DIY DAYS - fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain

DIY Liveblog :: The Realities of DIY

There’s been much discussion about the democratization of the tools but what’s really involved in taking your film from a concept to something an audience will pay to see? How can you fight your way through the clutter and what are the pitfalls to avoid when you decide to go it on your own?

Discussion Leader: Mark Stolaroff (producer and founder of the No Budget Film School)
- Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters)
- Ondi Timoner (DiG, Join Us, We Live in Public)
- M dot Strange (We Are the Strange)
- Hunter Weeks (10 MPH and 10 YARDS)

• Once you have your product and you’ve put years into it, its your baby and its not going anywhere. It’s out in the world, and sometimes the public needs to catch up to what you’ve already made.
• 10 Yards has a distribution deal with a sandwich shop with 5,000 locations to help with distribution (and CBS Sports, and Crocs)
• Work with brands to get money ad spread the word
• The secret to a core audience is an audience that doesn’t give a s**t how good it is. (i.e., fantasy football)
• M dot Strange’s next film is funded off the dvd sales off of his last film
• You can’t really have a day job and be a filmmaker. Be focused and not scattershot.
• Wanted to make a documentary as compelling as a feature. Filmed the story unfold.
• You have to be as dedicated to their lives as they are when doing a documentary. Then they start to trust you.
• Its actually a challenge to live a normal life while you’re working on a film.
• Your first feature is your film school. You’re never going to feel ready. You’re not supposed to feel ready, just get out there and do it.
• Trying to make a really great film is hard core, but it is key to learn to making.
• Technology is so great. Once you learn the technology then you can focus on your vision and not let the technical stuff get in the way.
• Some films get too hung up on the traditional model and when that doesn’t happen they loose sight of trying to reach their audience themselves
• Its time to stop expecting to sell your films to large distributors
• You should be selling dvds at your festival screenings
• know if the festival will have a big enough pay off to make going worthwhile
• You need momentum to keep going and know that you’re on the right path
• You’re going to get a lot of rejections from festivals. You can’t let rejection hurt your momentum.
• It was much more rewarding to screen our movie for our own audience that we set up, than for festival audiences
• Festivals are good for getting recognition in “the business,” but if you’re doing it just to make films then they do nothing for you
• I saw the sales go up in the areas where I screened at a regional festival, its a great way to reach niche geographical audiences. Interacting with them was so rewarding.
• Don’t pay the submission fees. The likelihood of rejection is just too great.
• With 10 Yards the dvd came out before the theatrical tour. We were just trying to get as much as we could at the right time.
• People love to interact with you after the screenings. Its a great time to sell dvds.
• Split deal with the house - you split the sales money with the theater instead of having a flat fee
• You can fill up the house for the night instead of the three people that would have shown up for the major studio release
• build an impression and create your won story to help your distribution
• 10 MPH DIY manual
• if your product is available people will naturally gravitate towards it. Find as many distribution channels as possible.
• Capture audience information and find ways to use them in the future. Emails, subscribe to a myspace blog, blogs, RSS, twitter
• For emails make people feel like their address makes a difference. More likely to screen in their area, etc.
• people will one day be able to favorite content creators like they do on Netflix but on a world wide level using the whole internet
• utilize new technology to interact with your audience