Share the Dream: Documentary Distribution and Sales --Part III (page 2)

The Internet is exploding with showcase opportunities. Many Web sites allow for very extensive streaming video. Does your project relate to or help clarify some aspect of someone else's Web site? Could a portion of your documentary play on their Web site via streaming video and then be offered for purchase? Do you have your own Web site where you can sell your end product? If not, and your documentary is one that people might purchase if they knew it existed, you probably should be selling it through a Web site. Make sure the site is clean and simple and has a shopping cart that allows others to purchase your documentary in a variety of either downloadable formats or DVD.

Vidcasting (also known as video podcasting, vodcasting, and other names) is different than streaming. It is a method of transmitting up to broadcast quality video via an RSS feed [Really Simple Syndication] to a computer. This method of video sharing provides a low-cost, broad and immediate marketplace for video distribution by enabling users to receive continuous, high quality updates directly to their personal computer. Independent producers and filmmakers can benefit greatly from this technology as it enables them to cut out the middleman and make their videos instantly accessible to a wide audience at TV broadcast quality.

Independent filmmaking especially documentary filmmaking is by nature a challenging area of video production and finding a viable distributor presents a special challenge all of its own. If you are new to the documentary arena, this is an opportunity for others to see examples of your work and for your exposure to networking and marketing opportunities. If you are ready to start selling or marketing your work you can create a sample or a trailer of your documentary and encourage those who see your sample to go to your web sight to purchase the entire piece. For more information on vidcasting visit www.vidcaster.net.

An Internet search for educational videos will bring up a substantial list of catalogues and services that specialize in videos and documentaries appropriate for classroom and educational purposes. If your documentary qualifies as a possible option in one of these catalogues, it would certainly be worth further investigation. Be prepared to create a study-guide for your documentary if they request one.

Fundraising to help find distribution outlets and marketing opportunities for your project is different than looking for "seed" money. You already have a relatively finished end product and now you simply need help finding ways to get people to see it. In our small town, there are many known businesses that routinely give to special projects. The cost of underwriting the marketing for your documentary will probably not be that much more expensive than underwriting a good-sized event for your town or for an organization.

Take your outline, your budget and a one-page synopsis of your project which includes not only your subject matter but why your "subject matters," along with possible areas for distribution to the meeting. If you can create a short 3-4 minute DVD that can function as a sample reel of your documentary, it can be a very motivating portion of your pitch. Take a portable DVD player to the meeting just in case. Have a detailed marketing plan for your project that shows all the festivals you plan to enter, all the ways you want to present your documentary, and the costs for this exposure.

You don't need a formal business plan at this point, unless you are truly attempting to raise a substantial amount of money. If that is the case you will need to create a formal business plan that includes projections for how the money will be returned to those who invest. Many documentary filmmakers have been very successful at raising dollars in support of their endeavor while promising no more than a credit listed at the start and finish of the documentary. PBS won't allow much more than a simple acknowledgement of support. You do however need to know how you plan to accept the funds if an individual or a company offers them to you. If PBS partners with us on one of our projects, anyone wishing to donate to the project designates the funds as a gift or grant to Iowa PBS. PBS then re-allocates the funds back to the project. Sometimes the organization which functions as the "pass-through" will charge a "processing" percentage to cover their time and effort.

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