Monthly Archives: November 2009

Jacques Thelemaque On DIY:DAYS and DIY In General

Here is a post from Jacques Thelemaque from his blog. http://filmmakerslife.blogspot.com/

I understand where Jacques is coming from. The DIY approach is not for everyone – but I don’t feel its an either or proposition, do some DIY for your rights which are unexploited and try to get reputable companies to execute some of your rights.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The DIY life
I went to the latest LA DIY Days conference (http://diydays.com/) at the Downtown Independent Theater (a VERY cool venue, by the way) late last week. And, as usual with these new media-type things, I left with my head spinning.

Photobucket

It was organized by a bunch of wonderful peeps I know headed by the very cool, very smart filmmaker Lance Weiler, who is a bit of a tech genius and DIY evangelist. Lance also runs the Workbook Project (http://workbookproject.com/) and applies his passion and intelligence to not just exploring the technological possibilities that exist for filmmakers, but also to disseminating these new tools (and information) in as open a way as possible. In keeping with that, DIY DAYS was, of course, free to the public.

For me, Lance’s opening summation of what exits in the online world for DIY filmmakers and how to think about those tools was the most concise and directly relevant presentation (aside from Jon Reiss’s presentation on alternative film distribution).

But because Lance is so extraordinary, he is a poor example of how to succeed at DIY. Because the frank truth is that not everybody can handle the DIY life. For those of you who don’t know, DIY is the (obvious) acronym for Do It Yourself. Which, of course, is about true independence and geared to those who recognize that there is much to be gained by taking complete control of your filmmaking life. Lance schedules these conferences to bring together people who have taken the DIY path – in one form or another – and/or can offer insight into how to best support the DIY life from various perspectives, but predominantly from a technological standpoint.

I won’t go into the details about what I learned…because I can’t. I tried to take notes, but I’m a lousy note taker when I am absorbed by something and even worse when I’m uninterested. And there was a equal balance of both for me at the conference. Mostly, I was left feeling a bit overwhelmed at the amount of things I could be doing (and guiltily felt that I SHOULD be doing – if there were 47 hours in each day) and that there is obviously much I have absolutely no interest in doing. But that’s as it should be. These ideas are not meant for everybody. And, in fact, the DIY life itself is certainly not meant for everybody.

It is very important to think about the positives and negatives of the DIY life. The main positive, for me, is a sense of control. Although, if you are a filmmaker and depend on strong audience reaction to your work, there’s only so much control you can have. But there is a lot. And you are not constantly waiting for someone to give you permission to do things or come to your rescue when you are doing them wrong. You do things on your own schedule, in your own way and learn from your own mistakes – with the support of your chosen team, of course. DIY doesn’t mean you have to work in a vacuum. Quite the opposite, actually.

The main negative for some is the sense of insecurity – the lack of financial and structural stability that goes with with doing things on your own as opposed to being under the care of a large company or benefactor. But I think there is just as much insecurity – financial or otherwise – in being at the mercy of some thing or someone other than yourself. No, the biggest negative for me is not insecurity. It is the amount of f&#@ing work that has to be done!!

And I’m no slacker. But I’m sitting at this conference thinking “Where in hell do these people find the time to do all of this?!!” What Lance manages to accomplish with his own work simply boggles my mind. Not only is there tons of necessary research to figure out all the new tools and do-dads, but once you lock on to them, you need to figure out how to use them. Then, most demanding of all, you need to then actually use them. As you all know, just finding time to write this blog kicks my butt. How do I also, Facebook and Twitter and Flicker and Digg and create viral videos and create interactive games to support my films and crowdsource and crowdfund and stage/schedule webinars and online film screenings and do sponsor tie-ins and brand myself and podcast and yadda, yadda, yadda?……

