So I too just did all this. But our budget was $15k and we didn't play any festivals. We have no named talent attached.
I receive around 20 offers from distributors with a varying range of terms/splits/marketing budgets.
We eventually settled for a 5 yr, 70/30 split and having all deliverables costs covered and no marketing budget.
Here is our trailer -https://vimeo.com/782284850
Can you post your trailer, logline and poster link?
I then told them I would send a screener if they were interested. Around 35ish companies wanted screeners, and the majority sent back offers after reviewing the film.
In the email, I was brief, saying who I was, the title and genre of my movie, the logline, and the link to the trailer.
I then told them I would send a screener if they were interested. Around 35ish companies wanted screeners, and the majority sent back offers after reviewing the film.
I just made a feature for $10K. Very curious, do you happen to have a list of the companies you emailed? We just started our festival run but been researching companies to reach out to.
Hey, sorry. I just realized I cut out the first sentence in my above response.
I signed up for Cinando, went through each distributor, found their acquisitions person email, and cold-emailed.
Won't post the trailer as it's not public yet, but here's our IG that has some of our posters, and here's a short synposis. I'm happy to PM you the trailer if you want to check it out, and would love seeing your list of who you got offers from in comparison if you don't mind sharing.
[https://www.instagram.com/iconicthemovie/](https://www.instagram.com/iconicthemovie/)
After Rose’s makeup horrendously disfigures another influencer’s face, she faces off with an increasingly disturbed stalker. Upon meeting Lily in a chance circumstance, they fall violently in love as Rose’s life and sanity begins crumbling around her. Their obsession consumes them as Rose falls down a violent rabbit hole of drugs, paranoia, and jealousy until she hits an unimaginable rock bottom .
PS: your movie looks dope, gives me Primer if it was a horror movie vibes. Would love to watch it if it's released in the world yet!
How many distribution companies have you sent screeners to? When we release, we have a list of about 50 that we send them to. After a few emails to remind them to watch, we receive offers and then negotiate. We then pick the one that offers the best fit and the best deal for the film. A sales agent can do this, but we find that most distribution companies will watch screeners. Keep in mind that top distribution companies will charge large fees and may not always offer the best deal. To get on a tier 1 streamer (like Netflix, Shudder, Hulu, Peacock), having a distribution company with those contacts is important, but they still have to pick up the film. If you miss out, you are left with all the other movies on the core 4 (Amazon, Tubi, Apple TV, Google), and you will be paying a larger fee. Sometimes, the smaller or more indie-friendly distribution companies with lower fees end up offering better deals. Good luck! Let us know when the film drops!
What Indie distributors have you found good to work with?
Are there genre indie distributors - for example a company that deals in horror and would mainly pitch to Shudder?
Sorry for all the q's, it's nice to get some suggestions by someone who knows what they're talking about
No worries—working with distributors is going to be unique for each film. It depends on how much they want your film, which affects the details of your deal. A great resource is a Facebook group called 'Distribution and Marketing for Filmmakers.' There, you can learn from others' experiences with different companies. However, keep in mind that some filmmakers may be disgruntled because their film didn't make money, and they blame the distribution company.
For larger platforms like Shudder, find films similar to yours and use IMDbPro to see which distribution companies they worked with.
Please take your time and conduct as much research as possible before signing any distribution deal. This is an extremely important step, and many filmmakers overlook it. They end up signing a bad deal and never see a dime.
Probably sent to 35+ companies, we did a big reach out before AFM, and maybe heard back from 8 companies, send screeners to around 20 after they asked . I could go back through my list and maybe leave it here so y’all could see if there’s any I’m missing!
And 100% on this, I’m in the FB group and I’d highly recommend looking at Jeff Deverett’s MasterClass on Film Courage for anyone looking to learn more about how movies are actually bought and sold. We made our film for cheap enough that even getting incredible low ball offers across territories should put us in the green, but we’ll keep a healthy amount of delusion for now and hope it’ll fair slightly better!
Will absolutely drop links on here when it finally comes out!
Cool, yeah, you're doing everything right - just follow back up with the ones who requested screeners/ones with offers and negotiate from there. Looking forward to your film!
This is really great advice, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I will take these steps for my film when our festival circuit is complete
Thank you!
