Beyond Physical Production, Owning the Road to Relevance

Beyond Physical Production, Owning the Road to Relevance,

For more information, visit Racking Focus: Self-Distribution and the Niche-ifying of Content

The lesson here is essential to pioneering filmmakers and a wonderful case-study to keep in our back pockets when finding the heart to move forward. Self-distribution is quickly becoming a measurable talent with definite parameters. 

This is formally conveyed in a directive set here: http://www.ifp.org/resources/the-360-equation-the-one-business-model-every-filmmaker-needs-to-know/

As an independent filmmaker pursuing acclaim, it's important to recognize the tools at your own disposal and their purpose. These may not all be taught in film school or contained in your how-to book on producing. But addressing the market eventually becomes mandatory. Profit is a symptom of success and so negotiations must become a 2nd language. So you negotiate your value with the public and you deliver. You negotiate the split of the proceeds and you deliver. When you are running the vision of a small piece of entertainment, all the aspects that make it legitimate fall within your hands. And if it isn't legitimate, what was the point? We're all afraid starting out, but we didn't get involved with show-business to pass the time masturbating. (Note: I tough-talk myself in much the same way - in fact, until this blog gets more viewers, this is mainly the point). We got involved to share our imagination with the world.

Production itself is but one step. Once you become good, the job gets more complicated and also more rewarding. It begins when you look beyond your latest draft in development and think of the audience. Define them. Address them. Give them a name they can become familiar with and a make a film they can depend on. Bring it to market and charge appropriately. And it's all OK, you are not alone.

Let's get what we came for,
C.M. Sanchez III