Also, some of this stuff is just too much or too far outside the scope of my interests – thus becoming a whole other job or career in itself. There was a discussion about “transmedia” – storytelling/entertainment that makes use of multiple media platforms to “extend” the story – creating a kind of marriage of online and offline environments that also include cell phone calls and text messages….and maybe more. Basically, the “story” is flying at you from all angles. For me, however, the idea of a created or imagined universe imposing itself on your life so completely – even if by choice – sounds like nothing more than an expensive and complicated form of schizophrenia. There was also talk of Alternative Reality Gaming (ARG) – which is definitely an interesting, interactive form of story-telling, but it is a completely different FORM of story-telling than the forms of story-telling that most excite me. It is not the way of all things, simply an additional means to tell a story that will not work well for all stories. My friend Saskia Wilson-Brown, one of the organizers of the event, agreed, making the point that placing too much importance on these new media alternatives would be like telling Picasso at some point in his career that painting is passe and he should just be focusing instead on multi-media installations.

Finally, there was some discussion of using the new tools to build or “find your audience” and create work that speaks specifically to them. I think that is terrific as long as it is an audience that responds organically to the kind of work I want to do. Some of what I heard, however, sounded gimmicky and felt more like I’d be chasing an audience – looking for an opportunity to pander to them. I know there are strong niche communities out there – apparently, there is a huge knitting community that is woefully under served – and I know I can probably make a fine living figuring out ways to make life interesting for them. But if I do not have any interest in making 3-D knitting movies or creating immersive online knitting games and communities or twittering about the latest knitting news, then there is no passion in any of it for me. If I have no real passion for those niche communities and/or I am not expressing myself in a form that works for me, then it is all pointless.

And, anyway, does any of this work? Hard to tell from the examples that are out there. All this new-fangled stuff is still in its infancy and some of the people that have been successful are complete one-offs. Meaning, it worked for them and their idea, but is not necessarily applicable as a model for others to follow. But, I gotta believe that some of it does indeed work. Of course, some of these things are more useful for a certain kind of work and not very useful for other kinds of work. If Tarkovsky were still alive making films, I don’t see him tweeting every hour to drum up support for his films and his “brand” or building a promotional video that he intends to go “viral”. But I can indeed see him blogging and podcasting and having a Facebook fan page and crowdfunding and a few other things.

Here’s the three key things I took from it all:

1. You have to decide if you have the stuff for the DIY approach – including having the willingness to embrace all the stresses of doing it on your own (and appreciating the joys, as well).

2. You must have some clear idea of what you want to create. Once you know that, it will give you some clarity as to what DIY tools will best support your creative goals. Know what you want to make and use the tools accordingly.

3. Not all flavor-of-the-week websites or cool, new online techno-toys are right for you and your project. Some of these things only speak to a certain kind of user – which may be people who will not respond to your work. Lance put up a chart that showed a demographic breakdown of online technology users and seniors fell to the absolute bottom. So, if you are doing work geared toward seniors, you can tweet your little heart out and it won’t do a lick of good in attracting your potential audience.

But if you are stubbornly iconoclastic and determined to do things your own way – if you have the sweat and mettle to make it happen – then there is great stuff out there to support you. Just use the tools – and your time – wisely. What’s exciting is that new technologies are giving us the option of taking responsibility for our own success – or failure – and learning/growing from either result without third-party filters that may cloud our ability to gain maximum benefit from the experience. This, for me, is what true independence is all about.
Posted by Jacques Thelemaque at 9:32 AM 1 comments Links to this post

Jon Reiss Screen Daily Column on Marketing

Here is my Screen Daily Column from Friday the 19th.

The new distribution landscape demands a fresh approach from film-makers to marketing their work and to communicating with their potential audience
Moving the mindset

19 November, 2009 | By Jon Reiss

A new world order exists in which filmmakers and other media content creators can no longer rely on old distribution institutions to take their films off their hands and pay them mightily for the privilege.

Fortunately the digital revolution has helped to democratise much of the distribution and marketing apparatus just as it has the production process over the past decade and a half. It is not that difficult, relatively speaking, todistribute a film in some manner, but to get people to watch it and pay for it, that is the most pressing matter and the core issue that faces most filmmakers today.

