Tag: Filmmaking Business
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Streaming Killed the Distribution Pipeline, Now It’s Time to Rebuild
The internet broke the monopoly. For over a century, film distribution followed the same narrow funnel: make the movie, pray it gets into a top-tier festival, hope for a distribution deal, and if the gods smile on you, maybe your film ends up in theaters or on cable. It was a pipeline built on gatekeeping,
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How Disney Greenlights Shows (And What Indie Filmmakers Can Learn)
Table of Contents Greenlights by Brand, Not by Boardroom From Centralization to Specialization What This Means for Filmmakers 1. Niche is Power 2. The Greenlight Starts Before the Pitch 3. Your Catalog is Your Currency Our Final Take At this year’s UCLA Entertainment Symposium, Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden pulled back the curtain on how
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Hollywood’s Hollow Core: Is L.A. the Next Detroit?
It used to be that walking through the backlots of a major studio felt like entering a city that never slept: craft services buzzing, grips running cable, actors crossing paths with gaffers and execs. But according to Gladiator II screenwriter David Scarpa, that energy is gone. “It feels empty,” he says of today’s backlots. “You
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Stop Waiting for a Sales Agent Start Studying Film Sales
Filmmakers love to say, “I’ll worry about distribution later.” But later is too late. By the time your film is finished, the die is cast. The tone, the length, the genre, the rating, the platform fit, the market positioning. All of it’s baked in. So if you made every decision assuming someone else would handle
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Want to Make Money Off Your Indie Film? Stop Obsessing Over Theaters
Most indie filmmakers treat the box office like it’s the final boss. But here’s the truth: it’s barely the tutorial level. Theaters are nice for prestige. They’re great for premieres, red carpets, Instagram posts, and a handful of press quotes. But financially? They are not your finish line. For most independent films, they’re a vanity
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How a $125K Indie Horror Film Made $1M Without Festivals or Stars
This is not a Cinderella story. It’s not a “right place, right time” fluke. It’s not about an indie filmmaker charming their way into Sundance and getting swept up by an A24 deal. This is a story about distribution done right—and the numbers don’t lie. Last year, the most-watched independent film on Tubi wasn’t a
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Breaking Down a Film Budget, Explaining Real Costs
Creating a film budget is one of the most critical steps in filmmaking. Whether working on a micro-budget indie film or a multi-million-dollar studio production, understanding how to allocate funds efficiently can make or break a project. A well-structured budget ensures that every dollar is spent wisely, preventing financial overruns and keeping the production on
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Breaking Down the Real Cost of Making a Feature Film
Filmmaking is often glamorized as a world of creativity and artistic expression, but behind every film is a financial equation that determines whether the project is feasible. The cost of producing a feature film varies dramatically based on factors like budget tier, production value, and distribution strategy. While industry headlines focus on blockbuster budgets, the
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Which Genres Work Best for Product Placement in Indie Films?
For independent filmmakers, securing funding is often the biggest hurdle to getting a project off the ground. While traditional financing methods like grants, investors, and crowdfunding play a major role, product placement has emerged as a viable way to supplement budgets. When done strategically, product placement can provide financial support without compromising artistic integrity. Unlike
