie film market is flooded with too many films. It has been like this for years now. Salon writer Beanie Barnes was complaining that indie film was “cannibalizing itself” back in 2014. Mark Gill, former president of Miramax Films, declared “the sky really is falling” on independent film in 2007. In the year prior, 5000 films were released.
How many more thousands of films are made each year now? An accurate number is impossible to determine as there is just so much content that flies under the radar. But if you go on film discussion social site Letterboxd you’ll find 18,989 feature films listed as released in 2022.
Read MoreDid you know that it took Melanie Perkins, the CEO of Canva, 100+ rejections over three years before someone actually said yes to investing in her tech idea? I can guess what would have happened to a then 19-year-old Melanie if she didn’t persist to see that first ‘yes’ response. We wouldn’t be talking about her.
I’m currently handling all the outreach for the Cats of Malta partnership campaign. Part of my duty is sending out personalized and well-researched cold call emails to companies and organisations which I think would align with the themes of the film.
During the first couple of weeks of February I sent just over forty emails using varied templates. Two weeks ago I got my first ‘no’. Last week I got my second ‘no’.
Read MoreHave you ever experienced the feeling – creatively and professionally – of being ‘on hold?’
You have done all the work. You have submitted, sold, pitched, put your ideas out into the world, launched projects and hit send on those important connection emails, but you’re still waiting for the date when all the hard work is released, seen, acknowledged, or accepted. Until then, all you hear is radio silence and you feel empty. You feel like you should be doing something – even when you have done enough. Even when you are not sure what else to do.
You are floating in limbo, waiting for something to transpire from all your work. Those quiet, inactive periods can cause creatives to feel lost, and they can stretch on for days or weeks. You are like that aircraft primed to land but waiting for permission to do so. You know you should chill out and take a moment, but it is hard, as forward momentum has ceased. Nothing is happening. Something should be happening.
Read MoreMicro-budget filmmaking is bloody hard work.
After wrapping production on ForeFans – our sixth micro-budget narrative feature – at the start of the month, I can feel that in my tired bones. And creaky knees.
We spent two weeks filming guerrilla style all over Zagreb and Paris, 18 different locations, a skeleton crew of only three or sometimes two (only Sarah and I), 12 to 14 hour days, 5 hours sleep a night.
To say it was exhausting is an understatement. We were stretched too thin, multi-tasking like mad, putting into practise philosophies for micro-budget filmmaking that we teach in our own educational courses: “Use a small crew to move quickly and keep costs down.”
But halfway through filming I realized something about this philosophy and perhaps micro-budget filmmaking in general: I’m getting too old for this.
Read MoreThis week, the first volume of our Life Improvised series was released as a single anthology on Tubi. It consists of ten episodes of what began as standalone micro-shorts about the moments that make up human interactions and relationships. It is 49 minutes long and the episodes are grouped by themes: loneliness, a first date, betrayal, and change.
When we initially began filming these small short films three years ago, we had no thoughts of creating an anthology, or to even make enough episodes that such a thing was possible. For us, it was a way to explore small ideas between the bigger projects we do, to work with new actors, to experiment, even shoot in new locations. We released them on YouTube and that was that.
But releasing an anthology of Life Improvised made me pause and reflect on the power of time and consistency in filmmaking. If you do this long enough, if you create new content often enough, over time you will have a career as a filmmaker.
Read MoreAs a multi-hyphenate creative within a tiny team, juggling multiple projects at various stages of production, my To-Do lists can quickly become overwhelming. The daily pressure, the demands of film after film needing my attention, can send me into a pit of self-pity, anxiety, and procrastination.
I fell into that pit this month. Checking emails first thing in the morning, last thing at night, stressing if things were not going to plan or tasks were not completed as quickly as I wanted, led to going to sleep with a racing heart, a self-induced state of constant pressure.
But with the support of meditation, yoga, and Ivan constantly reminding me to slow down and switch off, I was able to work through the pressure before it crushed me.
Read MoreIn 2019 we jumped into developing our biggest feature film ever, To Hold the Moon, a LGBTQ drama set in Malta budgeted at €225,000. It takes two characters established in Friends, Foes & Fireworks, aspiring actors Summer and Lucinda, and explores their relationship two years later. Lucinda is dealing with new found fame as an actor and sexual abuse in the industry while Summer is ignored by the same industry and struggling to find work. Afraid their relationship is stagnating, Summer follows Lucinda to a film shoot in Malta and attempts to revitalize their relationship, but both women need to face harsh truths about their love and life.
We filmed a concept teaser with Whitney Duff and Asleen Mauthoor while we were visiting Melbourne that year, created a poster for the production, then went back to Malta with pitch materials in hand, all set to find funding for the film and go into production ASAP.
Read MoreIn 2022 we have been paying attention to an aspect of film distribution we have largely ignored for several years beforehand: film festivals.
We have had rejections of course. With many festivals receiving thousands of entries, there will always be rejections. But we have also found some success. Machination has picked up several awards at film festivals for Acting, Directing, and Sound Design. Cats of Malta has been selected for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, New York Cat Festival, and other festivals we cannot reveal quite yet. Our latest Life Improvised film, The Dance, screened at Kinemastik International Short Film Festival in Malta last night.
But this handful of success has come at a cost of almost $1000USD so far in festival submission fees. Could this money have been better spent elsewhere? Like running Facebook ads for the release of Machination? Have we gotten enough return for our funds? In short: are film festivals worth the cost and effort?
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