However, devoting a serious amount of thought to distributing and marketing their films is anathema to a significant number of film-makers. Many film-makers feel that if they think about the marketing of their film while making it, that they will be selling out or corrupting their artistic vision. But they would do well to consider the words of drum and bass master Roni Size: “I hope I’m selling out — if I see CDs left in the racks, I must be doing something wrong.”
Mindset shift one

Change your attitude toward the process
Film-makers must view marketing as the way to connect with the audience of their film that either already exists, or should exist. Most film-makers if they are truly honest, want as many people to watch their films as possible. Marketing is the way it is done. Film-makers can also retain their artistic vision through this process and certain new storytelling methods such as transmedia can be used to expand the creative process in new and exciting ways and help market your films in the process.
Mindset shift two

The new 50/50
Almost everyone I spoke to and interviewed for my book Think Outside The Box Office agreed that in the new world order for distribution, 50% of your
time and money should be devoted to making your film. The other 50% must be dedicated to helping your film find an audience. This might change as economics and technology improve. It is also not a hard and fast rule for every film. But it is a good guideline when embarking on a project.

Money for distribution and marketing should be raised at inception and put into escrow. We must
create new crew positions to be responsible for these tasks. Only if we take this work seriously will it get done.

Mindset shift three

Start the process at inception
With minimal resources (even with a lot of resources) it can take a long time to engage your audience. This does not just concern individual audience members, but more importantly, organisations that you can partner with. These organisations can serve as bridges to much wider audiences.

This audience engagement (aka marketing) will be much more organic if you integrate it into the life of the film, the whole life cycle of a film. By starting during prep and production, you are allowing your audience to be involved in the creation of the film. This in turn gives them an investment in the success of your film.

This can happen through crowdsourcing of various creative aspects of the film or through the crowdfunding of the budget for the film. These engaged audience members will be active promoters of your film because they will feel they have a connection with the film.

Even if you are picked up by a distributor, any marketing work you do in advance will not only help you during your release, but might actually help you get stronger distribution deals than you would have otherwise. Having a robust email list, active Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts with many friends and followers is invaluable.

Jon Reiss: Speech for DOX:FORUM in Copenhagen

Posted on by Mark

Hello everyone!  Here is my recent speech at the CPH:DOX Forum in Copenhagen from last Friday .  IndieWire just published it and so I’m reposting it here.

This speech was delivered at the recent CPH:DOX Forum in Copenhagen.  Jon Reiss will be doing a presentation today at 6 p.m. at IFC Center in Manhattan and selling his book, “Think Outside the Box Office,” immediately after.  The book is also available for purchase on his website.
“Much has been said and written about the current distribution crises of independent films, I am not going to belabor the horror stories here.

But just as a way of introducing myself – I will give you a brief introduction to my own horror story.

In 2007, I was at the Tribeca film festival where I was trying to sell my documentary “Bomb It.”  We did everything by the old school book, kept the screeners a secret, we spent $20,000 launching the film at the festival, with the result of packed houses and hundreds of people turned away.  After all the excitement, what we had were a few $10,000 all rights deals that we rejected.  A week after Tribeca, our film was available for sale on Canal Street — as a bootleg. Continue reading →

Jon Reiss at IFC this Tuesday, November 17th!

Posted on by Mark

Just out from an amazing weekend at DOX:FORUM in Cophenhagen, I’ll be in New York this week at the IFC Center speaking about my new book Think Outside the Box Office (released on the 16th!).  Come check it out!  Call (212) 924-7771 for tickets!

Thinking Outside the Box Office

In a presentation full of practical advice and hard information, filmmaker Jon Reiss (Bomb It), the author of the recently released “Think Outside the Box (Office): The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing in the Digital Era” will teach how to create unique distribution and marketing plans for independent films, explaining both do-it-yourself and hybrid approaches. He will outline what filmmakers need to do to prepare for distribution while making their films. Finally he will lay out ways in which filmmakers can take back and redefine the theatrical release by playing a combination of conventional theaters, community screenings and festivals.

