(originally posted on Velvet Park)
At the 5th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival last week I came across a great panel on short film distribution moderated by Roberta Marie Munroe (How Not to Make A Short Film: Secrets from a A Sundance Programmer) at the Sunset 5 in Los Angeles.
Munroe along with panelist Todd Luoto, Sundance Film Festival and Independent Filmmaker; Carson Mell, Independent Filmmaker; and Orly Ravid, New American Vision, took us down the long and windy path of film distribution as it relates to short films. Historically, short films have been seen and treated as the redheaded stepchild of the film world. What exactly are you supposed to do with a 7 to 10 minute film where features are king? Well it seems that you need to answer that question long before you turn on your camera.
According to Munroe and the panel one of the biggest mistakes filmmakers make, and there seems to be plenty, is not figuring out who they are making this film for. If you only plan to show your comedy gem on Youtube then you don’t have to worry about any of this, but if you are interested in a film career and your short seeing the light of day then you might want to heed their advice.
It all starts with the story. If you have a crappy script, you will end up with a crappy film. No amount of editing, music, or over-the-top post special effects will be able to cover the crappiness. Really put the effort into coming up with the best script that you can. Have other people read it (not just your girlfriend who thinks everything you do is brilliant) who can give you sound feedback.
When you cast your film make sure you understand the SAG talent agreement if you choose to work with union actors. According to Luoto you have a lot of work ahead of you once you sign on for that relationship. So if your best friend is Will Smith and he loves your sci-fi-comedy-adventure film enough to star in it for you; remember — he is a SAG actor and there is a lot of shit and paperwork that comes with his generous offer.
Make sure you have all your clearances in place. Now you would think this was a no-brainer but apparently more than a few shorts show up at the various film festivals’ programming offices with the sound track from Star Wars weaved all through them. It seemed a clever and heartfelt homage to George Lucas and his epic space adventure at the time, but most likely you will never get clearance to use it. So basically your film is dead in the water and no distributor will give you the time of day.
If you’ve gotten your film far along enough that it is seeing film festival success and a distributor is interested in signing a deal with you — know that your work is just beginning. They don’t call this showBUSINESS for nothing.
It is your responsibility to keep track of ALL paperwork that relates to the production of your film. Clearances (music, locations, brands), talent contracts, crew releases, proof of payments, and whatever contracts with investors or business partners. Lack of organization on your part will hinder you from securing distribution because these companies will not do this work for you. They will not take on any legal problems that were created during production. They need a “clean” film in order to get ample distribution.
When you find yourself at the negotiation table with your potential distributor, Orly Ravid wants you to remember that you have rights regarding your rights. Sometimes filmmakers are so happy to have someone paying their film some attention they will sign anything. Here is where you will be kicking yourself in the ass for at least three years if you don’t slow your roll and read and reread the fine print. Distribution rights as it relates to your film can cover many platforms: mobile/wireless, online streaming, television, theatrical, DVD, and whatever technology they have yet to discover. Fascinating facts of the panel: you can get a distribution deal showing your short on airline flights! In Korea, two minute shorts on mobile phones are all the rage! So basically where ever movies can be shown your short film has a shot of being seen there.
But back to your rights. Ravid, who is a 10-year industry veteran, suggest you don’t sign an “all rights” deal. If the distributor that is interested in you and your film deals in all areas but television distribution there is no reason for you to sign broadcast rights over to them. If they insist on these rights then request “bench marks” in your contractor. If they can’t get you a deal through a specific market in a specific time frame then they agree to return those rights to you. If this sounds all too convoluted you can check out Orly’s filmmakers’ tip sheet.
At the end of the day some filmmakers feel that they know their project the best and want to do the work to get it out into the world. These are the folks who are committed to DIY distribution. They get together with other filmmakers and rent out a movie theatre for a week and show their films. They get their films included in gallery showings. They post them up on Youtube. They sell their DVDs through a dedicated website. They launch impressive viral campaigns that gets them tons of attention – from the right people. Todd informed the crowd at the panel that Sundance has programmed shorts that they discovered on youtube. If your film is good it will get noticed.
Be mindful that some film festivals do frown on your short being seen by millions on youtube or your website if they are going to programming it, so do your homework to determine how your distribution efforts might bump up against some of these rules.
Distribution is a rapidly changing beast. Just this week AT&T U-Verse launched a channel dedicated to airing shorts! I think everyone can safely say that ten years ago they never saw this coming. Netflix has a “Watch Now” program, Youtube.com has a “screening room” program that is curated, programed and pays the filmmakers featured, and Hulu.com says they are open to short films as long as they have a significant marketing hook.
As you can see — opportunities are abound. Your best bet is to educate yourself and make a kick ass film!
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