Slides for a workshop on how filmmakers can use the Internet (and other new technologies) to market and distribute their work. This is a talk I've been giving at film schools, and most recently, the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco. Related blog: http://cinematech.blogspot.com
Text of Digital Distribution & Marketing for Filmmakers
Digital Distribution & Marketing Film Arts Foundation October 11, 2007 Scott Kirsner http://cinematech.blogspot.com [email_address]
Digital Distribution: The Opportunity
A direct pipeline to the viewer
Fewer middlemen
Niche content can reach its rightful audience, efficiently
More profit in pockets of filmmakers and their financiers
Workshop Overview
Discussion of digital distribution strategies
Exercise: Sample distribution contracts
Guest speaker: Filmmaker Jim Kerns
Exercise: Building audience for your project
Discussion of digital marketing strategies
Guest speaker: Distributor Alex Afterman
Digital Distribution, Defined
There are two kinds of digital distribution:
Digital distribution over the Internet
Digital distribution to a network of digital cinemas (Christie/AIX, Technicolor, Emerging Pictures)
Whos Watching Video on the Web?
75 percent of US Internet users watched an average of three hours of online video in July 2007, according to comScore Video Metrix
Apples iTunes store has sold over 50 million TV episodes ($1.99 each) and 1.3 million feature films ($9.99 to $14.99 each), as of January 2007
On YouTube, the most popular video, Evolution of Dance, has been seen 60 million times, and the average viewer spends 26 minutes per month on the site, according to Nielsen/NetRatings
What are They Watching? Evolution of Dance - 60 million views, $0 on YouTube
What are They Watching? Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments 7.5 million views, $35,000 on Revver
What are They Watching? Matrix - For Real by Joe Eigo 5.5 million views, $27,000 on Metacafe
What are They Watching? 405 on iFilm 5.3 million views, $??
What are They Watching? Ask a Ninja $20,000 on Revver in 2006
What are They Watching? Back Massage Techniques 1.4 million views, $7277 on Metacafe
Commonalities
Videos making money on the Net so far are:
Short (typically 10 mins or less, 2.7 mins on average)
Entertaining or instructive
Not reliant on dialogue
Consumption Habits News: 72 percent Television or movie clips: 59 percent Music videos: 48 percent Sports highlights: 44 percent Amateur videos: 43 percent Concert highlights: 23 percent Full-length movies or TV shows: 22 percent Live sporting events: 17 percent Video podcasts: 17 percent Live concerts: 9 percent A September 2006 AP/AOL survey of 1,347 online video users reported on the types of videos they were consuming
Where Consumption Happens Top U.S. Online Video Properties by Videos Viewed July 2007 (Source: comScore Video Metrix) Videos Share (%) of Property (MM) Videos Total Internet 9,077 100.0 % Google Sites 2,454 27.0 % Yahoo! Sites 390 4.3 % Fox Interactive Media 298 3.3 % Viacom Digital 281 3.1 % Disney Online 182 2.0 % Time Warner Network 181 2.0 % Microsoft Sites 149 1.6 % ESPN 75 0.8 % Veoh.com 53 0.6 % Comcast Corporation 51 0.6 %
Filmmaker Experiences $7 million budget.Digital download on AOL in October 2006: $2.49 for 5-day rental, $7.99 to ownAOL committed millions to promotionLater released by Sony Home Entertainment on DVD
Filmmaker Experiences Budget under $1 millionDirector turned down $125K distrib offerDebuted on Google video in Jan. 2006, with 70/30 revenue split at $3.99 per download300 downloads, not 3000About $1000 in revenue, but 22,000 DVDs shipped (MTI Home Video)
Filmmaker Experiences Budget under $10 millionDistributed on Net two weeks after theatrical release, in December 2006 $9.99 for rental, $19.99 for download to ownReleased on DVD in February by First Look.
Filmmaker Experiences Doc made by two first-time filmmakersSelf-distributed to theaters and on DVDFilmmakers have sold 4000 DVDs, 700 downloads through their own site (powered by E-Junkie) and Amazon Unbox, as of September 2007.
Economic Models
Paid download or rental (Brightcove, Amazon/CreateSpace, Jaman, eventually iTunes?)
Ad-supported (Revver, Metacafe, YouTube)
DVD purchase (Amazon/CreateSpace, IndieFlix, IndiePix, FilmBaby)
Challenges
iTunes not open to indie content
Aside from iTunes, no obvious second-tier player for paid rentals or downloads
No widely-used connection yet between Internet and TV (Apple TV, TiVo/Unbox, MSFT Xbox all candidates)
Snacking behavior; preference for short videos
Windowing issues
Deal terms (varying splitssome traditional homevid distributors want to lock up digital rights)
Marketing in a noisy environment with near-infinite choice
*A Note on Aggregators
iTunes, CinemaNow, and some other sites wont buy from lone filmmakers
FilmBaby, IODA, MediaStyle angling
How much will they take?
Challenges of D-Cinema Distribution
More than 10 percent of all screens in US can now play digital content
Most of these are operated by Christie/AIX (aka AccessIT), though Technicolor, Dolby, and DCIP plan to be players, too
Cost of encoding your movie in the DCI-approved format is still high do you want to both create a digital version and also a film print?
Todays digital screens tend to play mostly studio content, not self-distributed movies
Exceptions: Landmark Theatres, Emerging Pictures
Reinventing Distribution: Four Eyed Monsters 1. Played SXSW 2. Didnt get picked up 3. Video podcasts 4. The importance of e-mail addresses and ZIP codes 5. Demand-based theatrical showings
Reinventing Distribution: Iraq for Sale 1. Made to influence the 2006 mid-term elections 2. Online financing 3. House parties/DVD sales
Reinventing Distribution: House Parties
Distribution Deals: Exercise
Fine print matters
Marketing Exercise
Marketing (lets call it audience-building) begins the moment you decide to make your movie
