Here we are nearly a third of the way through the roaring 20’s! Before you know it, the chaos and pain of the pandemic will be forgotten. And your filmmaking aspirations will be realised. Having made your film, the age old question remains: How to sell your film.
The traditional approach to sell your film
In the good old days, ie: before COVID and before the streamers, selling your film was pretty much straight forward. Once your film was finished the marketing process would start.
Generally, filmmakers would choose one of three routes:
The first would be to enter as many high tier film festivals as possible. While negotiating the festival route, a filmmaker would hope that a combination of sold-out screenings and festival hype would prove the market-worthiness of the film. This in turn would attract distributors eager to cash in on the positive marketing proof of concept the filmmakers created.
The second route would be to engage the services of. a film sales agent. This individual or company will champion your film, for a fee, to film festivals and to distribution companies around the world. The film sales agent will charge either a flat fee, or a commission. In order to pursue this route, a filmmaker needs a good understanding of film distribution basics.
The third route depends on the financial structure of the film. Sometimes the film is pre-sold to a distributor in a territory. with this money the film is made and delivered. In this scenario, the power of deciding the marketing strategy is lost. The distributor will decide which festivals the film is played in, and in which order the distribution windows will be.
The disadvantages of traditional sales and distribution
Whichever route a filmmaker chose, one was faced with financial issues. Playing the festival circuit is time-consuming and expensive. Hiring a film sales agent means stumping up cash for promotional materials like posters, trailers, trade advertisements and screeners. In addition, there are the marketing costs of attending film markets like Cannes, Berlin and the American Film Market.
On top of that film sales agents, like property agents, charge a commission – which could be more than half of the films earnings. Then there is the challenge of collecting money from the distributors and from the sales agents. (That’s another story)
To make a long story short, it is very difficult for a film to recoup its budget. There are so many marketing costs.
The impact of digital distribution
When Youtube was launched in 2005, the entire picture changed. Films could now be seen online. Over the next ten yers online distribution became a game changer. The way films are released and monetised has changed forever. The pandemic itself has made online streaming of movies acceptable, and indeed preferable to those unwilling to brave the health-risk challenges of attending a cinema in person.
A New Way To Sell Your Film
If the movie world has gone digital, and if the distribution channels are now dominated by the streamers, wouldn’t it make sense to sell your film on line?
And with it take control of the sales and marketing of your film. By registering your short of feature for free at the new Raindance Vuulr digital marketplace you will expose your film to over 7,000 content buyers around the world.
Prospective film buyers will be able to see your film, and even better, negotiate a purchase directly with you. And the Vuulr cost? There is a mere 10% commission, payable only when you sell your film to a registered buyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because this is a new way of selling films, the old rules no longer apply.
Why Vuulr
Here’s what Vuulr can do for you
How do I register my film?
Signing up is FREE and you can register Here
What types of film deals can Vuulr do?
Whether you have a short or feature, a documentary or narrative film, Vuulr’s extensive list of film buyers are interested in all forms of distribution. Everything from television, cable, digital distribution and theatrical can be sold through Vuulr.
What if I already have a sales agent?
Most sales agents will love to have your film make additional income. Negotiate with your sales agent and share the spoils with them at a reduced rate.
Furthermore, your film might have been through the traditional film market route and your sales agent may have run out of motivation to sell your film. Vuulr is the ideal way to exploit lucrative secondary and tertiary markets your sales agent may have overlooked.
How do film buyers see my film?
What do I need to do to make the Raindance Vuulr Digital Marketplace work for me?
Just because your film is listed on this exciting new platform doesn’t mean you have to give up your own marketing activities. festival screenings, social media and targeted marketing still has it’s place. You also need to create all the assets like trailers and poster artwork for your film.
The difference now is that buyers from around the world can easily see your work and negotiate directly with you.
How do I know this platform works?
See the success stories and testimonials from satisfied filmmakers
See a summary of the 2021 deals on Vuulr
Research: Before you sell your film:
You can’t sell your film until you get the Film Delivery Requirements right
Did you know?
Raindance offers a producing course where you can learn about preparing and marketing your film in great detail.
Check out: Producers Foundation Certificate
Join the conversation
Comment in the box below. Let me know you thoughts. I will respond.
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
Check out my new Substack for in depth Free Articles:
