THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #13
08/09/10
BUILDING
AN ARMY OF ANGELS
Crowdfunding has exploded. More and more filmmakers are raising money through online donations.
In the early days of crowdfunding, only a few independents managed to raise money for individual projects directly from their websites. Then two new web platforms were created (IndieGoGo and Kickstarter) that made crowdfunding accessible far and wide.
Few projects have more to teach
filmmakers than ROBIN WRITES A
BOOK, which
was selected by the Kickstarter staff as the best
project of 2009. It shows how crowdfunding can be
used to launch a project, raise money, and build
audience.
Robin Sloan decided to write and self-publish his first novella and launched a Kickstarter campaign to make it possible. His approach had four key elements:
• A COMPELLING PROJECT – His novella tells the story of a Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century – a woman who investigates the digital and the occult and looks like a cross between Tilda Swinton and Carmen Sandiego.
• ENTICING REWARDS – Starting with real bargains such as $1 for a digital download of the book (the “Ultimate Ninja Ally Pack”) and $11 for a physical copy, Robin makes it fun and easy for people to donate. Other reward levels include the “Sincerity Pack” and the “Super Occult Value Pack.”
• A PERSUASIVE PITCH VIDEO – Robin’s smart and funny pitch is irresistible. Check out his “Creator’s Guide to Video” to learn his production secrets.
• TARGETED OUTREACH – Robin began by reaching out to his inner circle of friends, family, and colleagues. Then he targeted a second circle of people who read his blog or followed him on Twitter. These people then spread the word to a third concentric circle. Ultimately 75% of his donors were people he had never met.
After the initial positive feedback, Robin “doubled down” and during the second month spent “more than full time” on the campaign. His hard work and charming persona paid off, enabling him to exceed his goals across the board:
• MONEY – Starting with a goal of $3,500, he ultimately raised $13,942 in pledges (of which Kickstarter kept 5% and Amazon Payments took another 3%). This money enabled him to publish and distribute the book.
• BACKERS – Even more important than the money he raised were the 570 backers he attracted to the project. In the short-run, backers can help a project in many ways beyond their financial contributions. In the long-run, the goal is to turn backers into a posse of patrons who will support future projects.
• AUDIENCE – Most backers opted into Robin’s email list, which has the cleverest opt-in sequence I’ve ever seen. Many of them also joined Robin’s Twitter following, which is now over 200,000 strong.
Although this was Robin’s
first crowdfunding campaign, it surely won’t
be his last. He learned that one of the most
important benefits of crowdfunding is that
“it forces you to think in terms of having
an audience before you have a thing.” He
believes that when you are starting out,
“obscurity is your greatest enemy. The
single biggest challenge is how to get your work
in front of people.” He also learned the
importance of giving people the opportunity to
make creative contributions. He not only made
ANNABEL SCHEME available under a Creative Commons
license, which permits readers to remix the book,
he also created a fund to finance the best remix
proposals.
Crowdfunding enabled Robin to build what he calls his “army of angels” – a band of hard-core supporters and evangelists. ANNABEL SCHEME is now available as a free download from his website. It has already been downloaded tens of thousands of times and continues to attract more recruits to his army.
Are you ready to start building your army of angels?
Crowdfunding has exploded. More and more filmmakers are raising money through online donations.
In the early days of crowdfunding, only a few independents managed to raise money for individual projects directly from their websites. Then two new web platforms were created (IndieGoGo and Kickstarter) that made crowdfunding accessible far and wide.
Robin Sloan decided to write and self-publish his first novella and launched a Kickstarter campaign to make it possible. His approach had four key elements:
• A COMPELLING PROJECT – His novella tells the story of a Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century – a woman who investigates the digital and the occult and looks like a cross between Tilda Swinton and Carmen Sandiego.
• ENTICING REWARDS – Starting with real bargains such as $1 for a digital download of the book (the “Ultimate Ninja Ally Pack”) and $11 for a physical copy, Robin makes it fun and easy for people to donate. Other reward levels include the “Sincerity Pack” and the “Super Occult Value Pack.”
