FreshDV Film School: Distribution 101 at FreshDV

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FreshDV Film School: Distribution 101

Published by Kendal Miller December 30th, 2007 in Featured Content, Interviews, Tutorials

FreshDV had the opportunity recently to speak with Jerome Courshon on the marketing and distribution of movies and films. Jerome offers a full course in the “Secrets of Distribution” . If you are a filmmaker of any kind you owe it to your crew, your cast and yourself to watch this segment. From contracts, residuals, and pitfalls to avoid Jerome covers the 101 basics of film distribution and helps prepare you for what you need to know once the ink dries on the DVDs. In Jerome’s words:

So you’ve taken the Sisyphean journey and made a movie, maybe your first. Congratulations! Now what? What do you do to ensure the final step of your filmmaking journey, getting distribution? What is the ‘correct’? strategy to take? Is there even one??

The answer is a resounding YES. Whether you’ve just finished your final cut or are already on the film festival circuit or EVEN if you’ve been turned down by distributors already there is a strategy for successfully getting Movie Distribution that MOST producers & directors do not know. Consequently, most filmmakers give up after spending a year or two spinning their wheels, with only the inner satisfaction of having made the movie.

The Problem

There are an estimated 4000+ independent movies being made every single year. Here’s the unfortunate truth: Less than 5% of all these movies end up with distribution.

Why? What’s the real problem here?
Are all the other 95% of these movies bad and unwatchable?
OF COURSE NOT. How many movies have you seen over the past year or two, either from your filmmaker friends or at a film festival, that you thought were decent, good or excellent and worthy of a larger audience?

Do you need stars in your movie to actually get distribution? Is this the real problem? NO. Lots of movies get distribution without star names, we see it all the time.

Well, maybe you need to hire some Producers Rep? and pay them a $10,000 fee to help you get distribution. Is this the answer? NO. Certainly you can do this, and if you have extra money to blow, you might. But they don’t give you any guarantees that they’ll be successful for you and frequently they are not. So you spend $10,000 or $15,000 and end up a year later with nothing to show for it.

What’s the answer then? Do you need to struggle and suffer trying to figure out what the heck to do? NO. Do you have to end your incredible journey, one filled with blood, sweat and possibly tears does it have to end with your movie collecting dust on a shelf in your home? NO.

The Solution
Watch below for some tips to get you started in the right direction.

Download QT File Below or Watch Embedded Flash Stream

FreshDV Film School [54:00m]: Download

130MB Flash Stream (54mins)

17 Responses to “FreshDV Film School: Distribution 101”

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1 Prune Dec 31st, 2007 at 4:39 am

You may send this “tutorial” to BAC Films in France. You may have heard of “Eden Log”, a French movie, which is making a lot of noise in France as well as in the US. The movie will show up soon there thanks to Magnolia Pictures.

In France, BAC did a great job to have the movie go out to ONLY 60 movie theatre !!! about half of then did not get the stuffs for the display !
Only 3 cinema in Paris, the biggest city and NO other display in other biggest city. Result : 2000 entries the first day…

They killed the movie !!

The reason ? Selling DVD’s make more money than having to pay 250 copies for cinema.

I Hope Magnolia will not be so stupid !
2 cckid Jan 1st, 2008 at 4:59 pm

Well this is just an amazing interview that got me totally hooked. Since I recently finished my movie, and I even got a dvd home release distribution deal this subject was spot on. You can check the trailer for my movie on the link below…or you can check it out at my official distributor’s site http://www.brinkdvd.com. But apart for making a commercial for my movie, I wanted to say that Jerome is great and he ain’t bulshitin and just tellin black on white the way that things just are….since I am editing a new upcoming feature length documentary which will be even crazier than my current film his advices are that more helpful….nedless to say that after watching his interview I would immediately take part of the seminar, no second thoughts….but I am not from USA I can’ take the seminar, this video has been a tremendous eye opener for me…thanks guys

Drazen

www,staderzen.com
http://www.honeymoonthemovie.net
3 Kendal Miller Jan 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 am

Prune,
So how exactly did they screw up the release again? I got a little lost in there somewhere? Because of the money in DVD market they somehow screwed up the theatrical release, which is odd because thats usually a marketing tool to promote Home DVD sales? Anyways sounds like a good case study, can you maybe just clarify some of the details here for me?

BTW Guys sorry for the crappy compression we just had to go as low as possible because its such a long piece, hopefully the information warrants the compromise.
4 Kendal Miller Jan 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 am

CCKID,
Thats part of the aim of FreshDV to promote this material and others like it to people who don’t readily have access to it:) And best of luck with your film.
5 zack Jan 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm

i’ve just stopped that video around 1:12 minutes. who shot that video? Don’t you know how to shoot a interview? the framing are the worse ones i’ve ever seen. very very distracting. if you want to focus on his mouth, do it correctly. DONT BLOCK THE INTERVIEWEEs EYES while he is talking.

p/s: the CONTENT of the video is great! gave me an idea of what real world distribution is. (not the way you shot it)

p/p/s: i’m a regular visitor of Freshdv and love the news updates on it especially abt REDONE and M2 adapters.
6 Kendal Miller Jan 2nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm

Zack,
The mouth was center cropped for effect only in the intro. Other then that it was a haircut on top and R eye intersecting R 1/3rd by the textbook bro. Not sure what else you might be referring to.
7 zack Jan 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 pm

i’ve downloaded the 195MB video and watched it full screen. i think thats why it was a bit distracting. just watched the internet streaming version and it wasn’t obvious at all. (in case ur wondering it was 9:11 - 12:24 in full screen)

*not starting a flame war.. just take extra caution next time around..
sayonara…
8 Kendal Miller Jan 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 pm

Ahh yes okay I’ll agree 100% on that framing. LOL, not as an excuse but I setup on sticks and sat to the side making notes, I would occasionally reframe and adjust, admittedly not the best way to do it but very on the fly due to scheduling etc…anyways yes you correct sometimes he sat up and the framing cropped to low, I’ll concede your point, but worst framing you ever saw….yowch?
9 Matthew Jeppsen Jan 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 am

I thought the content was incredible, thanks for getting this interview on short notice Kendal!

-Matt Jeppsen
10 Stacey Jan 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Congrats on a great video! Information was spot-on and filmmakers should listen up to Jerome!

I will watch it again and see if there’s any other specific comments I have, but overall I think this is a great intro video - and I’m sure the workshops would be very worthwile.

Stacey*
http://www.FilmSpecific.com
11 Dore Feb 27th, 2008 at 8:53 am

Thanks for the information. Very helpful.
Dore
http://www.dorehammondfilms.com
12 JO Mar 27th, 2008 at 10:03 am

Yo Kendal,

Um, was it me or did it see the “bowchickawowow” music bed seemed to complement Jerome’s ponytail?

And by complement, I mean sorta freak me out.
13 Matthew Jeppsen Mar 28th, 2008 at 9:05 am

Ha! Jealousy rears it’s ugly head…
Jerome is a studmuffin and you know it, Jordan. :-)

-MJ
14 dan Apr 15th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

The video no longer is available.
15 Matthew Jeppsen Apr 16th, 2008 at 1:08 am

The video link has been fixed. Thanks for the heads up, Dan.

-MJ
16 Sabine Sighicelli Apr 24th, 2008 at 11:12 am

have been trying to play the distribution interview with Jerome and can’t seem to be able to download it??
Please let me know what I should do.
thanks.
Sabine
17 Matthew Jeppsen Apr 24th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

The video link should be working now, please report back if you cannot view it.

-MJ