The Lazy Girl's DIY Blog Post on DIY Film Distribution

The "digital revolution" is rapidly evolving to encompass DIY film distribution. In fact, self-distribution will undoubtedly be even more important to the growth of artist-controlled filmmaking than the new technologies that allow for the creation of such films. Hey, YouTube is basically a form of self-distribution, and we're seeing how that's shaking up the traditional TV delivery world. Anyhow, be sure to check outthis great post from over at Drifting: A Director's Log, which says so much so nicely, why should I say it again? Here's a snippet:


The holy grail of independent filmmaking was, and generally still is, an acquisition deal, a theatrical release, and a subsequent industry-financed career. In some cases, that initial independence was a means to an inverse end; more commonly, though, that same end was (and is) a means unto itself, a manner of making a living off one's chosen art form in the most practical way possible. This category would include most of the current indie wunderkinds (the two Andersons, Aronofsky, etc). The practicality of their circumstance, of course, is mitigated by the relative infrequency of such success stories; but nonetheless, those stories are the ideal for many aspiring (and, indeed, practicing) independent filmmakers.

Let's consider, however, the sum of the following:

1. The very rarity of those cases.
2. The fact that, when they do occur, the balance of capitalism and artistic freedom renders the studio system a very wealthy middleman.
3. The possibility that the studio system is indeed crumbling [1] under the weight of its own hegemonic inflexibility and hubristic marginalization of product - its “death spiral,” as Edward Jay Epstein put it. [2]

That last factor may be a bit hyperbolic; Hollywood, being the capital driven machine it is, will more than likely maintain its hold on the entertainment industry; even as it evolves, its goals will remain the same. [3] Still, between digital pipelines, day-and-date DVD and theatrical releasing, etc, it is hard to deny that a paradigm shift is at hand; and it might be a good time for independent filmmakers to consider whether or not that lofty ideal of yore need endure. In other words, should filmmakers be afraid of self-distribution?

A good read. A foretelling of the future.