• A PERSUASIVE PITCH VIDEO – Robin’s smart and funny pitch is irresistible. Check out his “Creator’s Guide to Video” to learn his production secrets.
• TARGETED OUTREACH – Robin began by reaching out to his inner circle of friends, family, and colleagues. Then he targeted a second circle of people who read his blog or followed him on Twitter. These people then spread the word to a third concentric circle. Ultimately 75% of his donors were people he had never met.
After the initial positive feedback, Robin “doubled down” and during the second month spent “more than full time” on the campaign. His hard work and charming persona paid off, enabling him to exceed his goals across the board:
• MONEY – Starting with a goal of $3,500, he ultimately raised $13,942 in pledges (of which Kickstarter kept 5% and Amazon Payments took another 3%). This money enabled him to publish and distribute the book.
• BACKERS – Even more important than the money he raised were the 570 backers he attracted to the project. In the short-run, backers can help a project in many ways beyond their financial contributions. In the long-run, the goal is to turn backers into a posse of patrons who will support future projects.
• AUDIENCE – Most backers opted into Robin’s email list, which has the cleverest opt-in sequence I’ve ever seen. Many of them also joined Robin’s Twitter following, which is now over 200,000 strong.
Crowdfunding enabled Robin to build what he calls his “army of angels” – a band of hard-core supporters and evangelists. ANNABEL SCHEME is now available as a free download from his website. It has already been downloaded tens of thousands of times and continues to attract more recruits to his army.
Are you ready to start building your army of angels?
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #12
06/15/10
MAXIMIZING
IMPACT
Many filmmakers aspire to change the world; Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers actually have. In just two years LIONESS, the film they co-directed, has raised awareness of a critical issue, catalyzed action by activists and officials, and helped launch major legislation. LIONESS revealed for the first time the role women soldiers were playing in direct ground combat in Iraq, and powerfully portrayed what happened when our country’s first generation of female combat veterans returned home.
Meg
and Daria decided to make the documentary after
discovering that Team Lioness, a group of female
support soldiers, was fighting beside men in some
of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles in
Iraq. They learned that the official U.S. policy
banning female soldiers from serving in direct
ground combat was being violated on a regular
basis. These women had not received as much
training as male soldiers and were not eligible
for the same VA disability benefits.
The LIONESS distribution strategy grew organically from the film itself. Determined not to preach to the choir or alienate large segments of the potential audience, the filmmakers presented the problem without prescribing solutions or taking a position on the war. This enabled an Inside-Outside approach in which government institutions (including the VA and the Department of Defense), members of Congress, and veterans service organizations could all use the film.
LIONESS is a model of hybrid distribution. Operating with a real sense of urgency and determined to maximize impact, Meg and Daria combined a short festival window with a national television broadcast and a major nontheatrical screening campaign. Their U.S. festival premiere was at Full Frame in April 2008, followed by Tribeca. They launched their nontheatrical screening blitz two months later at the National Summit of Women Veterans’ Issues in Washington, D.C. Following ITVS community screenings in fifty cities, LIONESS aired on public television’s Independent Lens in honor of Veterans Day.
The nontheatrical screening campaign has been critically important. The filmmakers didn’t waste a minute or a dollar on a theatrical release. Instead of losing money in every city because theatrical costs usually exceed revenues, they made money from nontheatrical rentals and speaking fees. Instead of struggling to attract audiences suffering from Iraq war movie fatigue to theaters, they did special event screenings with partners (including the VA and veterans services organizations) that connected LIONESS with its core audiences of soldiers, veterans, military families, and healthcare providers. Screenings were usually followed by substantive discussions. Instead of playing in empty theaters, there often weren’t enough chairs.
Meg and Daria decided to do their own educational distribution because they had developed good relationships with stakeholder organizations and the government institutions responsible for policy and post-war care. They have been extremely successful, selling more than four hundred copies to VA facilities and over seventy-five copies to Vet Clinics, in addition to sales to colleges, libraries, and other organizations. The filmmakers retained the rights to sell DVDs to individuals from their websites and at screenings, and made a deal with New Video to handle their retail DVD and digital distribution.
