The ForGotten One
Short Films Distribution and Exhibition
Distribution is used to help market and generate sales for a film. For short films a distributor would be an individual or organisation that would represent it in a film festival and attempt to sell it onto Tv channels such as ‘Channel 4’ and companies that showcase short films such as the ‘BBC Film Network’. Distributors also have the task of acquiring legal rights to show the film and are responsible for marketing and making of anything that comes with the films such as posters. There are different types of distribution which some film makers prefer than others which all have their advantages and disadvantages.
Self-Distribution
Some producers or film makers may prefer to distribute their films themselves however this doesn’t mean they would do all the work themselves as the would still be able to hire out certain responsibilities such as publicist and theatre bookers however self-distribution is still a lot of work. As a producer or film maker going for this type of distribution comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
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You have full control over what happens to your film and all rights are held with you until the film is sold, this means you would have a greater control on where you want your film to be show, this may be especially desirable for unestablished film makers as they get to decide what type of impact their short film has on the film market.
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Furthermore you get to keep a much larger proportion of the revenue made from the films as you don’t have to pay distributors, this would be due to the fact that most of the distribution tasks were carried out by the film maker thus they would only be paying those they hired for example publicists or theatre bookers.
Disadvantages:
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However the problem with this is that it is a lot of work to do and may be difficult for certain producers as the have little experience when it comes to distribution and my nave no direction, however saying this there is a lot of places online that give film makers help and advice if they were to pursue self-distribution of their short film.
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Additionally not opting to use a distributor may lose a film maker the important connections or relationships that established distributors have built up with buyers and agents over time. Which may be helpful when especially if it is an unrecognised film maker as these relationships have the possibility to give the short film a spotlight in the film industry.
A popular place for short films to be both distributed and exhibited are film festivals. A film festival is an event that can be run by a number of groups and organisations, and is used to provide a platform for unknown and unrecognised film makers to put their films out to an audience and also get reviewed by professional film critics.
As well as unknown film makers agents and potential buyers also attend these festivals. This is good for producers and film makers showcasing and exhibiting as it gives them a chance to distribute their short films as they can get noticed by potential agents and buyers that attend these film festivals.
Producers and film makers can go to these film festivals too seek information about any stage of producing or distributing their own short film, they can also go there to look for inspiration from other film maker’s short films that are showcasing and exhibiting their short films at these festivals. This may be even more useful to upcoming film makers or those interested in joining the industry as they can take a lot of information and inspiration from the more experienced film makers.
Film makers can also get a lot of honest feedback of their short films from film festivals, not on can hey showcase their film festivals in front of professionals and an audience that ranges in age, race and opinion, They are also able to get reviews of their short film from professional film critics that also attend these film festivals many of which would do this for free.
I carried out this task to gather research about the many different types of distribution concerning short films. This was beneficial as it allowed me to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages related to each type of distribution and which one would be most beneficial for the distribution of our short film. This task also allowed me to look into how these short films are exhibited. I found out the benefits of showcasing films at film festivals and other platforms that short films are distributed in.
Jean Rwamihigo