distribution options

promoting your film
Promoting your film is probably going to take as much, if not more, time than you spent on making it. Promoting any product is a black art and the more often you do it the better you will get at it. Talk to as many people as you can and get lots of information about your options. And spend some time planning your strategy, it’ll be worth it in the end. The more legwork you put in promoting and selling your film yourself the more you’ll get back, in the end!

Follow our step-by-step guide below and see which options suit you, your budget and your ambitions for your film.

Promotion – getting the buzz!
OK, you’ve finished your film, well done! You have the artefact in your hand. What next? You cannot over-estimate what you can do on your own in terms of organising screenings of your short film as a starter. Rope in friends, family, and milk any contacts in terms of publicity - contact local newspapers, radio stations and even TV companies – they are often really supportive of local talent.

Have more than one launch, at different venues. Use local cinemas, cafés, film schools and invite cast, crew and industry people. Create as much of a buzz as possible using the internet, self-written press releases, anything that can get it noticed for the events and launches that you organise. You might be amazed at who you know and who the people you know know!! 

An important thing to do would be to prepare a press & publicity kit (containing synopsis, stills, DVD etc) which you can send out to film festivals etc. For sample Press Kit, see compliance and paperwork section (post production)

Getting to the Festivals!
Develop a film festival strategy. Start by identifying at least 10 film festivals that you are going to submit your film to. Please refer to the wonderfully comprehensive propeller4film film festival guide, for details of the film festivals that your film would most benefit from being in.

Ask yourself what you want to get from submitting your short film to a film festival? Do you just want an audience? Or is it to win top awards? If it's the latter, then think carefully about which film festival you submit to, as some premier film festivals require a premier screening. In other words, it must not have been shown anywhere else, so do check the eligibility requirements first, before submitting.

And check dates for submission, dates of the festival and ALL the criteria concerning everything else. It can get quite complicated, so check and double check the small print.

The following organisations also enable you to submit your film to film festivals electronically; 
www.shortfilmdepot.com
www.withoutabox.com
www.reelport.com

Budget
Think carefully about what you are going to have to spend on being at festivals. Some film festivals charge a fee, and some don’t. Then there are travel, accommodation and other costs.  You may also want to attend a short film festival (such as Clermont Ferrand and/or WWSFF, Toronto) yourself and hand out screeners. Check to see if either the British Council, the UKTI or your regional screen agency has a film festival fund, which could help you with travel and print costs when attending a festival.

Finally, if you have has been accepted into a film festival competition, they may also assist with your travel costs to, so it's worth contacting the film festival, too.

Being at the Fiesta
Being at the film festival will provide you with a fabulous opportunity to screen and promote your short film. Handout flyers. Organise meetings with short film buyers and distributors. Festivals like Clermont Ferrand are exactly the sort of place where short films are bought and sold. You’ve got a product and you’re in the market, it’s no different to any other market!

It’s also a great place to view many short films and to mix with other filmmakers and industry professionals. The last festival could be the place where you make a deal on your next film.  

After the Fete… the sales
Once your short film has completed the festival circuit, you will need to decide whether you want to self-distribute or sign your film over to a distributor.  Whether you are self distributing or you sign it over to a distributor, the main aim is to generate sales for your short film by selling it to TV channels, DVD companies, online VOD platforms, mobile platforms, airlines, cinema screenings, educational organisations etc. Be realistic. You won’t (well you might, but you would be very rare!) be able to retire on your earnings. TV licence fees vary from 30 to 300 Euros per minute!  You will also need to do research on who buys what.

Distribution and Distributors
A short film distributor represents your film for international sales, if they think it is commercially viable. They will normally ask you to sign a 3-5 year agreement on an exclusive basis to all territories. You therefore must be the rightsholder of the film and be prepared to give up your distribution rights to the film to the distributor. This means you must not sign any other contracts or submit your film to anyone else without checking with your distributor first.  If you received funding for your film, you will need to check with the film funder (ie. film school, regional screen agency etc.) before you enter into an agreement with a distributor. You should also ensure you have all the clearances in place for your film. 

Always be very careful when dealing with a distributor and don’t sign all your rights away before finding out how much commission they will take if they secure a sale for your short film and how much percentage they will charge for additional costs (postage, DVD duplication etc).

propeller4film’s own distribution service, for example, only takes 30% commission. 

Also, think carefully about what territories you are prepared to hand over. For example, will you allow the distributor to distribute your film all over the world or only in Europe? 

Finally, be very careful about what rights you grant to the distributor. Will you give them permission to exploit the film across all media platforms (such as theatrical, DVD, TV rights etc)? Ask them how they will report back to you with their accounts and sales figures for your film.

If in any doubt get legal advice. Your film is your baby and you want it to be properly looked after.  

Below is a list of some short film distributors out there: 
propeller4film
Dazzle Shorts
International  Network Ireland TV
Premium Films
Ouat Media 
SND films
Future Shorts 
Village Film
Elypse short film
Talantis films

To read more our very own distribution service, please click here

Self-distribution
So you’ve decided to keep the rights to your film (meaning you keep 100% of any income generated) and distribute your film yourself. 

What are short film buyers looking for in a short film? The key to a successful sale is getting an inside track on what the buyers are particularly looking for in a short film. As part of the propeller4film service we are providing 'insider interviews' with these buyers/film festival curators/filmmakers revealing their innermost secrets of what they are looking for in a film.

Things you need to do:

Set up a website promoting your film and/or submit your work to propeller4film to reach a wide ranging audience and you will keep 100% of your rights on this VOD platform.

Submit your film to film festivals using propeller4film’s fantastic comprehensive guide (See link on top left) · Attend film festivals, mix with the industry professionals and find out who buys what!

Good luck!