Press and outreach were key to the success of LIONESS. The New York Times did a piece about LIONESS and then asked Meg and Daria to create a video op-ed for the paper’s website. They were interviewed on Talk of the Nation and other NPR shows, as well as the BBC. The film was also featured on the CBS Evening News and on CNN’s American Morning. The filmmakers became credible sources for the press, enabling them to help shape coverage of military women.
The
outreach effort was also very effective. The
screening at the National Summit on Women
Veterans’ Issues generated a flood of
screening requests and fostered key partnerships
with the 1.2 million member Disabled American Veterans
as
well as the VA’s Center for Women
Veterans and
its state affiliates. The screening of a
twenty-minute excerpt of LIONESS on Capitol Hill
catalyzed various efforts in Congress that led to
the legislation that President Obama signed on May
5, 2010. This law will significantly improve health
care for women veterans.
VA facilities across the country are using LIONESS as a training tool. Rural health care providers are being trained with a Lioness Media Resiliency Package. The Department of Defense has now acknowledged for the first time the role women are playing in combat.
Meg and Daria have just released, Cultivating Change: Lioness Impact Report. It explains what they did, how they did it, and the lessons they learned. The report can be very helpful when designing distribution, press, and outreach strategies. They will gladly send you a free copy if you email them at info@lionessthefilm.com.
Their film has already made a real difference. Your film can too.
Many filmmakers aspire to change the world; Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers actually have. In just two years LIONESS, the film they co-directed, has raised awareness of a critical issue, catalyzed action by activists and officials, and helped launch major legislation. LIONESS revealed for the first time the role women soldiers were playing in direct ground combat in Iraq, and powerfully portrayed what happened when our country’s first generation of female combat veterans returned home.
The LIONESS distribution strategy grew organically from the film itself. Determined not to preach to the choir or alienate large segments of the potential audience, the filmmakers presented the problem without prescribing solutions or taking a position on the war. This enabled an Inside-Outside approach in which government institutions (including the VA and the Department of Defense), members of Congress, and veterans service organizations could all use the film.
LIONESS is a model of hybrid distribution. Operating with a real sense of urgency and determined to maximize impact, Meg and Daria combined a short festival window with a national television broadcast and a major nontheatrical screening campaign. Their U.S. festival premiere was at Full Frame in April 2008, followed by Tribeca. They launched their nontheatrical screening blitz two months later at the National Summit of Women Veterans’ Issues in Washington, D.C. Following ITVS community screenings in fifty cities, LIONESS aired on public television’s Independent Lens in honor of Veterans Day.
The nontheatrical screening campaign has been critically important. The filmmakers didn’t waste a minute or a dollar on a theatrical release. Instead of losing money in every city because theatrical costs usually exceed revenues, they made money from nontheatrical rentals and speaking fees. Instead of struggling to attract audiences suffering from Iraq war movie fatigue to theaters, they did special event screenings with partners (including the VA and veterans services organizations) that connected LIONESS with its core audiences of soldiers, veterans, military families, and healthcare providers. Screenings were usually followed by substantive discussions. Instead of playing in empty theaters, there often weren’t enough chairs.
Meg and Daria decided to do their own educational distribution because they had developed good relationships with stakeholder organizations and the government institutions responsible for policy and post-war care. They have been extremely successful, selling more than four hundred copies to VA facilities and over seventy-five copies to Vet Clinics, in addition to sales to colleges, libraries, and other organizations. The filmmakers retained the rights to sell DVDs to individuals from their websites and at screenings, and made a deal with New Video to handle their retail DVD and digital distribution.
Press and outreach were key to the success of LIONESS. The New York Times did a piece about LIONESS and then asked Meg and Daria to create a video op-ed for the paper’s website. They were interviewed on Talk of the Nation and other NPR shows, as well as the BBC. The film was also featured on the CBS Evening News and on CNN’s American Morning. The filmmakers became credible sources for the press, enabling them to help shape coverage of military women.
