OpenIndie: Film Self Distribution

Arin Crumley's new project to set up a cutting edge film self distribution website has succeeded in getting it's initial round of funding through Kickstarter (http://bit.ly/3jvU0).

A lot of filmmakers spend a lot of money entering festivals in hopes of finding distribution. But the reality is that their chances are very slim. Even at Sundance where a few hundred films are selected from about 6000 entries, only one or two are typically funded for distribution. OpenIndie is designed as an alternative to that crap shoot. One thing you do need though is an audience. If your film has an audience of a few thousand, you'll have a good shot at making out with something like OpenIndie. The idea is that you sign people up on a mailing list and they are notified when enough people in their area create the demand for a screening at a theater.But there's a lot more to it (http://blog.openindie.com/).

The website will have the following up and running by March:

# Import emails/zipcodes of their fans so those people can be messaged about near by screenings

# Have a URL for their film where people that they can spread around allowing people to "request" a screening of their film.

# Allow members of OpenIndie to create screenings of any each film complete with RSVP functionality for each film

# Host of a screening can collect donations at the screening and then transfer online to the filmmaker.

# A URL where films can receive donations from audience directly.

# Information about which cities have the most requests for a given film.

Phase two is now in gear which will raise additional funds for the following objectives:

# Filmmakers can adjust the maximum percentage that hosts are able to withhold as their cut.

# Filmmakers will be able to enable certain regions or provide access for screenings to be booked in any region.

# Filmmaker gains ability to auto approve each screening or chose to manually approve.

# A calculation built into the license that describes what an academic or institutional environment must pay the filmmaker based on an assessment of what that institution is charging.

# Filmmaker will be able to list public speakers available to be booked and adjust the fee each person must be paid by the host as well as provide a percentage split of donations collected at the screening that go to the guest speakers.

# Filmmaker will be able to assign percentages that must be shared by the Host on the selling of digitally reproducible physical goods at screenings. For example the host being able to print posters to sell, burn DVDs to sell, screen print the films logo at screenings or sell a USB drive that contains the film.

Got a film project you want to self distribute? Check it out.