Distribution Overview

When creating short film, you need people to actually turn up to the screening so that people watch your film and you can make some money back. This can only be done by marketing your film. There are different ways in which you can begin getting people to notice your film, however on the BBC film network site, they have a thorough plan that they think people creating short films should do.

Cast and Crew Screenings

This is where the cast and crew of your film, go to a local ‘Picture House’ - as they normally allow local filmmakers to put on screenings - and take everyone to watch it.

Prepare a Press and Publicity Kit

This all involves stills, postcards, tapes, website, DVD showreel and prints. These can then all be sent out to the industry, all helping you get your short film noticed in the industry.

Press and Industry Promotion

Sending these to people in the industry, or just publications and advertising agencies, will allow them to give you feedback on it to see what you could do with it next.

Festivals and Awards

If you want and think your film is really good, you can send it off to A-list festivals and awards, or even attend a festival market and hand out it out to buyers to encourage people to buy your film

Get an Distributor

They help market and generate the sales of your film. They can represent you, but know all of the things that you can do to get people to watch your film.

Different Screenings

If you really want people to watch your film, there are so many ways you can do it. By putting it on at the cinema, or random screenings or even online. This would be a great way to get feedback and it is very easy.

Of course there are more obvious ways to which getting people to know about your film, the first is viral marketing. This is done by advertising it over the internet, using ads to advertise it on social network sites. As so many people go on them now a days, if they see it, they may be interested, it is also cheaper to do it this way. Another way is posters, these are usually done by big budget films, it is a great way for it to aim itself at certain audiences so that they see it, they must be eye catching and can be put up in specific locations so that more people see it. Advertising films on a trailer has always been a necessity for films to advertise themselves, they give an audience a sneak peak of what the film entails, and it allows them to get hooked and want to see it. Most trailers are shown in Cinemas, and usually shown before a film of the same sort of genre, as that audience will most likely be who they are targeting as well. However trailers are also shown on TV, this is to widen the audience for the film and allow people who do not go to the Cinema to see it being advertised. Along with TV, radio is effective as it can be advertised in several different ways, either playing a clip of the film or interviewing on the cast members about the film. Most of these distribution methods are done for more Big Budget films, these sort of films as host premieres, this is a way for more people to be interested, the cast and crew all turn up at the premiere and then they all go in and watch the film together, it is always the first showing of the film. Junkett is another distribution method often used for big budget films, it is where the stars of the film do a lot of interviews for the press, allowing them to release their interviews about the film and the public reading obviously getting more and more interested in it. This can help spread word of mouth as well, any kind of distribution will help a film get noticed by the public, especially if it is exaggerated as a great film.

For my film distribution, as I am a low budget film, I want to try and spend not a lot of money. However there are a lot of free ways that I can distribute my film. I could try and get onto a local radio and get them to interview me on the air to help me advertise it, this will allow listeners to hear about it and see if they would like to come and watch it, or even buy a DVD off me.

I could even go to “Virgin Short Film Festival”, which is where I could show my film to all the other unknown filmmakers and see what they thought of it, if they liked it they might tell people and create another distribution method, of word of mouth. There will be potential distributors there, and if your film makes it on to the final short list there is chance of winning an award, if you get the grand prize Virgin will get in touch with you and liase with you about funding for your next idea.

Using Facebook, Myspace and Youtube, I know I could easily advertise my film on here, by simple creating a poster like piece with all the important information, this could then be posted onto different pages of Facebook or Myspace as an advertisement, This would effectively market my film, by giving them some information about the film that could interest them and make them want to see it. This would help me advertise it to people in my target audience. I would like to think I would make posters and put them up around college, in supermarkets and in some shops so that my target audience would see it being advertised and possibly be drawn in to watch it. Me advertising it means I will have a screening, if I wish to spend money on it, and hopefully people will turn up to the free screening and be able to give me feedback on the film so I know what it is I must improve or make better.

These two Harry Potter posters help to advertise the first part of the final Harry Potter film. These two posters give all the right information because, it tells people who see them, what the film is and when it will be out. The poster on the right, gives the impression that Ron, Harry and Hermione are on the run, and their expressions seem like they are in a panic of stress trying to get away from something. The dark greys, blues and blacks give off the impression that it is a much darker film than previous ones, which if you have read the book, it is. The background is quite scary, the fact they are in the woods, in the dark, it intrigues people as they will want to know why they are running. The second poster, is of Hogwarts, it looks as if it burning. This gives information by saying that in either Part 1 or 2, Hogwarts, has fire going on, this could be because of the fight, that happens at the end of the book. But it is again a darker poster, and would intrigue people again. Both these posters would intrigue old fans and new fans because of these points.

When discussing advertising my own short film on the radio, I could not find out any costs over the internet, so I emailed BRMB, and they got back to me letting me know their costs to advertise.