Distribution Research

Hello! As I continue with this production process, I have started to research how I would distribute my film. As an amateur filmmaker, I do not have the ability to distribute my production on large platforms such as Netflix or Hulu and I do not have any way of getting a company to show my film in theaters. Because of this, I will have to take a different approach to distribution.

To start off, according to author Jeff Tyson (2000), the process of getting a film in a consumer's hand is very long. A film starts off as a concept that is presented to a studio that decides whether or not they will purchase the rights to the film. After this occurs, the film is created and sent to the studio. The studio company will make an agreement with a distribution company that will then make deals with buyers that are representing movie theaters. This process is summarized in the info-graph below:

Due to the fact that I am simply an amateur student, I would not be successful in distributing my production the same way larger companies do. Instead, I will focus on presenting my production at local film festivals and utilizing platforms such as Youtube and Vimeo for distribution.

To start off, I will distribute my films by presenting it at local film festivals. The most popular local film festivals near me are the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, the Miami International Film Festival, and the Popcorn Frights Film Festival (Valys, 2017, p.1-6). I will especially focus on the Popcorn frights film festival, as it is a festival that is devoted to only-in-Florida horror films. Presenting my film at this film festival would help me effectively reach my target audience.

Additionally, Youtube and Vimeo would be the most effective distribution platforms for me to use because they are free and are accessible by a large audience. Youtube is the #1 distribution platform in the world, so it is an incredible tool for distribution. Youtube will effectively reach my target audience. According to Aslam (2020), 78% of US men and 68% of US women use YouTube. In addition, 81% of 15–25 year-olds in the US use YouTube (p.3). This is a tool that is widely used by my target audience, so it is effective to focus the distribution of my film on it. Also, viewers who enjoy the film will be able to share the film with others by simply posting the link on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This cross-media convergence will help effectively distribute my film to more people.


This weekend, I will be doing my first round of filming. Stay tuned to see how it goes!

References:

Aslam, S. (10 February, 2020). Omnicore. YouTube by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved from https://www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics/

Tyson, J. (18 September, 2000) HowStuffWorks.com. How Movie Distribution Works.
Retrieved from https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/movie-distribution.htm

Valys, P. (8 October, 2017). SunSentinel. South Florida's top five film festivals. Retrieved from https://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/sf-arts-guide-film-critics-picks-20171008-story.html