This is a DocuMentors Tip about using Social Media Marketing and the Internet to build your audience even before you begin shooting. When you start building your audience this early, it not only helps you with distribution but with funding as well. You can use your fan base to bring in grassroots documentary funding and donations. (If you're a DocuMentors member, Listen to our Web Fund Drive tutorial in the Members Area for more info). And in terms of distribution, it can help you to sell-out in theaters when you release your film, and generate great DVD and VOD sales. Having a large fan base can also give you leverage when negotiating distribution deals. And better yet, it can give you solid revenues if you go the DIY route.

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Stay tuned for Hank’s Documentary How To: Pitching Tutorial, coming soon.

Ideas can be easy to come by. But the money for these ideas can be hard to find. One of the key ways to connect the idea to the money is through a pitch to a funder, like a commissioning editor within the International marketplace. CarolAnn Short, a member of the DocuMentors staff, recently attended a panel at IDFA on pitching and financing called “Financing and Producing: Starting Smart”. The panel was moderated by Debra Zimmerman of Women Make Movies, and included panelists Mila Aung-Thwin,  Producer/Director at EyeSteelFilm, Heino Deckert of Deckert Distribution, and Olaf Grünert, Head of Thema for ARTE, France.

The panelists set out to address the following questions: How do you convince financiers to fund your documentary project? What are alternative financing models? What are some dos and don’ts when setting out to navigate in the international documentary financing scene?

The current state of Independent Film Distribution is complex and ever-shifting. Below is a run-down of a recent talk given at IDFA by indie film distribution guru and strategist Peter Broderick, as reported by our staff member, Carol Ann Short.

Seize the Future: The Cutting Edge of Distribution

There are currently unprecedented opportunities and challenges in what Peter Broderick calls the “New World of Distribution.” As traditional distribution has continued to decline, a growing number of filmmakers are using state-of-the-art models to maximize both audience and revenues. Peter consults with filmmakers and media companies to develop strategies to maximize distribution, audiences, and revenues.

First of all, Peter believes that the cornerstone of every distribution plan must include a Web site and a meaningful Distribution List. Many strategy steps will stem from these two items.

Here are some things to think about when crafting the distribution and marketing plan for your film.