An excellent distribution can increase revenue and reach the target market effortlessly. This is the process that makes your film go from private to public and this way people will see your product finished in cinemas or any other distribution platform. First of all, peter believes that the cornerstone of every distribution plan must include a web site and a meaningful distribution list. How to create a distribution strategy that actually makes. Successful filmmakers and by that i mean filmmakers who successfully recoup their budget and repay investors, are the ones who develop a distribution strategy before they embark on the filmmaking process, and sometimes before they write the script. Creating a business plan for your film outlet is a meticulous process that requires a fair amount of time to ensure its quality.
The film business plan template is a stepbystep guide enabling you to understand your film as a business proposition to film investors. Please share it in your social networks facebook, twitter, email etc by using social media buttons at the side or bottom of the blog. In other words, these filmmakers dont necessarily need a distribution deal to get their movies seen and selling. Doing this will benefit the film and make the release more successful and make your life easier.
Film festivals are still the main distribution route for filmmakers. Topics covered will include setting goals early is a theatrical release essential or even realistic. Video production business plan sample strategy and. The other three elements of the marketing mix are product, pricing, and promotion. Once youre headed out to festivals or distribution, share poster images and. Its our mission to acquire underappreciated films deserving of a larger audience. Alphapanda is a european boutique social media agency for the film industry based in berlin and with team members in warsaw and geneva. Independent cinema continues to evolve, and we will evolve with it while providing audiences the best films possible. In this episode of crash course film production, lily talks us through some of the history and methods of marketing a film to an audience. Ideas for promoting and marketing documentaries your. Identify potential marketing intermediaries once you have a clear understanding of your end user, its time to start crunching the numbers and laying out a game plan. While youre thinking about things like funding, filling key positions and casting, other aspects of filmmakinglike marketing and.
While there are no guarantees that your movie will become the next viral, breakout hit, doing something is better than letting your movie collect dust. Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it. If you want to stand out from the crowd, do something remarkable, be ambitious with your marketing goals, work with experts, and dont believe the myth that you need a large budget to achieve great results. Keep in mind that selfdistribution will rely on a solid marketing plan, find out. How to create a movie marketing plan in 5 minutes filmmaking stuff. Although we are always talking about film distribution also, marketing is an essential part of this process, the marketing strategy is what will define the movie and people will look for, will want to know more about it and would like to see the film wherever it. It is recognised that the community itself will need to change in order to adopt this plan and those from other projects. I created this marketing plan for a students thesis film at chapman university. Crafting your distribution and marketing plan film. A workshop at the recent oregon doc camp, presented by women in film portland, focused on developing a distribution and marketing strategy for documentaries. Our expertise covers all areas of marketing and promotion, including strategy, social media campaigns, advertising, research and outreach.
The last assignment for the pmds was to write a distribution and marketing plan for their films. How to build your documentarys distribution strategy. How you want to focus effects how you want to phrase things. Product distribution is one of the essential elements of marketing. Filmmaking stuff hq provides professional level training for producers, directors, actors, writers, film students, or second career filmmakers. Another way to kickstart your distribution thought process is casting. The upsides of a hybrid plan are that it potentially enables filmmakers to earn more revenue and also to develop a longterm audience. The plan first markets the film to film festivals, then distributors. Next the film will team up with a credible distributor in order to. Or post to your blog and anywhere else you feel it would be a good fit. Each studio and each movie really has a slightly different allocation of budgeted funds, but they all generally share common line items or categories.
How to create a production company business plan free. Bamp media channel will launch on and will distribute only original movies, tv shows. I needed an understanding of digital marketing and distribution. Keep in mind that, if you plan to have distribution partners, youll need to evaluate their needs as well. To explore how nextgeneration film distributors are currently employing digital marketing strat egies, a survey and a multiple case study meth odology was. Alphapanda digital marketing for the film industry. The advertising of a film is known as film promotion or film marketing and the people who are responsible for this are the distribution company, socalled. This 12 week movie marketing plan will help you sketch out a way to promote your film. Basically, film and video production industry is an industry that is responsible for producing and distributing motion pictures and videos. In the course entertainment and marketing promotion, each student was assigned to a student film to create a marketing plan for. This will provide access to their distribution channels and reduce. Heres the distribution strategy you need before sundance or any film festival.