Pics up of Jon Reiss at AFM

Posted on by Mark

Below are pictures of the BAFTA panel at AFM where we discussed the changing landscape of Indie distribution.  Take a look!  Check back on the blog for updates regarding my trip to Copenhagen and THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE’s release on November 16th!!!!

An interview with Filmmaker/Author Jon Reiss

Posted on by Mark

Here’s an interview posted by shericand on youtube.  We’re gearing up for the release of Think Outside the Box Office on November 16th!!!  Keep checking back on the blog for more details!!!

November 10, 2009

Below I’ve posted an interview with filmmaker Jon Reiss speaking about his new book THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE, which is being released on November 16th.  Jon describes it as the first of its kind, an ultimate guide to film distribution in the digital age for low budget filmmakers. The book includes how to develop unique strategies for projects, prepare budgets, create partnerships with other companies and construct marketing plans. For more information about the book including how to purchase it, check out the video or go to Jon’s blog at www.jonreiss.com/blog.

Jon Reiss Interviewed Regarding THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE

Jon Reiss Keynote Speaker for CPH:DOX Forum

Posted on by Mark

I’ve been invited as the keynote speaker to the DOX:FORUM for the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival.  Set in Copenhagen, the festival is a three-day distribution forum and market for newly finished and works-in-progress documentaries from around the world.  Check it out!

http://www.cphdox.dk/d/a1.lasso

“Exploring other possibilities for documentary films than TV and focusing on theatrical, DVD, online and alternative distribution circuits, the Forum positions itself as a new international meeting place for film professionals focusing on high quality, artistic and visually strong documentary film  making.

Launched successfully in 2007 DOX:FORUM is an exclusive 3-day distribution forum and market event which presents a tightly packed program of work-in-progress presentations of new Nordic and international documentary projects in post production or late stages of production, pre-arranged one-on-one meetings, matchmaking events and a line-up of inspiring case stories and seminars.  The 2009 edition of DOX:FORUM will also see the addition of a number of world premieres presented in collaboration with the festival.

With an exclusive selection of brand new fantastic documentary projects and world premieres, reflecting CPH:DOX’s overall interest in strong cinematic art-house and documentary film making, invited content seekers are given a priority chance for discovering the next big title on the international market, before it hits the big winter and early spring venues.  A filmmakers forum as well, it also represents great opportunities for meeting new talent as well as established filmmakers for an up and close encounter.”

Jon Reiss at the AFM’s BAFTA Panel

Posted on by Mark

I’ll be sitting on the BAFTA panel at AFM discussing changes in Indie Distribution tomorrow, Sunday, November 8th from 11:00am – 12:30pm.   Come on out to hear the most cutting-edge discussion of indie distribution and marketing!

Sunday November 8th

11:00am-12:30pm

No Direction Home – Changing Indie Distribution Strategies
Programmed by: British Academy of Film & Television Arts, Los Angeles
BAFTA
These are confusing times for indie filmmakers. Just as revolutionary production choices are opening up, traditional distribution models are collapsing. How cost-effective is U.S. theatrical release? Does it still impact foreign sales? What kind of income streams can be generated from such new sources as on-demand, internet download, and direct website DVD sales? Our panel of experts may not have all the answers, but will attempt to provide producers with a compass to navigate the rocky shoals of a challenging and still-evolving marketplace.

Location: Le Merigot Hotel (1740 Ocean Avenue)
Cost: $40 per person

Moderator:
John Alan Simon, Writer-Director, Radio Free Albemuth; Producer, The Getaway; Former Staff Writer, New Orleans Times Picayune; Member, BAFTA/LA Education and Outreach Committee

Panelists:
Chris Hyams, Founder and CEO, B-Side Entertainment
Ted Mundorff, CEO, Landmark Theatres
Jon Reiss, Director/Producer, Bomb It; Author, Think Outside the Box (Office) – The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
David Shultz, Founder and President, Vitagraph Films
Leslie Urdang, President, Olympus Pictures; Producer, Adam, Rabbit Hole
2:00pm – 3:30pm
THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS BELOW:
2009 AFM Conference & Seminars

Presented by Akin Gump KPMG

Purchase a badge by 16 October and receive 3 FREE Seminars (excludes Finance Conference). Badges are not required to attend Seminars or Conferences.

