All About Indie Filmmaking: Discussions on Indie Film Distribution

Friday, May 1, 2009

Discussions on Indie Film Distribution

I've been reading a lot about distribution as I'm getting ready to release one of our titles from Wonder. I wanted to share some helpful discussions that I have found. I am trying to have an open mind and incorporate as many ideas as possible in our distribution strategy.

There is a ton of information out there about distribution and all we can do is try them! The nice thing about the ideas I am gathering is that they are all very executable by me. This gives me a strong sense of control over the future of our film. And it doesn't mean self-distribution is our only hope. A lot of these ideas can be used in conjunction with any kind of release.

Here goes:

Alejandro Adams proposed a roundtable discussion on indie distribution on his Twitter account and published it on his site BRAINTRUSTdv as Roundtable: Self-Distribution.

Indiewire, the online news source for independent film, featured snippets from a Tribeca Film Festival panel on distribution titled 10 Tips for Strategizing Distribution Today.

In the New York Times, John Anderson discusses DIY or Do-It-Yourself Distribution in his article No Film Distributor? Then D.I.Y.

Distribution Consultant Peter Broderick has a number of excellent articles about distributing independent films here.

Jon Reiss wrote a series of articles for Filmmaker Magazine on his adventures in distributing his film Bomb It. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.

If you have any good links to articles, please share! I will post them all in a Distribution section on my blog site.

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Filmmaking Terms

Abby Singer - The second to last set up of the last shot of the day.
Adaptation - A screenplay based on a written work, such as book or short story.
Attachment - Verbal or written agreement attaching talent to a film project.
Day Out of Days - Calendar detailing the days each actor will work on the film.
DDACS - Detailed Dialogue Action Continuity Script
Deal Memo - Short form deal between film production and cast or crew.
Development - The period in which the screenplay is finalized for pre-production and other key elements, like financing, cast, and crew, may be attached.
Digital Intermediate - The process of digitizing a 35mm or 16mm film print, resulting in a digital version of the film that can be corrected and from which a final output to film or tape is made.
HD - High Definition; a higher resolution than standard definition.
High or Low Hat - A camera mount that allows for filming low angles.
Magazine - Lightproof film container that attaches to the camera and holds both exposed and unexposed film.
Martini Shot - Final set up of the last shot of the day.
One Liner Schedule - Shooting schedule condensed with each day's schedule on one line.
Pay or Play Offer - An offer from the producer to talent stating that the talent will either be paid or played (required to perform) by a certain date.
Pick Ups - New shots to be filmed that were not part of the original shot list.
Post Production - The period following principal photography in which the film or TV episode is completed.
Pre-Production - Often referred to as Pre-Pro; the preparation period prior to principal photography.
Principal Photography - The primary period of shooting the film or TV episode.
Production Draft - The version of the script that is used during film production.
Reshoot - A period of filming during which shots of the movie or TV show are re-filmed.
Screenplay - A script for a movie or TV show.
Script Breakdown - Detailed list of items and people needed for each scene in the script, from which a schedule and budget are made.
Shooting Schedule - Detailed schedule of principal photography, including lists of items needed from each department.
Shot List - List of shots to be filmed during principal photography.