Independent Filmmakers Tackle Movie On Demand Market

Independent filmmakers making smaller budget movies outside of Hollywood without the safety net of a studio or name stars face limited distribution options after they complete their movie. Most major movie distribution companies do not acquire the rights to completed movies that do not have bankable stars in them. Lots of independent filmmakers cannot afford to cast bankable stars or known celebrities. That's a major hurdle independent filmmakers deal with after their movie is done and they seek distribution.

Without bankable stars a movie stands a slim chance of landing a distribution deal with companies like 20th Century Fox, New Line Cinema, Miramax, Sony, or Paramount. Slice of Americana Films is small production company dedicated to independent cinema. We are independently fueled. The majority of our projects are developed, written, directed, produced, and edited in-house. It comes down to making movies with the resources available or not making movies at all. We choose to make movies. At this point that means making movies without bankable stars that can attract the attention of major movie distributors. We focus on a niche market where movie viewers want to see something different than the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

There are distribution companies that cater to independent movies made on smaller budgets. Consignment and In With Thieves are currently being distributed worldwide by independent movie distributors. I cannot discount the exposure the movies are getting by being made available to so many viewers. I get emails from viewers from all over the world that have watched Consignment and In With Thieves. It's cool. In With Thieves has a large following in Albania, Cuba, and South Africa. Consignment is doing well with movie viewers in Australia.

But like other independent filmmakers out there I was disappointed with how the traditional distribution deals turned out when it came to getting paid. This is my "Jerry Maguire" moment. It's close to 6 AM on a Saturday and I'm on my laptop typing away. Friday night I got into a funk after going over royalty statements.

9 times out 10 after a independent filmmaker signs a deal with a distribution company that caters to releasing small budget films without bankable stars it doesn't pay off. You basically sell the rights to your movie for pennies on the dollar. Not to mention sweat equity and creative energy that goes unrewarded. Bottom-line most independent filmmakers don't come close to breaking even with these type of distribution deals. It's frustrating.

After going through this I started to rethink if making independent movies was worth it. Then I had a call from movie editor Tim Beachum who told me, "You love to make movies. Don't stop. Just rethink how to get your movies distributed to viewers." I watch videos on YouTube, MetaCafe, Dailymotion and other sites. Free content is cool, but independent filmmakers need to earn money from their work like the rest of the world. Free cannot pay the bills. Then I started to look into sites that offered movies on demand for a reasonable fee. I realized that was the best platform to get independent movies seen by viewers and hopefully earn a living.

I started to research how different movie on demand sites worked. Netflix "Watch Now" Downloads is revolutionizing the way viewers get their movies. Hollywood dominates the movie on demand market, but there is room for independent movies. Digital downloads means independent filmmakers no longer have to shoulder the cost of DVD replication and packaging. Some independent distributors charge filmmakers as much as $4 for these costs on top of their distribution fees making it nearly impossible for a smaller budget movie to make any movie going this path.

Offering your movie on demand in a digital format eliminates that. Not knowing exactly how to jump into the movie on demand market I enlisted the help of respected independent film representative Mark Steven Bosko head of The Bosko Group. Great guy to work with. He secured a movie on demand deal for 3 reality videos I produced while I took a break from making movies. The videos are available to viewers on most major cable and satellite outlets. There are no high DVD replication, packaging, and distribution fees. Movies on demand is a digital process that's cost effective for filmmakers. Once your movie is encoded it can be streamed to viewers worldwide.

I need to give credit where credit is due. Editor Tim Beachum pitched me, "Why don't we make movies for mobile devices and offer that to other filmmakers?" After brainstorming we came up with Americana VOD. An independent media distribution company that offers Video on Demand viewers a wide variety of mobile entertainment choices. Many movies on demand are under 15 minutes making them ideal for viewing on mobile devices, computers, and video game consoles

I was an independent filmmaker used to the traditional way of getting movies distributed. Now I can see that the movie on demand process gives filmmakers a wide audience and a real opportunity to earn money for their hard work. Movies on demand has leveled that playing field. Digital distribution has made it an exciting time to be a filmmaker. It has renewed my creative spirit and the belief that independent filmmakers can get a fair shake when it comes to making money from their efforts.