Review of Think Oustide the Box Office by Content NOW

Content NOW

Here’s the pull quote: “Written in a light conversational tone and beautifully organized over 354 pages, Jon, a noted filmmaker (Bomb It, Better Living Through Circuitry) and CalArts teacher, passionate about connecting filmmakers to their audiences, arms filmmakers with the arsenal needed for a killer DIY direct to fan film marketing campaign. This book drills down to specifics that allows the reader to form an actionable strategy, and is destined to become required reading for all filmmakers.”

#AFM Thinking Outside The Box Office 06Nov09

We are now midway through AFM, and things are looking up from last year. Buyers are buying, but very specific in their wants. I had a chance to catch up with John Foster, CEO, of Odyssey Pictures who recently acquired 31 hours of animated children’s content from DPM, a French-based specialty distributor of entertainment and how-to programming. Having scored this superb catalogue of cartoon classics (Superman, Casper, Bugs Bunny) at Cannes, John is shopping AFM before heading on to other markets like NATPE in January. ”We are looking to acquire content libraries for the children’s market as well as for specialty markets like health, finance and education. We are in talks with ION for television distribution, Limelight to power distribution online, and working with Spelling Communications to secure US sponsors. Odyssey already has several European sponsors signed up. Backed by a $10mm acquisition fund, Odyssey is on a tear analyzing mobile marketing opportunities as well as those with connected devices. ”Odyssey soon will be launching 1-3 hours sponsored programming via satellite and on the web. We’re starting with established content but plan to showcase outstanding original programming in time.” Interested sellers can contact John at info@odysseypix.com.

For the weekend, AFI Fest has moved to the Laemmle at 1332 2nd close to the Loews. Rush Lines are still getting into screening for free so stop by. And the price of admission to AFM drops significantly as the market opens up to half-market badgers on Sunday.

There are also several excellent seminars still being offered: Sa 11/7 at USC is Distribution U with Peter Broderick, Steve Kirsner, Jon Reiss, Adam Chapnick.. and Su 11/8 at Le Merigot is Changing Indie Distribution Strategies. At both events, Jon Reiss will be signing his timely new book: Thinking Outside The Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. He sent me a copy to review earlier this week and I am still deeply immersed. Written in a light conversational tone and beautifully organized over 354 pages, Jon, a noted filmmaker (Bomb It, Better Living Through Circuitry) and CalArts teacher, passionate about connecting filmmakers to their audiences, arms filmmakers with the arsenal needed for a killer DIY direct to fan film marketing campaign. This book drills down to specifics that allows the reader to form an actionable strategy, and is destined to become required reading for all filmmakers. Some of his points are similar to what we’ve been covering:

– Budget as much for marketing and distribution as you do on production upfront, e.g. $100,000 production budget = $100,000 P&A budget (Jon provides detailed budgets with links to websites where assistants, publicists, bookers, sales reps/distribution consultants can be hired, and cost information to help filmmakers decide which path to take for theatrical release)

– Consider festival circuit as theatrical release, eventize screenings with cast and crew, reach out to traditional press as well as tastemaker/niche blogs for coverage, connect with fans, collect emails and zips, get venue/alcohol sponsors to throw after-parties, handout out stickers other pocketable schwag with website url, sell tees, merchandise, DVDs, CDs

The book also includes steps to create better engagement on WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, and then in the next breath puts a call out to festival directors to see themselves as distributors, aggregators of quality indie content for traditional and new media. It seems so complete I’m still reading on hoping he addresses ways not to trip up Oscar qualification with day and date online screenings. An incredibly valuable resource. $5 off if you order through this link. Free if you’re a filmmaker who fills out the filmmaker survey (see page 17 of the book). The companion website is at www.ultimatefilmguides.com. Enjoy!