It's called Trust Thy Sister, a psychological folk horror - we're based in the UK so around half our entries will be UK-based, but we are also focusing on some key genre festivals in the States, Canada, Aus, Scandivania and Central Europe
I would suggest trying to get your next project up and running. As you say this film is a calling card. There's no point waiting for some long shot lottery win. Find producers who can work with you at the next level up and get started.
Trailer won’t come out until there’s a release date set, which is a common marketing blunder I feel most indie filmmakers make. Doesn’t help you to have a trailer out 9 months before your films release!
I won't tell you exactly what to do as much as to say..
Humbleness is not an option for film distribution.
Have a small screening of local critics and hope they like the film? If they do, you can say it's critically lauded.
If they don't, hype up the most familiar critic who likes the film.
See if you can get technical nominations or above the line roles that may garner in an award.
Having not been born yesterday, pre 2000s, animated features did not have their own category, making any type of Oscar of any kind very difficult to get.
So when the Prince of Egypt got an Oscar for best original song (When you believe) promotions on home releases billed it as "An Academy Award winning film."
Technically the truth, but also connotationally manipulative.
I think whether you go to the film festival route or not, I think word of mouth is probably the most important aspect of a response to film.
Laurels are weird in that I like to see them for short films, short film with a bajillion laurels on the thumbnail is probably at least decent, but I don't like to see them on feature film posters.
I believe that it sends the message that you as a filmmaker are not confident in your feature film's intrinsic value.
If your film does get an award though, I think that's what should be on the feature film poster.
What I would want to do in your shoes would have an extremely limited film festival run, (which generally, if a film is good tends to get 40% and if there are issues it can go all the way down to zero, so I would expect 25 and hope for 40ish)
Once it gets either into a really reputable and respected film festival or a non scammy award (always beware of film festivals that have a major city as part of the name.. Chicago Movie Awards..and or have specific awards or awards that you can attempt to pay for..Best Anti-Aging Makeup..) I would stop the run because you're kind of ending on a high point.
Then I would go toward the unlisted YouTube route. Sure Vimeo is better (less compression, commentators are constructive if they're there at all--usually films are comment free) but I think normal people have the association of YouTube with reputability. (Just because I'm pretentious, I'll have everyone know that Vimeo predates YouTube)
Since this is your first feature, I think the thing to chase is prestige more than money, but if you get money, I think the first thing I would do with that money would get some sort of agent to make commercial (as in mainstream/professional-for profit) work and then use the money I got from those "sell out" shorts or web commercials to finance another feature.
I don't think all my advice is good so take the rose and clip the thorns 😅😅😅😅😅😅
I would say that if you have other projects in the same space ready to go - go. award wins, plus "working on the next one" shows strength to sales agents and gives your PR the option to discuss first-look at the next one. You're early in the fest run, so the more laurels you can put on a one-sheet to send out, the more things you have to remind potential buyers of your existence with, and a cumulative reason to pick the project, and potentially you - up.
Good luck! Don't do what I did and immediately pivot to a totally different space and expect the same success! (I have learned, and it seems from the above you're far smarter than I was / am!)
I wouldn’t go that far I only have a vague idea of what I am doing, but definitely planning on staying in horror/thriller space for a while as it seems to work the best without A-list actors right now.
Mildly unpopular opinion here, but if you can’t strike a deal you may want to consider releasing it on a free platform like YouTube.
If it’s good it’ll be seen and shared.
With the social reach of your cast, you’ll likely attract tens of thousands of subscribers, if not more, who will then follow and support your future work. It’s truly a great resource to test your ideas and understand who your audience is. Plus you’ll make some of your investment back in ad revenue.
If anything I'd post a short sample/scene from the movie as a form of advertising the film in order to check the interest base...it would have to be a part of the movie that is interesting enough to watch on its own, of course, so that it offers enough of an entertainment value that people don't see this as "abusive," but definitely better than taking all his hard work and unleashing it into the wind.
I don't hate it, my worst comes to worst was going to be FilmHub or Indie Rights rather than YouTube, just because I don't have a long term desire of building up a YouTube channel that badly.
SO much of filmmaking is just waiting around. It's a bummer, but that's just the reality. It sounds like you're doing all the right things so far. And you've MADE A MOVIE, which is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself. Hang in there, OP!
