Self-Distribution: A Beginner’s Guide

You’ve gone through what feels like, 7,000 re-drafts of your script, a stomach ache inducing pre-production period, a grueling shoot, a 1,000-hour day of post-production (what is sleep anyway?), and now you’re done – picture lock is here! And as you sit in a dark room watching the final version of your film, it would seem your work here is done when a daunting thought looms: How will other people see my film?

 So, you submit to festivals and maybe you get into a few, or a lot, and while you weigh up your distribution offers, some of you may find yourselves wondering about what it would look like to self-distribute your film.

The road to a “successful” (whatever that means to you and your film) distribution plan is seemingly full of roadblocks and self-distribution is no exception - exhausting, expensive, and time-consuming are the first descriptors that come to mind.

So if you decide to mull self-distribution over, we’ve compiled some info that may or may not be helpful (fingers crossed for helpful):

Theatrical/Four-Walling

If you’re planning on your own theatrical run, it basically means - talk to exhibitors (i.e. cinemas) directly, booking theaters, and getting butts on seats.

This can easily be a whole separate other blog post, but the point to this one is - you need a lot of upfront cash for a theatrical self distribution run to even be a talking point.

If this is you, awesome! Find the right team for this and get to work. And then for what happens after your theatrical run is complete during self-distribution, read on.

If this is not you, this post is still relevant - read on.

Getting creative with a digital self-distribution platform

If you think you might be going the route of avoiding an expensive theatrical run, ask yourself: who needs/might want to see my film and how can I get it to them? Kinema has a unique model worth mentioning: They have created a digital library of films with the goal of connecting these films with hosts and spaces who would like to present them. A better version of Tinder basically.

You retain the full rights to your film and can track bookings and revenue in your Kinema dashboard. This is a fantastic option for indie documentaries, for example. It doesn’t break the bank – only a $39.99 monthly subscription fee, and filmmakers receive 80% of all licensing revenue (with 20% to the platform) and 45% of all ticketing revenue (with 45% to hosts and 10% to the platform).  This method of distribution can help support a healthy impact campaign by getting the film seen by audiences with an interest in the themes and goals of your film.

Working with an aggregator

Firstly, what’s an aggregator?  In film biz terms, aggregators are a combo of a digital intermediary, a sales agent and a distributor, each to varying degrees depending on the business model. Streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV and iTunes have approved aggregators that they exclusively rely on to work with filmmakers as a means of quality control. To put it bluntly, they’d like to avoid receiving films shot on Dad’s camcorder from everyone and their dog. Aggregators can also handle elements such as the closed-captioning and proper encoding of your film and ensure that the delivery of digital assets is done per the requirements of each platform you intend to deliver to. 

Second, there are a whole host of aggregators out there with a range of pricing models: some require upfront fees, some offer a revenue split and some may require a mix of both. One might consider some aggregators to be more indie-filmmaker-friendly than others, and may make more financial sense than distributors or sales agents that operate on a volume business take.  

In our opinion, Bitmax is a great example of an indie-friendly aggregator.  Upfront fees for delivery of a feature film to your 1st platform (including closed captioning) are approximately $2,200 for HD and $2,500 for 4k, with fees of $200 and $250 respectively for each delivery to subsequent platforms.  Once you are up and running on the platform(s) of your choice, you can access your sales data via their online dashboard PayPanel and will received monthly payments from Bitmax by check or ACH. Note: Bitmax also has revenue streams other than aggregation, such as post services, which have contributed to their positive reputation amongst filmmakers: they are conceivably less likely to nickel-and-dime or worse, go bankrupt (not naming names but others have).

Working with an aggregator-distributor hybrid

FilmHub has both a different business model and a different pricing model than Bitmax:  FilmHub is a hybrid of aggregator and marketplace, offering both technical delivery and distribution services.  They do not require any upfront fees for their Basic distribution plan but have an 80/20 revenue split on the backend in favor of the filmmaker. Their Plus plan and invite-only Pro plan require the same revenue split but come with significant subscription fees ($499 or $999 per year respectively). Like the others, you will be able to track your revenue via an online dashboard, and FilmHub pays filmmakers via PayPal. Note: They offer “flexible rights management” where they will honor any pre-existing deals or territory restrictions you may have, but unlike Bitmax or Kinema, you will be handing over the rights to your film for them to license.

What digital self-distribution platforms, aggregators, hybrid distribution companies DON’T do

They do not market your film!  We know, sounds like another expense whizzing around the bend and…you’re correct.  Just because you upload your film to a self- distribution platform, hire an aggregator to deliver your film to a platform, or work with an aggregator-distributor to both digitally package and license your film to platforms (inhale) does not mean that your film will automatically find an audience on those platforms.  You will still be responsible for your marketing plan, or more than likely, hiring a PR firm to handle it for you. Note: Financially plan for this early on! We can’t stress it enough – in fact, you can hear us stress it some more in our blog post, The 7 Most Under-budgeted Items For Film & TV Productions.

In summary, know your audience and stay true to your budget. If you are tempted to take a deal that requires you to give up the rights to your film when you feel strongly about retaining them, remember that you have some other tools in your pocket. Importantly, connect with your fellow filmmakers about the triumphs (and pitfalls) of their prior distribution deals and strategies. There are filmmaker forums that warn against predatory situations, and some very helpful articles across the web to dig into.

Good luck dear filmmakers- share those films with care!

Disclaimer: This post should not be construed as legal, commercial or financial advice and should be used for informational purposes only. Information detailed above is current as at November 15, 2023.