Think Outside the Box Office Introduction and Table of Contents in Indiewire

I put up the Introduction and table of contents on Indiewire:

As some of you know, I have written a book Think Outside the Box Office. It’s purpose it to help filmmakers release their films in today’s marketplace – especially in the collapse of the festival acquisition model. The book is being released on November 16th. Indiewire has offered to release a few advance chapters of the book so that you can get a sense of what is inside. For the first week it seemed to make sense to release the introduction which explains why I wrote the book in the first place. I’ve also included the Table of Contents so let us know which chapter you would like to see next. I’m also available on twitter and facebook where I post about distribution and marketing for filmmakers. You can sign up for a $5 off coupon for the book at www.thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com

Jon Reiss
jon@jonreiss.com
twitter.com/Jon_Reiss
facebook.com/ThinkOutsidetheBoxOffice

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE
INTRODUCTION
The independent film world is abuzz about the collapse of the traditional independent film distribution model. In recent years, more than 5,000 feature films have been submitted to the Sundance Film Festival annually, and only a few hundred get the golden ticket. Of those accepted, perhaps a handful at best will make a sale that might cover at least half of their production expenses. Another handful might be offered a 20-year deal for all rights to their film — with either a token advance of about $15,000 or no advance at all. No longer can filmmakers expect someone to come and take their film off their hands and guarantee them theatrical release and full recoupment. Any filmmaker who doesn’t understand the current state of affairs is going to have a rude awakening.

I had my own rude awakening in 2007 when I brought my film Bomb It (a documentary about the global explosion of graffiti art and culture, and the resultant worldwide battle over public space) to the Tribeca Film Festival. We did our festival launch the old-school way:
o We saved our world premiere for a top U.S. film festival that had a history of acquisitions.
o We got a top-class sales agent to marshal the distribution world and get people excited about our film.
o No advance screeners went out to potential buyers.
o We paid a ton of money for a conventional publicist to get the film written up, so potential distributors would know that there was interest in our film.
o We spent more money on a variety of marketing efforts to get our audience into the theaters (the festival’s theaters).
o We held off creating DVDs for sale so as not to compete with any potential distributor.
And the results: Each of our five screenings (in 500- to 600-seat venues) was sold out. People lined up around the block; 100 to 200 people were turned away at each screening! The audiences were engaged in the film: People laughed in places that I didn’t expect; there were eruptions of applause after the screenings and mobs of adoring fans.

And nothing in terms of sales. No overall deal with an advance that made any financial sense. We were offered extremely low money deals for theatrical and DVD, tied together so that we were sure that we would never see a dime. No television or cable. No foreign. 2007 was the tipping point in the collapse of the studio-based independent distribution model. We did get interest from a few DVD companies — however, none with any significant advance. What the F? The market had changed — drastically.

A week after Tribeca, our film was available for sale on Canal Street — as a bootleg.

We could have sold copies of our film to our enraptured audiences (2,500 people in the theaters, plus the 800 turned away). Converting just 10 percent of those 3,300 would have meant $6,600 in sales.

In short, we received a good, no advance deal from New Video, who also handle our download-to-own digital rights. The DVD was scheduled to be released at the end of May 2008. I was still committed to having a theatrical release. After an unfortunate sidestep with a company who said that they would release the film theatrically, I decided to do a theatrical release on my own, knowing that I had a very small window in which to do so, as determined by my DVD release. I started in January 2008 and ended the official theatrical at the end of June 2008 (note the crossover with the DVD release).

Part of the reason I wrote this book is because I wish I had had it before I released my film. Filmmakers are hungry for information on how to distribute and market their films. Many are shooting themselves in the foot in the process (like I did many times). While there are some disparate sources of information on these new methods, no single resource exists that combines all of the knowledge and tools now available to filmmakers.

Think Outside the Box Office is the first step in filling that void. It is a nuts-and-bolts guide for filmmakers who want to take control of their own destiny and create a strategy that works for their specific film. Each section and the chapters therein address an essential aspect of distribution and marketing and give specific techniques for independent filmmakers to release their films in today’s marketplace. It is designed as a first step to develop a series of best practices for filmmakers and other visual media content creators wishing to distribute and market their work.

