
Identify how a film distributor acts as the agent between owners and the marketplace, negotiating standard deals with marketing caps, worldwide streaming rights, and minimum guarantees, avoiding predatory terms.
Carve out domestic and foreign rights from theatrical and streaming (VOD, SVOD, TVOD, AVOD) to DVD, educational licenses, IP, and sequel rights, plus airline and senior living facilities.
Understand gross profits versus net profits, including first money in, and how revenue is shared before and after expenses to guard against predatory practices and Hollywood accounting, for 50-50 balance.
Explore windowing strategy and the traditional phase sequence—theatrical, airlines and hotels, home video, cable and VOD, then TVOD and SVOD—and how day-and-date releases shrink windows.
Learn how to increase leverage with distributors by building a niche audience, leveraging existing IP, and securing festival buzz, press coverage from major outlets, casting choices, and influencer outreach.
Explore how international sales agents license film rights, negotiate distributions, and manage costs, performance clauses, and territory strategy to maximize revenue and safeguard recourse.
Learn how a producers rep acts as a liaison between filmmakers and distributors, leveraging festival and platform relationships to secure screenings and deals, while weighing upfront fees and commissions.
Learn from producer's rep Ben Yennie about securing fair film distribution, avoiding bad sales agents, negotiating minimum guarantees, and balancing traditional and self distribution in the streaming era.
Film markets unite buyers and sellers, including AFM in Santa Monica, the Cannes market, and the European film market in Berlin as the three largest.
Attend film markets to gain education on the business side, network with distributors through pre-arranged meetings, and weigh costs against real financing and selling opportunities tied to market trends.
Plan ahead, schedule meetings, and execute your market strategy to maximize outcomes; research vendor catalogs, present a professional image, attend workshops, and network authentically by leading with service.
Learn how the American Film Market operates as a licensing hub, the role of pre-sales, and why markets differ from festivals amid streaming-driven shifts.
Explore how ott delivers movies and tv content over the internet, without traditional cable, and its role in the video on demand ecosystem including cable supported vod and ott apps.
Define tvod as purchasing or renting digital media on platforms like Amazon, Apple TV, or Google Play, with perpetual access when bought and time-limited access when rented.
Analyze subscription video on demand (SVOD) within the streaming wars, comparing monthly subscription access to transactional rentals and highlighting platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max.
Explore how cable and satellite video on demand provides rental-only access through traditional providers, with limited viewing windows and pay-per-view events, not purchases.
Explore premium video on demand (PVOD) as a higher-priced alternative to TVOD, enabling day in, day out releases or films not released theatrically, with COVID driving adoption and independent titles.
Deliver a master in Apple prores HQ quicktime with embedded 5.1 and stereo audio, in 1080p or 4k at 23.976 fps, with closed captions and start/end black frames.
Film aggregators act as middlemen between filmmakers and vod platforms, securing placement on major tvod services, handling deliverables, and managing revenue, but offer no guaranteed pitches and incur high costs.
Learn practical guidelines for using film aggregators, assessing platform viability, audience targeting, and ROI, and decide when to focus on iTunes and Amazon for transactional VOD rather than shotgun listing.
Navigate the shark infested waters of film distribution with updated guidance on platforms, revenue models, and predatory distributors and aggregators.
Join over 70,000 students learning from our courses!
So you made a feature film, now what? Most filmmakers don't even think about film distribution but it is, by far, one of the most important parts of the filmmaking process. Film distribution lives in shark infested waters where the system is designed to screw the filmmaker. In this course we will arm you with the knowledge to help you make a smart choice when choosing a film distributor and how to prepare your film for world-wide film distribution.
Whether you have a feature film or documentary we have you covered. Knowledge is power and this course will add more tools to your filmmaker toolbox.
Here is what you will learn in the course:
What is a Film Distributor and the Standard Deal
Carving Out Your Film's Rights
Gross vs Net Profits
Distribution Expenses - Film Markets
Distribution Expenses - Marketing & Materials
Distribution Expenses - Cost Saving Techniques
Increasing Your Leverage with Distributors
What is a Film Market?
Pros and Cons of Attending a Film Market
Getting the Most Out of a Film Marketing
What are film deliverables?
What is a Film Aggregator?
Distribber Debacle
When to Use an Aggregator?
Things to Do Before You Choose a Film Aggregator
Learn how and when to work with sales agents, as well as how to avoid sharks
We discuss the reality of the VOD streaming landscape and how you can profit
Don't get taken advantage of by predatory film distributors. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to get your feature film out to the world.
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What people are saying about this course:
This is a really informative course. It's obvious that the teachers have a lot of passion behind what they do and a ton experience. I look forward to making my next film with some of the tips and ideas shared here in the course. - Laura Swartz
This a great course. It has very practical advise for indie filmmakers, and a step by step process to make a micro-budget feature in a few months. I'm going to apply it to my first feature. - Jared Evans
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Your instructor:
Alex Ferrari has been working in the film industry for over 25 years and is the founder of Indie Film Hustle. He became a whistleblower and exposed Distribber, a film aggregator who owed film producers millions of dollars. Since their closure they also left thousands of filmmaker's without access to their films.
He kept hearing story after story of how filmmakers were being taken advantage of by predatory film distributors so he decided to put together a course explaining the pitfalls filmmakers face when trying to get their films distributed through the legacy distribution model. It is his mission to help filmmakers survive and thrive in the film business.
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So what are you waiting for? Join over 70,000 students that have already taken IFH filmmaking and screenwriting courses.
If you've got the dream.
If you've got the drive.
If you've got the passion - but you're missing the knowledge and experience...this course will help you make your feature film into a reality.
Enroll NOW and learn the in and outs of film distribution! Let's get started!