Ignore these Film Distribution Myths

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons As you keep making inroads into the film businesses, one of the greatest challenges you’ll face is film distribution. You might be great at filmmaking, but, distribution happens to be a completely different ball game. As a new filmmaker, you have hopes and often those hopes can make you a little gullible, especially with regard to distribution. This further leads you into a phase where you start to believe certain myths. Well, we wouldn’t want that to happen to you. So, we listed out a few common myths that you’re likely to come across about film distribution. If you do, please ignore them. It’s the producer’s job to bother with distribution Yes, it is the producer’s job to handle distribution. However, that does not mean you have no role to play. The cold hard truth at the end of the day is that filmmaking is a business like any other. You sell what people want, they will buy it. So, it is important that you make a film with the audience in mind, especially if you’re looking for monetary success. Of course, that doesn’t mean you give up on quality. It only means that you have to focus on the selling factor as well. A good example of a successful indie film would be the Blair Witch Project. The creators understood what really clicks and that definitely helped with the distribution. A distributor just called. They want my movie! A call from a distributor doesn’t mean your movie is going to be a blockbuster. Mining the film world for prospective hits is what distributors do. They’re only looking for something that will earn them a buck. They are very rarely film connoisseurs who understand what you’re doing. If you want success, submit your film to film festivals. This is where your film’s fate will be decided. If things go well, then, you can talk to the distributors. My film made it into a major film festival Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons There are tons of movies that make it to film festivals, but, very few of them succeed. A film festival isn’t the pinnacle of filmmaking success. It is closer to being a testing ground. It’s like qualifying for the final round of a game show. You only win if you actually make it through the final round. The distribution deal comes after that. So, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.