Making the Movie Filmmaking tips, resources, reviews, news and links.

Variations on Self-Distribution

The holy grail of the indie filmmaker: self-distribution:

Bujalski's not one to aggrandize his start-to-finish DIY process — "It's completely unsustainable. I've been absurdly lucky," he told the New York Times. He had hoped for a distribution deal this time around, but was prepared for difficulty: "We had a good sense of how steep an uphill battle this would be and had our nerve steeled pretty well against disappointment." And there are plenty of benefits to having your film play in theaters, even if you've had to do your own booking. For one, it gets reviewed, and so far critics have been very pleased with "Mutual Appreciation." For another, as Bujalski notes, "Light, pouring through a projector, through a film image, onto a big screen in a dark room full of strangers, is a beautiful and moving thing!"

--Three Stories of Self-Distribution

About J. Ott

John Ott is a writer, filmmaker and futurist. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.