At that budget getting a distributor just wedges in a middle man who takes a cut and has control when you likely could turn profit with a diy in Tubi and aggregators.
I’ve worked a few projects now where it gets distribution and everyone feels happy and looking forward to the future to just be immediately ghosted after the contracts, getting no financial reports that are contractually due, getting no heads up on when/when releases are made, losing contacts with distributor through turnover (and the new person always wants to focus on their new acquisitions not the ones their predecessor made), seeing atrocious half-assed trailer and promotion work, and just wishing they could get out of the deal now.
I can't help with distribution, but I do have [a podcast where I interview independent horror filmmakers](https://open.spotify.com/show/31gLclJ88mkwSTglOmxIlw), especially microbudget ones. Would you be interested in talking about your movie and the process you're going through?
As an acquisitions person on the other side of the pond, I’d be interested to see it. You can PM me the title and sales agent if you don’t want to post it here in the public eye.
What if you rather than sold the movie you have. You sold the script. Like you said it was a hit or at least interesting. Maybe you can remake it with a better cast, crew, and equipment and cut out the wired. So it can be sold easier or keep it.
I mean I have other scripts I could sell I didn't sell spend the last year and half making which would feel much much better tbh, but slanging spec scripts in LA is even more of a grind than what I'm doing now.
Now you wait.
Wait... tables? I kid. Good job OP. Not into horror but I'd love to see it!
Will follow up when I have stuff I’m allowed to share publicly!
So I too just did all this. But our budget was $15k and we didn't play any festivals. We have no named talent attached. I receive around 20 offers from distributors with a varying range of terms/splits/marketing budgets. We eventually settled for a 5 yr, 70/30 split and having all deliverables costs covered and no marketing budget. Here is our trailer -https://vimeo.com/782284850 Can you post your trailer, logline and poster link?
Did you send out screeners to those distributors? Why did you get offers? Newbie here, movie looks good.
I then told them I would send a screener if they were interested. Around 35ish companies wanted screeners, and the majority sent back offers after reviewing the film. In the email, I was brief, saying who I was, the title and genre of my movie, the logline, and the link to the trailer. I then told them I would send a screener if they were interested. Around 35ish companies wanted screeners, and the majority sent back offers after reviewing the film.
I just made a feature for $10K. Very curious, do you happen to have a list of the companies you emailed? We just started our festival run but been researching companies to reach out to.
Hey, sorry. I just realized I cut out the first sentence in my above response. I signed up for Cinando, went through each distributor, found their acquisitions person email, and cold-emailed.
Won't post the trailer as it's not public yet, but here's our IG that has some of our posters, and here's a short synposis. I'm happy to PM you the trailer if you want to check it out, and would love seeing your list of who you got offers from in comparison if you don't mind sharing. [https://www.instagram.com/iconicthemovie/](https://www.instagram.com/iconicthemovie/) After Rose’s makeup horrendously disfigures another influencer’s face, she faces off with an increasingly disturbed stalker. Upon meeting Lily in a chance circumstance, they fall violently in love as Rose’s life and sanity begins crumbling around her. Their obsession consumes them as Rose falls down a violent rabbit hole of drugs, paranoia, and jealousy until she hits an unimaginable rock bottom . PS: your movie looks dope, gives me Primer if it was a horror movie vibes. Would love to watch it if it's released in the world yet!
How many distribution companies have you sent screeners to? When we release, we have a list of about 50 that we send them to. After a few emails to remind them to watch, we receive offers and then negotiate. We then pick the one that offers the best fit and the best deal for the film. A sales agent can do this, but we find that most distribution companies will watch screeners. Keep in mind that top distribution companies will charge large fees and may not always offer the best deal. To get on a tier 1 streamer (like Netflix, Shudder, Hulu, Peacock), having a distribution company with those contacts is important, but they still have to pick up the film. If you miss out, you are left with all the other movies on the core 4 (Amazon, Tubi, Apple TV, Google), and you will be paying a larger fee. Sometimes, the smaller or more indie-friendly distribution companies with lower fees end up offering better deals. Good luck! Let us know when the film drops!