VA facilities across the country are using LIONESS as a training tool. Rural health care providers are being trained with a Lioness Media Resiliency Package. The Department of Defense has now acknowledged for the first time the role women are playing in combat.
Meg and Daria have just released, Cultivating Change: Lioness Impact Report. It explains what they did, how they did it, and the lessons they learned. The report can be very helpful when designing distribution, press, and outreach strategies. They will gladly send you a free copy if you email them at info@lionessthefilm.com.
Their film has already made a real difference. Your film can too.
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #11
12/15/09
WE HAVE NO
SECRETS
THE COSMONAUT
shows
how movies can be made in the New Worlds of
financing and distribution. Although the project is
still ramping up, the filmmakers have already
developed a provocative new paradigm.
This sci-fi feature is being made by the Madrid-based Riot Cinema Collective, which began producing “subversive media” in 2007. Three 22 year-old filmmakers (Nicolás Alcalá, Carola Rodríguez, and Bruno Teixidor) and their 27 year-old head of communications (Gabriela Lendo) make up the collective. For their first feature, they took on an ambitious project that stands out online because of its unique content and distinctive graphics. It is the tale of a Russian cosmonaut, lost in space, who sends mysterious messages claiming he returned to earth and found it deserted.
Riot Cinema launched the project online with a rich and engaging website that includes the script, and an “aesthetic dossier.” It also features an irresistible video that conveys the vision, spirit, and creativity of the project in under 4 minutes. This video demonstrates the brilliant use the collective is making of online media to spread the word, raise money, and build an audience.
THE
COSMONAUT already has over 1400 producers and
counting. Anyone can become a producer by spending
at least 2 Euros at the online store. There is
also a growing group of investors who will receive
a share of the profits for investments of 1000
Euros or more.
While the 600,000 Euro budget is being raised, a team of more than 35 people is already working gratis on the film. The energy and enthusiasm of this Wild Bunch is captured in their team video. They’ve already scouted locations in Star City (where Russia’s cosmonauts were trained), begun casting, and designed posters. They’re also engaging other musicians and designers through competitions and events.
The collective has devised a radical distribution strategy to attract attention, generate good will, and build community. THE COSMONAUT will be distributed for free online in HD. It will also be released in theaters, on TV, and on DVD at the same time. Even more radically, the film will be made under a “share alike” Creative Commons license that will allow anyone to edit, copy, remix, and distribute versions of the film. Rather than fearing piracy, the collective is welcoming the creative engagement of people across the web.
THE COSMONAUT is a trailblazing project worth following. The filmmakers are committed to transparency and are making full production and financial details available online. They proudly proclaim “we have no secrets.”
Their latest video won the INVI Awards for Audiovisual Innovation. If you watch it you may be powerless to resist becoming a producer. It only costs 2 Euros and could help you see the future of distribution on Earth.
===========================================================================
Jon
Reiss’ new book, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
OFFICE, contains a wealth of valuable information
and insights on state-of-the-art distribution. I
consulted with Jon on BOMB IT and was impressed by
the savvy way he brought his movie into the world.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE presents all that he
learned in the trenches, plus the expertise of
leading distribution pioneers. Read it and take
control of your distribution.
If you know you want to purchase the book, you can click here and buy it at a discount. If you need more information or want to learn about the free gifts that come with it, click here. For an additional discount (valid through December 18th), use coupon code “THANK YOU.”
===========================================================================
This sci-fi feature is being made by the Madrid-based Riot Cinema Collective, which began producing “subversive media” in 2007. Three 22 year-old filmmakers (Nicolás Alcalá, Carola Rodríguez, and Bruno Teixidor) and their 27 year-old head of communications (Gabriela Lendo) make up the collective. For their first feature, they took on an ambitious project that stands out online because of its unique content and distinctive graphics. It is the tale of a Russian cosmonaut, lost in space, who sends mysterious messages claiming he returned to earth and found it deserted.
