Distribution is like Da Vinci’s Code

Distribution is like deciphering Da Vinci’s Code. Well, at least that’s what the studios and the distribution companies would like you to believe. They want independent filmmakers to look at distribution as an overwhelming labyrinth of mystical conundrums, which we cannot possible navigate ourselves. 

It’s so not true. Distribution, like any other business outside of the entertainment industry, is about finding customers and fulfilling their needs. I’ve been doing a lot of digging to unearth these distribution myths. It’s like an archeological thing, you dig up lots of useless dirt until you uncover a gem. The more I dig, the more gems I find.

The current studio system and the model for independent film distribution is broken. It doesn’t work. Like many things run by the old boys club, film distribution has fallen behind the times. The lies we hear now are designed to keep us –independent filmmakers with content– living in the dark ages. There are simply too many filmmakers out their with good films that miraculously were accepted by a film festival, but yet do not have distribution. Worse, there are films that have achieved the Holy Grail that is distribution, but haven’t seen a dime of the box office thanks to funny accounting by distributors and studios.

So how does a young filmmaker navigate this distribution labyrinth, look beyond the lies and distribute his/her film? The path starts the same way a multi-conglomerate distributor would begin its efforts. Find out who your audience is.  There are informed ways of doing this and misguided ways of doing this. For example: a young filmmaker might decide to put up a website and list their film for sale. Good move. Then he/she may consider learning search engine optimization techniques funnel Internet traffic to his site. Good move. But then she makes her big mistake. When choosing keywords she uses words like, “independent filmmaker,” or “indie filmmaking” or “film festival.” Bad move. Those keywords won’t drive a DVD-buying audience to your site. Instead these keywords will encourage random traffic from…other filmmakers.  This happens because the filmmaker hasn’t identified their audience.

The step out of the chaos of keyword, indie filmmakers should consider categorizing or demographizing their audience. Age Range. Sex. Income level. Work habits. Play habits. When we understand these things about our audience we know where they work and where they play. If we’re using SEO techniques we can customize our search phrases — not mere keywords — to find these people.