Film distribution strategies to use when financing your movie. Distribution methods and marketing plans your business. Keep in mind that selfdistribution will rely on a solid marketing plan, find out who your ideal audience are and target them directly through the platforms they watch films on. With so many factors to consider and different paths to go down, the new guide to short film exhibition, distribution and marketing from the random acts network is a vital resource. Having spent the greater part of my film career working in film distribution, i can tell you that the filmmakers who actually land the big deals have a movie marketing plan. How to create a movie marketing plan without going crazy. This template from anne zeisers transmedia marketing.
Who is your audience where to find your targeted audience how large is your audience what is the viability of your campaign film marketing strategy film. Crafting the perfect marketing and distribution plan. Film distribution process begins when you have decided you want people to see your movie. We walk you through the nuts and bolts of your project so you present the investment opportunity in the best light possible, without compromising your creativity. With a film marketing plan you can now market directly to film audiences at the fraction of traditional hollywood marketing budgets. Youve spent months, if not years, producing your documentary, and now its time to market and promote the film. Funding is approved on a quarterly basis throughout the financial year see the dates here. A customized strategy can help you maximize audience, revenues, impact, and. Distribution and marketing of a film should start as early as possible and be integrated into the filmmaking process as much as possible. To begin, the film will be shown at specific film festivals where we will brand no good deed as a hip, independent film in order to generate the initial buzz. Try to cast talent that might help turn eyes towards your project. Filmmakers need to get a good, rocksolid understanding of how film distribution works. The plan first markets the film to film festivals, then distributors, then to the general population.
The distribution and marketing for any one film will depend on several factors. You now hold a card that hollywood doesnt have, your own fanbase. A video production business plan suggests that your focus will be on video production. Goals of the filmmaking team all should be on the same page. This template consists of professionallymade headings, content. Transmedia marketing marketing plan template amazon s3. My independent movie movie business plan template, film. Learn more about funding for marketing and distribution of south african films. Netflix and amazon prime are two of the worlds major streaming platforms. The film business plan is a stepbystep guide on how to structure your film as a business and projects what your film will cost to develop and operate every film investor wants to see how you are going to spend the money and most of all, what the return on investment will be. This guide will take a broad look at film marketing strategies.
This industry does not include thirdparty providers such as distributors and disc manufacturers, as well as products, such as television shows and madefortelevision movies, aimed specifically toward television et al. This plan provides grassroots strategies you can implement over a 12 week period. Here, distribution partners or desired distributors are described. Best film business plan template sample, financials. Another element of distribution is our plan to work with established video production companies. In 2012, it is expected that there are over 400 films to hit the cinemas. Get your free copy of the ebook called astonishingly detailed and useful by filmmaker magazine. Money helps, but creativity is the real currency in marketing. This can be done directly by the producer or service provider, or using indirect channels with distributors or intermediaries. Distribution or place is one of the four elements of the marketing mix.
Even though, motion picture association of america as well as production outfits are quiet the precise amount in making movies, marketing cost as well as the expected returns, making a film distribution business model can help you determining the main elements of. Every film can benefit from having a distribution strategy before its festival premiere and before any rights are sold. With this template, youll learn what are the important factors when presenting your feature film. It usually also includes determining a marketing strategy. In the past, many documentary makers relied on the major studios for distribution, financing and marketing. Film independent is pleased to welcome distribution expert jon reiss author, think outside the box office who will explain the steps you must take when crafting a successful marketing and distribution plan for your indie film. The creation of this strategic marketing plan by the communitys marketing project the project is part of this community development process. At the same time, cast talent that works well for the project.
Distribution refers to the location strategy and tactics you use to sell your product. Brinkvision is the last real independent film distributor in the market today. Since most distribution agreements do not immediately result in upfront cash to the filmmaker to pay for the costs of principal photography and postproduction, the production company must use the distribution agreement as collateral to borrow money from a traditional bank, film finance company, an investment fund or other lender. Here are some things to think about when crafting the distribution and marketing plan for your film. Many strategy steps will stem from these two items.
These channels are most appropriate initially because we are seeking to gain recognition in the industry. This training is designed to give you the tools to move your projects forward and level up your filmmaking career. Some basic principles of film distribution and marketing. Marketing a film when a new film is made, it has to be advertised like any other new product, to let people know it exists and to encourage them to go to the cinema to see it. Each film needs its own distribution and marketing plan unique to that film. In addition to considering this an entertainment production company business plan you may also want to focus on creative development. The objectives of no good deeds marketing plan will be to generate awareness and revenue from our target markets. You probably figure that all you gotta do is make an awesome movie and some film distributor will come along and write you an equally awesome.
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