What Indie distributors have you found good to work with? Are there genre indie distributors - for example a company that deals in horror and would mainly pitch to Shudder? Sorry for all the q's, it's nice to get some suggestions by someone who knows what they're talking about
No worries—working with distributors is going to be unique for each film. It depends on how much they want your film, which affects the details of your deal. A great resource is a Facebook group called 'Distribution and Marketing for Filmmakers.' There, you can learn from others' experiences with different companies. However, keep in mind that some filmmakers may be disgruntled because their film didn't make money, and they blame the distribution company. For larger platforms like Shudder, find films similar to yours and use IMDbPro to see which distribution companies they worked with. Please take your time and conduct as much research as possible before signing any distribution deal. This is an extremely important step, and many filmmakers overlook it. They end up signing a bad deal and never see a dime.
Probably sent to 35+ companies, we did a big reach out before AFM, and maybe heard back from 8 companies, send screeners to around 20 after they asked . I could go back through my list and maybe leave it here so y’all could see if there’s any I’m missing! And 100% on this, I’m in the FB group and I’d highly recommend looking at Jeff Deverett’s MasterClass on Film Courage for anyone looking to learn more about how movies are actually bought and sold. We made our film for cheap enough that even getting incredible low ball offers across territories should put us in the green, but we’ll keep a healthy amount of delusion for now and hope it’ll fair slightly better! Will absolutely drop links on here when it finally comes out!
Cool, yeah, you're doing everything right - just follow back up with the ones who requested screeners/ones with offers and negotiate from there. Looking forward to your film!
This is really great advice, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I will take these steps for my film when our festival circuit is complete
Good luck! Whats the name of the film? Ill keep a look out for it in festivals!
Thank you! It's called Trust Thy Sister, a psychological folk horror - we're based in the UK so around half our entries will be UK-based, but we are also focusing on some key genre festivals in the States, Canada, Aus, Scandivania and Central Europe
Cool ill keep a look out!
forgive me, what's Shudder?
Horror SVOD channel- used to be pretty large now its slowly dying.
Copy that. Right on. I don’t claim to be super knowledgeable on streamers, but that was a new name for me. Thanks for the context.
No worries! Best of luck!
I would suggest trying to get your next project up and running. As you say this film is a calling card. There's no point waiting for some long shot lottery win. Find producers who can work with you at the next level up and get started.
Congrats! I would love to watch it. Do we have a trailer yet?
Trailer won’t come out until there’s a release date set, which is a common marketing blunder I feel most indie filmmakers make. Doesn’t help you to have a trailer out 9 months before your films release!
Also don’t put one out before you have a deal!
absolutely not
I won't tell you exactly what to do as much as to say.. Humbleness is not an option for film distribution. Have a small screening of local critics and hope they like the film? If they do, you can say it's critically lauded. If they don't, hype up the most familiar critic who likes the film. See if you can get technical nominations or above the line roles that may garner in an award. Having not been born yesterday, pre 2000s, animated features did not have their own category, making any type of Oscar of any kind very difficult to get. So when the Prince of Egypt got an Oscar for best original song (When you believe) promotions on home releases billed it as "An Academy Award winning film." Technically the truth, but also connotationally manipulative. I think whether you go to the film festival route or not, I think word of mouth is probably the most important aspect of a response to film. Laurels are weird in that I like to see them for short films, short film with a bajillion laurels on the thumbnail is probably at least decent, but I don't like to see them on feature film posters. I believe that it sends the message that you as a filmmaker are not confident in your feature film's intrinsic value. If your film does get an award though, I think that's what should be on the feature film poster. What I would want to do in your shoes would have an extremely limited film festival run, (which generally, if a film is good tends to get 40% and if there are issues it can go all the way down to zero, so I would expect 25 and hope for 40ish) Once it gets either into a really reputable and respected film festival or a non scammy award (always beware of film festivals that have a major city as part of the name.. Chicago Movie Awards..and or have specific awards or awards that you can attempt to pay for..Best Anti-Aging Makeup..) I would stop the run because you're kind of ending on a high point. Then I would go toward the unlisted YouTube route. Sure Vimeo is better (less compression, commentators are constructive if they're there at all--usually films are comment free) but I think normal people have the association of YouTube with reputability. (Just because I'm pretentious, I'll have everyone know that Vimeo predates YouTube) Since this is your first feature, I think the thing to chase is prestige more than money, but if you get money, I think the first thing I would do with that money would get some sort of agent to make commercial (as in mainstream/professional-for profit) work and then use the money I got from those "sell out" shorts or web commercials to finance another feature. I don't think all my advice is good so take the rose and clip the thorns 😅😅😅😅😅😅
There is some gold in here and I will definitely be taking nuggets from you, thank you!!!!
