Tag: international sales

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Truly Free Film

Who Will Sell Your Film Internationally?

I would like to go to the site of one of the many organizations dedicated to supporting filmmakers and easily find links to a list of foreign sales agents.

For that matter, I would like to be able to find such links to US Distributors, Worldwide Distributors, Distribution Case Studies, Funders, Agents, Crew, Platforms, Legal Documents, Production Forms, Tech & Equipment Recommendations, Recommended Best Practices, Expert Opinions, Ideas & Inspiration, Recommended Reading — and that’s just off the top of my head.  You know, I would like it to be clear that that these organizations were driven to help filmmakers, and not just “furthering their brand”.

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Truly Free Film

15 Predictions On The Future Of Indie Film

The future shines brightNote: If you’d like to share this post, please use this link: http://bit.ly/18LXym8

I have written about the good things in indie film. I have done it quite a bit. I have written about the bad things, and more than several times there too.  I have written about the thinkers and doers who are shaping where we are (and will post that later this month).  I have examined the cultural changes, the realities of our industry, and provided recommended best practices. I examined why it is sooo slow to change. I would like to help us find our path forward; what more can I do to help?

I tried to take action.  I left the city of my youth (and many years well beyond that), and the practice that I had dedicated my labor to (i.e. producing films), on the hope that the support of an organization in a land of innovation could accelerate the pace of change for my industry and culture (taking the reigns of the San Francisco Film Society). Okay, so that wasn’t to be, and I have now resigned from that gig and again I am pushing new boulders up the mountain now. But where are we all headed? What will we see on the way? Will we miss the path before us? How can we shine a light so we don’t stumble and get crushed by our own labors?

Specifically, what really is on the horizon and what is the mirage? Where will the seeds that have already been planted bloom most glorious in our indie film evolution?

Can we actually future-cast #IndieFilm?

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Truly Free Film

Subtitles Increase Traffic & Conversion Rates. Make ‘Em

Reprinted from blog.vhx.tv 

We looked at data for artists on VHX and found that adding subtitles means more sales. Why? More traffic + a higher conversion rate.

More people can see your film.

At the most basic level, subtitles allow you to reach a wider audience. Because, language! You spent all this time on your creative work, and now you want fans to see it. Subtitles open the door to your potential audience, who are in many countries and speak many languages. On the VHX platform, 48% of sales come from outside the US.

Subtitles also increase the traffic driven to your site from associated countries. Fans in Japan, watching your movie with Japanese subtitles, tell their friends about your movie. That added community immediately grows the potential buzz and social media reach of your content, as fans bring fans to your site. Our data shows that films and video content with subtitles consistently outperform those without subtitles.

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Truly Free Film

Save The World AND Expand Indie Film’s Market

I got a kick out of Hollywood’s Reporter’s recent article on the WikiLeaks cables. There they put forth the realization that George Clooney, Desperate Housewives, and Late Night With David Letterman do more to prevent jihad than the $500M the US State Dept dumped into funding the TV station in Saudi Arabia.

I have long thought we damn the perception of America by only allowing the market to decide what films travel overseas. Okay, granted that is a bit of an oversimplification, but when so much money is spent marketing The Studios’ product, the overseas audiences basically get to see that Americans like to drive fast and blow shit up. I know we are a wee bit more diverse than that.

If the films from Sundance or any other regional festival were given away to developing nations, the people of the world would have a much different impression of whom we are, culturally speaking. Okay, maybe they’d think we are a bit obsessed with coming out and perhaps made up of predominately junkie moms trying to go straight, but they still would be presented with a much greater tapestry.

If the US State department funded a giveaway of US Indie films, not only would Indie’s have access to audiences, communities, and markets that they currently struggle to find, but hey, what’s so funny about getting a little world peace in the windfall?