Riot Cinema launched the project online with a rich and engaging website that includes the script, and an “aesthetic dossier.” It also features an irresistible video that conveys the vision, spirit, and creativity of the project in under 4 minutes. This video demonstrates the brilliant use the collective is making of online media to spread the word, raise money, and build an audience.
While the 600,000 Euro budget is being raised, a team of more than 35 people is already working gratis on the film. The energy and enthusiasm of this Wild Bunch is captured in their team video. They’ve already scouted locations in Star City (where Russia’s cosmonauts were trained), begun casting, and designed posters. They’re also engaging other musicians and designers through competitions and events.
The collective has devised a radical distribution strategy to attract attention, generate good will, and build community. THE COSMONAUT will be distributed for free online in HD. It will also be released in theaters, on TV, and on DVD at the same time. Even more radically, the film will be made under a “share alike” Creative Commons license that will allow anyone to edit, copy, remix, and distribute versions of the film. Rather than fearing piracy, the collective is welcoming the creative engagement of people across the web.
THE COSMONAUT is a trailblazing project worth following. The filmmakers are committed to transparency and are making full production and financial details available online. They proudly proclaim “we have no secrets.”
Their latest video won the INVI Awards for Audiovisual Innovation. If you watch it you may be powerless to resist becoming a producer. It only costs 2 Euros and could help you see the future of distribution on Earth.
===========================================================================
If you know you want to purchase the book, you can click here and buy it at a discount. If you need more information or want to learn about the free gifts that come with it, click here. For an additional discount (valid through December 18th), use coupon code “THANK YOU.”
===========================================================================
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #10
06/23/09
SOCIAL
FILMMAKING
5,504 miles from Hollywood in Tampere, Finland, five “students and unemployed people” began reinventing moviemaking out of sheer necessity. Lacking the experience and resources to make STAR WRECK: IN THE PIRKINNING their ambitious sci-fi parody, they built a vibrant global community around the production, demonstrating the power of what they call “social filmmaking.” Read More...
5,504 miles from Hollywood in Tampere, Finland, five “students and unemployed people” began reinventing moviemaking out of sheer necessity. Lacking the experience and resources to make STAR WRECK: IN THE PIRKINNING their ambitious sci-fi parody, they built a vibrant global community around the production, demonstrating the power of what they call “social filmmaking.” Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #9
03/10/09
CROWD-FUNDING
In her quest to change the world, Franny Armstrong has already changed how films can be funded. She designed an innovative “crowd-funding” strategy that has raised over $1 million dollars--£590,000 for the production and distribution of her new feature THE AGE OF STUPID and £164,321 for the Not Stupid social action campaign. A documentary/fiction hybrid, THE AGE OF STUPID is set in the “devastated world of 2055,” where a lone archivist (played by Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) views footage from 2008 and asks “why we didn’t stop climate change when we had the chance.” Read More...
In her quest to change the world, Franny Armstrong has already changed how films can be funded. She designed an innovative “crowd-funding” strategy that has raised over $1 million dollars--£590,000 for the production and distribution of her new feature THE AGE OF STUPID and £164,321 for the Not Stupid social action campaign. A documentary/fiction hybrid, THE AGE OF STUPID is set in the “devastated world of 2055,” where a lone archivist (played by Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) views footage from 2008 and asks “why we didn’t stop climate change when we had the chance.” Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #8
08/21/08
JILL'S
NEXT RECORD
Jill Sobule is as irresistible online as she is on stage. Her persona on the web is so distinctive and compelling that she’s been able to finance her new album with $85,000 in online contributions. Jill is a singer/songwriter whose music is a unique blend of the deeply personal, the socially conscious, and the slyly satirical. Her provocative 1995 hit single “I Kissed a Girl” was the first song with overtly gay content ever played on Top 40 radio, and the hit MTV music video is now a classic. Read More...