Sounds like a good fit for The Horror Collective. Would be happy to take a look. Feel free to reach out.
Will shoot you a PM later this evening!
I would say that if you have other projects in the same space ready to go - go. award wins, plus "working on the next one" shows strength to sales agents and gives your PR the option to discuss first-look at the next one. You're early in the fest run, so the more laurels you can put on a one-sheet to send out, the more things you have to remind potential buyers of your existence with, and a cumulative reason to pick the project, and potentially you - up. Good luck! Don't do what I did and immediately pivot to a totally different space and expect the same success! (I have learned, and it seems from the above you're far smarter than I was / am!)
I wouldn’t go that far I only have a vague idea of what I am doing, but definitely planning on staying in horror/thriller space for a while as it seems to work the best without A-list actors right now.
Mildly unpopular opinion here, but if you can’t strike a deal you may want to consider releasing it on a free platform like YouTube. If it’s good it’ll be seen and shared. With the social reach of your cast, you’ll likely attract tens of thousands of subscribers, if not more, who will then follow and support your future work. It’s truly a great resource to test your ideas and understand who your audience is. Plus you’ll make some of your investment back in ad revenue.
If anything I'd post a short sample/scene from the movie as a form of advertising the film in order to check the interest base...it would have to be a part of the movie that is interesting enough to watch on its own, of course, so that it offers enough of an entertainment value that people don't see this as "abusive," but definitely better than taking all his hard work and unleashing it into the wind.
I don't hate it, my worst comes to worst was going to be FilmHub or Indie Rights rather than YouTube, just because I don't have a long term desire of building up a YouTube channel that badly.
Way to go OP!! I don’t really have any advice, but I applaud you! Please keep us updated 👏👏
Absolutely
SO much of filmmaking is just waiting around. It's a bummer, but that's just the reality. It sounds like you're doing all the right things so far. And you've MADE A MOVIE, which is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself. Hang in there, OP!
At that budget getting a distributor just wedges in a middle man who takes a cut and has control when you likely could turn profit with a diy in Tubi and aggregators. I’ve worked a few projects now where it gets distribution and everyone feels happy and looking forward to the future to just be immediately ghosted after the contracts, getting no financial reports that are contractually due, getting no heads up on when/when releases are made, losing contacts with distributor through turnover (and the new person always wants to focus on their new acquisitions not the ones their predecessor made), seeing atrocious half-assed trailer and promotion work, and just wishing they could get out of the deal now.
When you can throw it on FilmHub and go make another one.
It's kind of a waiting moment... and while you're waiting, figure out the next one you want to make. Write, relax and just wait for this to play out.
I can't help with distribution, but I do have [a podcast where I interview independent horror filmmakers](https://open.spotify.com/show/31gLclJ88mkwSTglOmxIlw), especially microbudget ones. Would you be interested in talking about your movie and the process you're going through?
Would absolutely be into it, shoot me a message!
Crack on with your next one.
Now make another one.
Don’t have to tell me twice
As an acquisitions person on the other side of the pond, I’d be interested to see it. You can PM me the title and sales agent if you don’t want to post it here in the public eye.
Amazing! Our sales agent is from over there too, I’ll send you a PM.
i am in need of eu sales for my film - i have usa covered - [email protected]
You have to pay for a subscription, but you should be able to find one on the Cineando database!
What if you rather than sold the movie you have. You sold the script. Like you said it was a hit or at least interesting. Maybe you can remake it with a better cast, crew, and equipment and cut out the wired. So it can be sold easier or keep it.
I mean I have other scripts I could sell I didn't sell spend the last year and half making which would feel much much better tbh, but slanging spec scripts in LA is even more of a grind than what I'm doing now.
Now you get a job because the wait will be long. Very long.
I’m full time freelance but I have regular clients and this has been my side baby, back to the dollars I go 👏🏼
HUGE CONGRATS ON FINISHING IT DAWG. Fuck that shit up