Filmmaking - Distribution

1. Go the Festival Route and try to get picked up by a big name company (ready Chris Gore’s "Film Festival Survivor Guide".
2. Build momentum by playing a lot of smaller festivals and genre festivals. This gets your film some much needed press and reviews even if you don’t get into one of the "Top 10" Festivals. Again, read Gore’s Book. This stragety sets you up for getting noticed by a genre distro company. Check AFM for a list of the companies who usually attend AFM. These are your target companies.
3. Try to obtain a "Producer’s Rep" or "Sales Rep" who will market your film direct to bigger companies who have the ability to generate bigger advances. These reps will take a cut of your advance, but the trade-off is the prestige of being distributed by a company such as Lions Gate.
4. Attempt to start soliciting directly to the genre based distributors. Again, check the AFM.

SELF Distribution! Produce your DVD yourself and package and replicate it. Then market it to as many websites, sub-distributors, and magazines as you can!

Check www.discmakers.com for Filmmaker DVD deals, and

Check www.filmbaby.com for internet sales.

Also www.primera.com for DVD-R authoring.

www.filmoutreleasing.com and www.b-movie.com are two companies who help the ultra-low budget filmmaker with self-distro listings and/or low budget distribution. Videotex Systems has partnered with Film Out Releasing to help guide filmmakers through the distribution stage.