How to Maximize Your Indie Film's Trailer Drop: What to do and what NOT to do, plus sample timelines for you to follow
We'll tie your trailer drop to your releasing strategy. Plus: The CA Film Tax Credit Gold Rush: why this still doesn't help indie filmmakers. And: The Distribution Playbook recommends this Substack!
It’s a rare weekend post for me to make up for the usual M-F cadence: it’s been crunch time on a few projects but next week’s post is already in the hopper so I’ll be fully caught up! I have to remind myself that though the world continues to be in flux, we still have movies to promote and push out into the world so we will soldier on.
In today’s subscriber post I’m going to provide you with a sample timeline to help you time the release of your film’s trailer to help maximize its effectiveness tied to your windowing strategy as well as the schedules for other films released by studios so you can see what their efforts look like as well.
But first…
Marketing & PR for Indie Films, Creative & Small Businesses is Recommended by the Distribution Playbook from Kinema!
Big thanks to the team at
and The Distribution Playbook for listing my Substack Marketing & PR for Indie Films, Creatives & Small Businesses as recommended reading for indie filmmakers (it’s under KLA Media Group).I recognize that I’m in some pretty incredible company here (Brian Newman,
, and many more) so truly this is an honor!If you’d like to check out the Distribution Playbook, click here and please help spread the word about this user-supported publication to other indie filmmakers you think might benefit from it.
The California Tax Credit Gold Rush: Why This Still Doesn’t Help Indie Filmmakers
“I’m not really sure that this model is going to move the needle for bringing filmmaking back to California, when, from the cheap seats at least, it looks like the people who need the help the least are getting it the most.” - Marketing & PR for Indie Films
Before I get into why the tax credit isn’t going to help out the majority of indie filmmakers, let me preface things by saying that ANY effort to keep production in California is good.
I’ve heard from two more friends this week who are quitting the business and moving elsewhere. Each time I hear someone packing it in, I get a knot in my stomach and I think “it didn’t have to be like this.” So again, any effort to keep production local is a good thing.
However…
The majority of these tax credits aren’t going to go to lower budget indie filmmakers under the $1MM mark, and I know that’s the budget-level many of you reading this publication are operating at.
The tax credit gave 43 indie films with sub $10M budgets a combined $43.03M, covering roughly 25% of their budgets. Another $2.5M each will be given to three indie films budgeted over $10M.
But take a look at the list of projects receiving the credits:
Animals, directed by Ben Affleck, Cutoff with director / star Jonah Hill, an Untitled Daniels project from The Daniels…
I’m not giving shade to any of these filmmakers and I applaud them for chasing down tax credits for their productions to make their films and keep them in California.
What I am going to blatantly point out however, is that all of these projects had the proverbial star power attached to them to get financed and greenlit without the tax credits.
And I’m not really sure that this model is going to move the needle for bringing filmmaking back to California, when, from the cheap seats at least, it looks like the people who need the help the least are getting it the most.
I’m not saying it’s ALL the films getting the tax credit, certainly there are some smaller indies benefitting from this too, but when you look at this list, at first blush, well, you can decide for yourself. I still think more needs to be done… a LOT more.
Because we’re losing so much more than film by letting our indie filmmakers continue to struggle like this. Like.. so much more.
This just feels like… posturing. And we’ve all seen a great example of what THAT looks like this week:
Read my post about what we’re losing when we lose our position in entertainment:
And read the full list of productions awarded the tax credit here:
Want to Work With Me on the Launch of Your Indie Film?
I’d love to hear about your project! We’ll start with a 10-15 minute call or Zoom to discuss your project at no charge. Message me below to set something up.
And now…
How to Maximize Your Indie Film's Trailer Drop: What to do and what NOT to do, plus a sample timeline for you to follow
Content below is for paid subscribers so please consider supporting this publication with a monthly or yearly subscription!