FILM DISTRIBUTION

CHECKLIST
Make Your Movie Now! ™

Jason Brubaker
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This eBook is designed to provide information on modern film distribution. It is sold with the
understanding that the author or publisher is not providing tax, accounting, legal, investment,
business or other professional advice. Filmmaking is risky.

While the process of making movies can be fun, filmmaking can be detrimental to your life,
well-being and your savings account.

The information in this eBook is meant to supplement, not replace, proper filmmaking
training. Like any business involving money, employees, personal and professional liability
and emotions, Filmmaking poses inherent risks.

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this book was correct at press time, the information contained herein is limited. This book is
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Modern Film Distribution
M y name is Jason Brubaker. I am a Los Angeles based film distribution executive. And before
I got into the business of film distribution, I was out on the festival circuit trying to sell
our first feature film…

Just like you, I honestly hoped our film would get a great distribution deal and a big
fat check. But that did not happen. We got some offers. But the offers were not good.
Because a good deal pays money.

Back in those days (which weren’t too long ago), the only alternative to this distribution
model was self-distribution. And if you remember, the term itself was synonymous
with “loser.” If you couldn’t land a REAL distribution deal, then you were not a real
filmmaker.

Like many filmmakers, I was tempted to sign away our rights in exchange forno money and the validation
that comes when you tell other filmmakers “we got a deal!” But taking a crappy deal would have been a
terrible business decision.

So instead of giving away our film to some second-rate distribution company, we decided to try selling our
film ourselves. Keep in mind this was a few years ago when popular stores like iTunes, Amazon, Hulu,
Google Play, Netflix and others were just starting out…

I didn’t realize it then, but the idea of leveraging some simple internet marketing strategies (so you could
traffic to video on demand platforms) was the start of something huge.

Since then, I’ve not only shared my experience with hundreds of indie filmmakers, but I’ve gone on to
actually work for several traditional film distribution companies. And this experience has served to further
reinforced my worldview…

You Do Not Need A Distributor To Get Distribution

Advances in VOD distribution means you no longer need a distributor to get distribution.
While these opportunities are exciting, nobody knows (not even major Hollywood studios)
how a film will perform in the marketplace. With this in mind, you can still increase the
probability for success with proper planning. Take time to answer the following questions:

1. What is my financial goal for this motion picture product?

2. How many units do I need to sell to reach this goal?
3. What is my promotional plan for selling my film?
Let me put this another way. There is opportunity if you’re willing to do the work. But most filmmakers are
NOT willing to do the work. Most filmmakers would rather sign their movie over to a distributor and “hope”
the distributor can make success happen. But you and I both know this rarely happens. You owe it to
yourself and your investors to explore all options and come up with a solid marketing and distribution plan…
A film distribution plan that YOU control.

I created the following film distribution checklist to help you navigate the modern film distribution landscape.
In full transparency, some of the companies, products and services mentioned below are affiliates. And
while I don’t recommend anything I haven’t personally researched, I may get some sort of compensation in
exchange for the mention. You are not obligated to purchase any product or service recommended here.

Now with the introduction out of the way, the following checklist breaks the film distribution process into
twenty-five easy to follow steps.So if you gain at least ONE useful film distribution strategy, then we can
both be happy.

FILM DISTRIBUTION
 CHECKLIST
Define your target audience. Who are you trying
to attract? For example, a mid-western soccer
mom who loves faith based romantic comedies will

1 probably not be interested in watching a zombie

slasher movie. And the vegan who loves eating
a plant-based diet will probably not enjoy a paleo
documentary. Who is your ideal viewer? And
where do your ideal viewers congregate online?

Branding is the marketing equivalent of matching Get your movie selling as a digital rental and purchase

2 your belt with your shoes. Don’t make your

marketing complicated. Make sure your colors,
logos, posters and fonts look professional. And make
8 via a flat fee for service aggregator. A flat fee for
service aggregator can get your film into hard-to-
reach marketplaces without the need for a traditional
sure you hire a graphic designer to do this stuff. distribution deal.