Jill Sobule is as irresistible online as she is on stage. Her persona on the web is so distinctive and compelling that she’s been able to finance her new album with $85,000 in online contributions. Jill is a singer/songwriter whose music is a unique blend of the deeply personal, the socially conscious, and the slyly satirical. Her provocative 1995 hit single “I Kissed a Girl” was the first song with overtly gay content ever played on Top 40 radio, and the hit MTV music video is now a classic. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #7
06/16/08
DISTRIBUTION
TRANSFORMED
BusinessWeek posted an illuminating feature, “Indie Filmmakers Hit Their Target,” analyzing how independents are taking control of their own marketing and distribution. The article explores “the transformation of the film industry” and documents how filmmakers are “skipping [conventional] deals and using the Internet to get their stories in front of people who want to hear them.” The website also includes a useful slideshow with commentary. Read More...
BusinessWeek posted an illuminating feature, “Indie Filmmakers Hit Their Target,” analyzing how independents are taking control of their own marketing and distribution. The article explores “the transformation of the film industry” and documents how filmmakers are “skipping [conventional] deals and using the Internet to get their stories in front of people who want to hear them.” The website also includes a useful slideshow with commentary. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #6
04/04/08
TRUE FANS
AND TRUE FILMS
Every independent filmmaker should be building and nurturing a core personal audience. The bigger and more loyal the audience, the greater the revenues and creative freedom for the filmmaker. Read More...
Every independent filmmaker should be building and nurturing a core personal audience. The bigger and more loyal the audience, the greater the revenues and creative freedom for the filmmaker. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #5
01/11/08
LEARNING
FROM RADIOHEAD
\
After liberating
themselves from a traditional record deal,
Radiohead took control of their
distribution. They are now gleefully reinventing it.
They launched their new album, IN RAINBOWS, online,
selling it exclusively from their website for the
first two months. Anyone anywhere in the world could
download the album and pay whatever he or she
wanted. It is estimated that Radiohead netted almost
$3 million from digital downloads off their site.
Radiohead received 100% of these revenues (rather
than a 10-15% royalty) and had the opportunity to
collect buyers' email addresses for future marketing
and sales. Read
More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #4
09/05/07
CREATIVE
DISTRIBUTION
Filmmakers who control their distribution can be as creative bringing their films into the world as they are making them. Arin Crumley and Susan Buice are the poster couple for distribution as a creative act. Read More...
Filmmakers who control their distribution can be as creative bringing their films into the world as they are making them. Arin Crumley and Susan Buice are the poster couple for distribution as a creative act. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #3
06/11/07
BUILDING A
PERSONAL AUDIENCE
Aspiring to be a superstar? Trying to connect with your fans? Determined to build a core audience? Make it happen online. Create direct relationships with viewers around the world and turn them into loyal supporters of your work. Read More...
Aspiring to be a superstar? Trying to connect with your fans? Determined to build a core audience? Make it happen online. Create direct relationships with viewers around the world and turn them into loyal supporters of your work. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #2
04/23/07
HARNESSING
USER CONTRIBUTED CONTENT
It’s not a secret weapon. It’s so powerful that sites ranging from Wikipedia to Ebay couldn’t exist without it. I emphasize its importance every time I do a presentation and talk about it with all of my clients. But “user contributed content” is hard to define and harder to understand. Read More...
It’s not a secret weapon. It’s so powerful that sites ranging from Wikipedia to Ebay couldn’t exist without it. I emphasize its importance every time I do a presentation and talk about it with all of my clients. But “user contributed content” is hard to define and harder to understand. Read More...
THE DISTRIBUTION BULLETIN ISSUE #1
04/10/07
LONG LIVE
DIGIMART!
I want to devote my first mailing to Digimart, the remarkable global summit that brought together digital distribution leaders from around the world. They came from China, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Brazil, as well as across Europe and North America, to share the lessons learned on the cutting edge of film and video distribution. Read More...
I want to devote my first mailing to Digimart, the remarkable global summit that brought together digital distribution leaders from around the world. They came from China, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Brazil, as well as across Europe and North America, to share the lessons learned on the cutting edge of film and video distribution. Read More...