Below The Line

The “Good Movie” Trap I see this all the time. A filmmaker sends me a movie, I sit down to watch it, and within the first twenty minutes I can tell: this is actually good. The performances are solid, the direction is competent, the cinematography is clean, and nothing is obviously broken. There’s no glaring issue that makes you want to turn it off. And yet, despite all of that, the movie doesn’t move. It doesn’t sell in any meaningful way, it doesn’t generate real revenue, an

Theaters Are Bouncing Back for [Some] Indies, But Teaching Lessons to the Studios. Not sure how many of you are paying attention, but the brief is this. Some studios have wins while others are still flopping at the box office, other distributors (*cough* A24) are climbing into new budgets and getting a spanking (I mean "learning lessons"), and yet and still, moviegoers are coming back to theaters and some indies are making money that's important for them [it just wouldn't get

When filmmakers start shopping their movie, one of the first questions they hit is whether to bring on a sales agent. For some, it feels...

Independent filmmaking often depends not just on creative vision, but on smart financial packaging. Two of the most important tools in that toolbox are pre-sales and minimum guarantees (MGs). They can make or break whether a film gets made, whether you get paid early or see income later, and how risk gets distributed between filmmakers, distributors, and financiers.

It’s one of the first big questions after you’ve finished your film: should I try to sell this myself, or bring on a sales agent? The answer depends on three things—how competitive your film is, what leverage you have, and how much experience you have negotiating distribution deals. 1. When Self-Selling Can Work If your film is competitive—say it has recognizable talent, a hot genre, or a strong festival run—then selling your film domestically on your own isn’t a bad move. Yo

Let’s skip the small talk. If you’re working with a distributor—or about to—there are a handful of things you can say or do that will tank the relationship before it even starts. And no, this isn’t about ego. It’s about trust, professionalism, and giving your film the best possible shot. 1. Don’t Act Like They Owe You Here’s the reality: if a distributor is giving you an MG, they’re paying you. Even in a revenue-share deal, they’re risking their own money to market, deliver,

Let’s skip the fluff. If you’re a filmmaker staring down the barrel of your first distribution deal and wondering, “How do I not get...

Distributors love a good independent movie just as much as the next guy. But who is the "next guy?" The next guy is the guy or girl next door, and they sometimes like a good independent movie -- not all the time; some times. What's more, considering numerous factors including streamers tightening their acquisition requirements, the glut of studio movies now being released after sitting on COVID shelves for more than a year, and the oversaturation of indie films entering the m