"It's imperative for all of us to get behind reigniting the theatrical experience..."
To fully grasp the dire state of theatrical distribution of independent films read this Variety article with Cinentic Media founder John Sloss and my thoughts in the state of indie film.
“It’s imperative for all of us to get behind reigniting the theatrical experience because I don’t think the streamers are ever going to be behind the new voices and independent films. The only way to really get them out in the world is to put them in a theater where they can be reviewed and where they can sit long enough for word of mouth to really support them. That’s really the dangerous moment we are in, in terms of getting people back in the theaters.”
You can read the full Variety article here, but I doubt you’ll find anything in it that surprises you or comes across as something you didn’t inherently know before.
If you’re an indie filmmaker and you’ve discovered this Substack and KLA Media Group, welcome. Hopefully the contents of this Substack and other materials we generate can help you navigate these perilous waters so please be sure to subscribe.
We’re really at an interesting time for independent cinema, and no one knows just how the cards are going to shake out at this point.
After the Writers Strike, the industry as a whole is contracting and tightening its belt. Across the board, we’ve read of streamers and traditionally modeled studios clearing their slates to back more time-tested and audience-approved types of shows and movies (I refuse to say content, as I feel it’s not only reductive, but demeans and diminishes the thousands of countless hours and unpaid work that goes into getting so many projects off the ground).
Studios and streamers aren’t going to take the financial risk on something they know won’t work or play for an audience, this means both in terms of development and acquisition. All you have to do is look at the mandates that circled earlier this month to see where they’re looking to develop. One of the major studios remarked that “the door is more open than ever for multicams” on the comedy front, signifying that they aren’t going to back horses they don’t know.
Which unfortunately dear indie filmmaker, means you.
So what does this mean?
You probably fall into one of two buckets if you’re reading this substack.
The first is that you’re an aspirational filmmaker, looking to make their first project and you, wisely, are doing as much research as possible before you sink countless amounts of your time and money (or OPM, other people’s money) into a project that has a 99.99% chance of never making a penny back on the investment.
The second bucket, and the more dire of the two situations, is that you’ve already gone ahead and sunk countless amounts of time and money into a film and now you have a finished product on your hand that you have no idea what to do with.
I ache for both groups, because I know that for so long well-intended cheerleaders and “mentors” would offer the advice to just “go make your short” and you’ll get noticed. So you probably went and made a short.
Now, the bar for shorts is so high the advice is “you have to make a feature to get noticed!”. So you made a feature and you probably even played in a few high-ranking festivals but then you discovered to your absolute dismay, that even THIS was not enough to get you noticed or break out.
So what the f*!$k are you supposed to do?
Educate yourself.
And, I hate to say it, but repeat the process from a wiser, more learned standpoint which you’re already doing by doing deep dives like this.
It is possible to make money with independent films but you have to stop fighting the realities of the marketplace and focus on the things you CAN control, like building your audience and getting word out about your film. It’s going to take time and money, one of which you probably don’t have. Hopefully the insights gleaned from these posts will show those aspiring to make a project how to build your audience along the way and those who have already made their films the best path forward now that you have a finished product.
Think of it like contributing to your 401K - the sooner you start making deposits (ie - building your audience and putting your marketing plans into place) the less you’ll have to make up that deficit when you’re ready to go live. We can help you no matter what phase you’re in, so if you’re ready to schedule a consultation, book one here to develop a custom plan for your own film.
And keep reading. Set Google alerts so you have news coming to your inbox daily. The more you can educate yourself about indie film and marketing, the more in control you will be with your project.