This is a particular bug bear of mine. When we released Your Fat Friend in the UK in January, we were the most successful doc at the UK Box office that week, yet still we had some industry accounts / press (looking at you Screen International) who described it as "self distribution", and were a bit snotty - positioning it as a lesser release akin to vanity publishing, rather than a strategic choice. I replied to some of these accounts on social media that I wasn't selling dvds out of the back of a car at a car boot sale - we were screening in 50 cinemas. They apologised and removed their posts. It is such a misunderstanding of what is actually happening in distribution.
Thanks Nayan. Agree with you on diy but not as aligned with direct since as you point out you worked with many companies. But its all semantics at a certain point outside of avoiding diy and self distro.
I like your article but I want to argue about it ;)
The word "hybrid" sounds like a remedy for the broken distribution models Indies face. It suggests a mixed streaming approach that involves a variety of distribution methods. Personally, I prefer thinking of the word "release" because, to me, it combines hybrid streaming with a drop strategy, leveraging posts purely as a marketing tool.
I think people are treating their works as posts rather than true releases. Whether it's YouTube, Instagram, Prime, or Hulu, you're essentially posting your work there to drive platform growth, sell byproducts, or retain subscriptions for the platform. Streaming 99% no longer about the film or the group behind the film.
Yes, I’m aware of Metalabel. It’s on my list to road test a bit. It feels like a user-friendly approach to creating scarcity around creative works. There have been a lot of new platforms doing this in the last 4 years. The key is how well the platform will eventually drive the right kind of traffic because most of these platforms are counting on the makers to drive their own audience while the platform gains in value and they collect their share for using the tools. It’s not entirely clear to me, but it sounds like the platform might also stimulate select projects with advances or gifts? It feels like it’s still in the beta stage which might be a good time to jump in.
Agree that most platforms require the makers to do the work. Thats shy Jolt is interesting because they actually use data to market the films. Let me know if u jump in and what you find out!!
I could not agree more!
This is a particular bug bear of mine. When we released Your Fat Friend in the UK in January, we were the most successful doc at the UK Box office that week, yet still we had some industry accounts / press (looking at you Screen International) who described it as "self distribution", and were a bit snotty - positioning it as a lesser release akin to vanity publishing, rather than a strategic choice. I replied to some of these accounts on social media that I wasn't selling dvds out of the back of a car at a car boot sale - we were screening in 50 cinemas. They apologised and removed their posts. It is such a misunderstanding of what is actually happening in distribution.
Excellent points.
Awesome you did that. And even if you were selling DVDs out of the back of your car. Thats still distribution! See you in Camden. Lets grab a drink.
My take on direct distribution: https://hopeforfilm.com/2011/08/nayan-padrai-on-why-we-call-it-direct-distribution-instead-of-diy.html
Thanks Nayan. Agree with you on diy but not as aligned with direct since as you point out you worked with many companies. But its all semantics at a certain point outside of avoiding diy and self distro.
I like your article but I want to argue about it ;)
The word "hybrid" sounds like a remedy for the broken distribution models Indies face. It suggests a mixed streaming approach that involves a variety of distribution methods. Personally, I prefer thinking of the word "release" because, to me, it combines hybrid streaming with a drop strategy, leveraging posts purely as a marketing tool.
I think people are treating their works as posts rather than true releases. Whether it's YouTube, Instagram, Prime, or Hulu, you're essentially posting your work there to drive platform growth, sell byproducts, or retain subscriptions for the platform. Streaming 99% no longer about the film or the group behind the film.
You might be interested in the Metalabel platform / approach around releasing work: https://www.metalabel.com
Metalabel looks cool. Do u know anyone using it??
Yes, I’m aware of Metalabel. It’s on my list to road test a bit. It feels like a user-friendly approach to creating scarcity around creative works. There have been a lot of new platforms doing this in the last 4 years. The key is how well the platform will eventually drive the right kind of traffic because most of these platforms are counting on the makers to drive their own audience while the platform gains in value and they collect their share for using the tools. It’s not entirely clear to me, but it sounds like the platform might also stimulate select projects with advances or gifts? It feels like it’s still in the beta stage which might be a good time to jump in.
Agree that most platforms require the makers to do the work. Thats shy Jolt is interesting because they actually use data to market the films. Let me know if u jump in and what you find out!!
Yup distribution!