Self-Distribution
From 4docs
Given that you are unlikely to get a sales agent for your short film, you will probably end up self-distributing your film.
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Cinema Screenings
Curzon have shown some shorts before features and Picture House entered into a deal with Cinelan to show their shorts. Not sure how much luck filmmakers will have approaching cinemas asking for this but a better tactic might be to approach directors and producers of features playing in art house cinemas and seeing if they can be persuaded to ask for the short to be added to the programme.
Short Film Nights
Future Shorts organise monthly short film screenings all over the UK and internationally as well as doing special screenings at Glastonbury, the Big Chill etc. You can apply to them online.
Rooftop Films are a brilliant New York organisation who organise summer screenings on rooftop in New York! They specialise in curating awesome short films and have been known to do retrospective collections of shorts by filmmakers, even Brits such as Lee Kern.
From Here to Awesome From Here to Awesome is a discovery and distribution festival that puts filmmakers directly in touch with audiences. The festival has no submission fees and filmmakers retain their rights while seeing direct revenue from festival outlets.
The Magic Lantern celebrates short film with events at the CCA, and with screenings around Scotland in a variety of venues such as clubs, art galleries, and music festivals. They also curate the short film weekend at the Glasgow Film Festival. Screening programmes are thematic, with a mixture of new films, archive treasures and artists' films.
Private Screening Rooms
There are a number of quite expensive private screening rooms all around Soho and other places that filmmakers can hire for a private screening of their film. Prices are high mind you. Examples are:
Mr Youngs - D'Arblay Street - the most famous one in London now called Soho Screening Rooms prices vary from £120 - 250 an hour. There are 3 screens seating 25, 41 and 44
Soho House - seats 27
Soho Hotel - seats 46 and seats 100 (very fancy leather chairs)
Charlotte Street Hotel
Other Screening Spaces
Depending on how fussy you are, there are almost limitless places that you can hold a screening. Virtually every pub, bar and club has a projector and screen built in or plasma screens. If you can bring a drinking crowd, especially in a recession, you might find that you can get a space for your short, or a collection of shorts, for free.
I can make a contribution.
Organising Screening Events
Facebook events is pretty good and useful - otherwise there are more bespoke screening event tools:
Eventful Eventful an event website which enables its community of users to discover, promote, share and create events. There is a “Demand it” feature that allows users to request events in their area.
Upcoming Upcoming.org is a social events calendar driven by users. It allows users to discover new events, share them with friends, and add their own. Upcoming.org filters a user’s page by location.
Indie Screenings Get your audience to book a screening of your film - and pay you a screening fee. This tool was developed by the Age of Stupid team and now they are offering it to you to use. Probably best if you band together with other short filmmakers to offer a package.
TV
inDplay inDplay is an online marketplace for film, TV, and video rights. Buyers and sellers find, negotiate, and close distribution and exhibition deals. inDplay uncovers more programming, sales, and distribution opportunities for content owners, libraries, agents, and distributors.
The Community Channel looks for real-life stories, investigative and issue driven documentaries, charity and campaigning films, by new directors and community programme makers. As a charity based organisation, they don’t offer fees, but are a platform to share your work. More here
DVD Self Distribution
There are a number of ways to do this - get a job lot printed up and send them out yourself in jiffy bags. Get a service deal with a DVD distributor like Dogwoof where you pay them to do fulfillment for you or try one of the new DVD on demand services below.
CreateSpace CreateSpace’s mission is to profitably connect filmmakers and content owners to a worldwide audience. CreateSpace offers a DVD on Demand service, which allows physical media to be produced when customers order, one copy at a time. It is an Amazon subsidiary.
NeoFlix Neoflix is an integrated solution for e-commerce, order fulfillment, and customer service created for filmmakers and distributors with multi-channel sales strategies. Whether a DVD is sold to a consumer, wholesaler, library, institutions, or any other outlet, Neoflix can handle the order processing and fulfillment. DIY filmmakers and distributors can set-up a self-branded shopping cart system and begin selling products without incurring a large upfront investment or protracted vendor search. Neoflix handles credit card processing, e-commerce security issues, customer service, and fulfillment for both domestic and international orders.
Online Self Distribution
Lots and lots of opportunities here - not so much for making money (prizes at festivals are your best bet) but definitely for building an audience and possible future fan base.
They are all covered in the Online Distribution and Online Marketing sections of the wiki.