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David Branin & Karen Worden from Film Courage Release Feature 'Goodbye Promise' for $1 on IndieGoGo

08.14.12 @ 1:15PM Tags : crowdfunding, davidbranin, distribber, distribution, distrify, dynamoplayer, filmcourage, indiegogo, interview, karenworden, kickstarter, prescreen, vhx

Many of us have used crowdfunding platforms to get a project off the ground or at least to gauge interest in it — and many more of us have considered, or are planning, on doing so. But David Branin and Karen Worden from the indie film site Film Courage are utilizing a crowdfunding platform for another purpose: to distribute their finished film. Yesterday they released their DIY feature Goodbye Promise on Indiegogo — for just $1. David and Karen are seeking answers to the question we all face as filmmakers: how to best release our films to a changing world. I spoke to them via Skype about film festivals, online distribution, crowdfunding platforms, social media strategies, and more: More »

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Sitelight: Distribber

04.5.10 @ 12:00PM Tags : distribber, distribution, itunes, sitelight

With this weekend’s release of the iPad, Apple has once again proved they know how to design an elegant product and market its simplicity as a virtue. However, there is one big knock against Apple when it comes to their software/hardware ecosystem, and that is enabling independent content creators to sell their product. It’s ironic — so many of us use Apple computers to design, edit, write, program, or otherwise bring our creations to life — but when it comes time to distribute or monetize our work, Apple generally leaves us SOL. Getting an indie movie into iTunes has been notoriously tough; I’ve kept tabs on developments at Tunecore only to have their planned video release options disappear from their site.

Thus, Distribber: recently acquired by crowdfunding site IndieGoGo, Distribber is one of the new “minimalist middlemen”¹ that focuses on helping indies get their film into iTunes, Amazon VOD, and Netflix. These three stores lack an “upload” button — they all have walls around their paid content (you can get a podcast into iTunes, but only if it’s free). Distribber steps in as your “distributor” in an attempt to get your film into each store; they make no guarantees that your film will be accepted, but they refund you if your project doesn’t get in. Right now their fee is $1295, which includes a number of formatting issues and other ushering. Considering other indie distributors have charged “digitization fees” of up to $20k, Distribber’s service and price point is disruptive and very enabling for filmmakers planning on going the self-distribution route, even if it’s as Plan B.

Of course, it’d be nice if all three marketplaces would allow independent creators to sell their content without needing a middleman. But a non-exclusive, inexpensive middleman such as Distribber, like health care reform, is a BFD.

1. Not an established term, but I’m coining it! [↩]