What I think is more important than a distribution and marketing manual, though, is that the book serves as a first step to reconceptualizing the way we think about creating and distributing visual media content throughout the world. Some of the most exciting techniques in here, such as transmedia, refer to a new way telling stories that a few forward-thinking filmmakers are already experimenting with. These new ways of storytelling will not only help filmmakers get their work out to new audiences, but will expand their creative horizons as well. This book is about connecting filmmakers with audiences and creating long-term relationships with them. It is about thinking outside the box in terms of form and content. It is about new storytelling techniques that make sense for new modes of distribution. It is about embracing the changes in our industry that are facing us all — and using them to spur new creativity.
MY HOPES FOR THE BOOK

My first hope is that the ideas and opinions expressed in this book will cause you to think differently about how you can connect your film to its audience.

My second hope is that you will then use this book to create a strategy to make your film (and career) a success, whatever you define that success to be.

My third hope is that the book contains the practical advice necessary to put that strategy into practice.

My fourth hope is that this book will help you see how new forms of storytelling, distribution, and marketing can expand your creative horizons.

Think Outside the Box Office
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Ted Hope p7
Introduction p11
Genesis/Methodology/Evolution p15
Who the Book is Written For p19
How to Use this Book/A Note on DIY p21
Acknowledgments p23

SECTION 1 – GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER 1 Your Film, Your Needs, Your Audience p29
CHAPTER 2 Your Resources: The New 50/50 p37
CHAPTER 3 Overview of Rights, Markets and Windows p45
CHAPTER 4 Creating Your Strategy p53
CHAPTER 5 Building Your Team p61

SECTION 2 – PREPARING FOR DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING BEFORE YOU FINISH YOUR FILM
CHAPTER 6 Rethinking Marketing p75
CHAPTER 7 Art vs. Commerce p79
CHAPTER 8 Preparing Conventional Distribution and Marketing Materials During Prep, Production, and Post p85
CHAPTER 9 Your Website p93
CHAPTER 10 Increasing, Cultivating, And Partnering With Your Audience p107
CHAPTER 11 Utilizing Social Networks p115
CHAPTER 12 An Introduction To Transmedia p127

SECTION 3 – LIVE EVENTS/THEATRICAL
CHAPTER 13 Redefining The Theatrical Experience p133
CHAPTER 14 Film Festivals and Your Distribution Strategy p137
CHAPTER 15 Conventional Theatrical p149
CHAPTER 16 DIY Theatrical p161
CHAPTER 17 Creating A Live Event Experience p171
CHAPTER 18 Booking Non-, Semi-, And Alternative Theatrical – An Introduction To Grassroots/Community Screenings p181
CHAPTER 19 Budgeting Distribution And Marketing p197

SECTION 4 – MARKETING AND PUBLICITY
CHAPTER 20 Conventional Publicity .p213
CHAPTER 21 Creating Publicity Materials And Events p219
CHAPTER 22 Pushing Content On The Web p229
CHAPTER 23 Direct Web Marketing Basics p235
CHAPTER 24 Transmedia, Part 2 p243

SECTION 5 – MERCHANDISE
CHAPTER 25 Working With A DVD Distributor p251
CHAPTER 26 DVD DIY p257
CHAPTER 27 Educational Sales p265
CHAPTER 28 Merchandising p275

SECTION 6 – DIGITAL RIGHTS
CHAPTER 29 Redefining Digital Rights p283
CHAPTER 30 Television/Cable p289
CHAPTER 31 An Introduction To Digital Rights p295
CHAPTER 32 Selling Your Digital Rights p305
CHAPTER 33 Digital Rights Outlets p315
CHAPTER 34 DIY Digital Rights p325

SECTION 7 – FOREIGN SALES
CHAPTER 35 Conventional Foreign Sales p331
CHAPTER 36 Hybrid Foreign Sales p337

SECTION 8 – SANITY AND THE FUTURE
CHAPTER 37 Keeping Sane p343
CHAPTER 38 The Future p347
APPENDIX Advice From Filmmakers p350