Got a movie website? If not, create a website When it comes to video-on-demand distribution,

3 9
for your film. When you reserve your hosting, a
domain name is usually included. When it comes
to hosting, I used Bluehost successfully for
many sites. Here’s my affiliate link for Bluehost.
a common release strategy involves launching in
this order: Transactional VOD (TVOD) and then
Subscription VOD (SVOD). This is called windowing.
Releasing in this order helps you maximize revenue.

Your trailer is the most important promotional tool.

Keep your movie website simple. Don’t include
anything more than a logo, some testimonials, 10 Upload your trailer to YouTube as well as other,
popular social sites. Make sure your trailer mentions

4
a trailer, a buy now button (that redirect to your your website.
visitors to your film listing on iTunes, Amazon,
and Google Play) andan opt-in form… Maybe an Write press releases for your film. Include back

11
about page and some social media icons. But that links to your site. Send the release out via one
is it. Anything additional will cut down on sales. of the reputable online press release submission
sites. In addition to this, make sure to pitch
dozens of magazine editors and journalists.
Speaking of your opt-in form… Getting people to
subscribe to your email list is essential. An opt-

5 in form allows you to do this. To set up an opt-

in form, use a professional email service. I used
Aweber for years and it is simple and powerful.
Here’s my affiliate link to register for Aweber.
12
Join online forums related to your market. Create a
profile, complete with a signature link to your website.
Whenever you join a conversation, you’ll automatically
share links.

You need a marketable hook for your movie. In an Just because you’re in a forum doesn’t mean

6
overly saturated market full of similar films competing
for attention, what makes your film unique? Do you
have any name actor? Does your film fit into
13 people care aboutyou. Only join where you canadd
value. Otherwise, you run the risk of being branded
as a spammer.
a popular genre? Is your story controversial?
If the idea of contributing to forum conversations
Answer these questions ASAP: What is your financial annoys you, then just pay for advertising on the

7 goal for the film? How many units do you need to

sell to reach your goal? And how will you make
this happen?
14 site. The point is to increase awareness of your
film and get prospective audience members to
click over to your site, and join your mailing list.
 Create a Facebook page, a Twitter profile Compare your movie website visitors to the amount of

15 and an Instagram account. Optimize social

sites to drive visitors back to your website
(so you can get more email subscribers.)
21
sales. This will help you find your website conversion
rate. Example: If you drive 100 visitors to a buy now
button and get 3 sales, then your conversion rate is 3%.

Engagement is all about joining the

16 conversation and asking questions. Ask “fill

in the blank” questions for engagement.
One example: Film distribution is ________.
22
Reinvest money into advertising. Hire someone who
has a proven track record in Pay Per Click advertising.
Many of these professionals will work for a percentage
of sales.

17
Have your webmaster put icons on your
site so people can share your film on social
networking sites.
Sales will level off after time. When this happens,

18
If you have a marketing budget, purchase
some offline advertising in publications related
to your movie. These could be magazine and
newspaper ads.
23
find other filmmakers with a movie aimed at
the same audience. Ask these filmmakers
to promote your movie. You may find that
many are willing to promote, for acommission.

The purpose of your film website is to get Find reasons to get featured in the local news.

19 targeted visitors to watch your movie trailer

and click the BUY NOW button. Any pages
that distract from this goal must be deleted.
24
For example, if some scenes in your movie were
produced in certain towns – Reach out to news
outlets in those towns. If it’s a slow week, you could
get a lot of coverage.

Maximize exposure in TVOD platforms like Continually increase your education. Film distribution

20 iTunes, Amazon, Google Play by getting as

many sales as possible in the first two days.
This helps you rise in the sales rankings.
25
changes rapidly. You’ll want to talk to successful
filmmakers, get new ideas and continually improve
your skills.

ATTENTION!!!
This checklist is just the beginning.
Want some more info on film
distribution?
Access my Sell Your Movie System!
www.HowToSellYourMovie.com