Ten Reasons To Put Your Movie Up on YouTube for Free

So you've finished your movie, you've perhaps dipped a toe in the film festival world and gotten nowhere. You've approached traditional distribution with no avail, and self-distributing methods aren't paying off. What are you supposed to do now, let it collect digital dust? NO! Put it up on YouTube for free - and here are a few reasons why.

1. You are not going to get into Sundance. Sorry, it's true. I did an article/rant about the Film Festival circuit here. Sure, there are more festivals now than you can shake a schtick at, but unless you get into one of the big ones (Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, Toronto, etc.) a distributor is not going to seriously consider a film, regardless of quality. Thanks to digital innovation in filmmaking, there are just too many out there and the financial risks too great.

2. No one is going to pay to watch your movie. You may have convinced your friends to help you raise funds via a Kickstarter campaign (like I did) and perhaps even packed them in at a screening or two. But the reality is, if your film has no recognizable names and you are not a buzzed-about filmmaker with a strong following, no one is going to plunk down even $3 to stream your movie. Think about it: why should they? Nowadays, with piracy so rampant that even YouTube has full-length movies from major studios up for free, why wouldn't they just watch something they've heard of? Look! Here's a link to the full new Muppet movie that was just in theaters...!

And here's a link to my movie The Great Intervention - you can stream it for just $2.99!

Which link are YOU more likely to click on?!

3. You are not going to get your film on Netflix. Netflix's popularity is based upon them having the biggest blockbusters as well as critical darlings that populate the aforementioned Film Festivals that you are not a part of. There is a company called Distribber that will act as the all-important middleman between you and Netflix, and charge you up to $800 for the privilege of them negotiating a license for you. But here's the catch: Netflix won't accept your movie unless it's in their "database" of movies, which is made up of primarily - you guessed it - high-profile indie and major studio films. NOT yours. And even if they DO buy it, rumors are they will pay you peanuts. 

4. You are not going to get a traditional distributor. Same rules apply to distributors - they are in it to make money, and their best bets are films with recognizable names that have been in major film festivals. Many distributors do something now called a "Service Deal" - meaning you pay for everything, promotion, prints, et. al, and they will put it through their network of theaters etc for either a cut or a fee. The most famous example success by this method is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - released a DECADE ago. And LOOK - here it is on YouTube for FREE!

5. You will not get a review for your film. Aside from small-potato blogs (i.e. friends of yours, or within your local community) or podcasts, no major periodical will give you a legitimate review unless your film is either in the theaters, has a celebrity, or has something quirky or noteworthy about the film (maybe you could murder your lead actor just before release, to help). 

BUT put it up on YouTube and, suddenly...

6. Your film WILL find its audience. YouTube is one of the most popular sites on the planet, with billions of hours of video being uploaded and watched - most of it for free. (There is a YouTube Rental section, recently created, but, again, you have to pay a servicer like Distribber to get it on there.) The cool thing about YouTube, is that once your film/video gets over 300 views, there are all sorts of demographics available about who is watching your film, including their age, sex, country of origin, and even a graph of their engagement over the course of the film. This is something Hollywood has paid shady marketing companies to do for years, and you get it here free. If your film does go viral, gaining thousands of viewers - that can certainly be ammunition for getting attention from the more traditional distribution sources (remember the controversial KONY 2012 campaign?)

7. It's a great promotional tool. Say you run in to a friend - perhaps even a friend who has industry connections. You get to talking about you and what you're doing. Your film comes up. You could say, yes I have a film and you can stream it for just $2.99 -- OR you can tell them it's up on YouTube for free - just type in (name of film) in the search engine. Which one are they more likely to remember/actually DO?

8. Your film can be an advertisement for itself. You can put up a low-res version, break it up into parts, uploading weekly to build/hook an audience, or periodically insert breaks encouraging people to support your art and buy the DVD. (If you made your film under SAG Ultra-Low Budget Agreement, a tiny percentage from any profit from streaming/downloading/DVD is sent to them to pay the actors.) 

9. You can host your own virtual screening via a Hang-Out on Google+. I have not tried this, and this Facebook rival seems to have quickly lost its luster, but theoretically you can gather your "friends" in virtual "hang" and stream the film. 

10. You can always TAKE IT DOWN!! Say you suddenly do hear from a film festival or a distributor. With one click, you can delete or hide the film from public view. It's that simple! No distributor/film festival needs to know that it is online, unless it is in your advantage to tell them.

These are the reasons I put my film The Great Intervention up for free - and here it is, for those readers who have made it thus far:

If you think I'm just bitter because reasons 1-5 happened to me - go ahead, watch my film and decide for yourself. If you do enjoy it, please comment and share! I am currently celebrating over 800 views - a drop-in-the-bucket, of course, but at least it is out there for people to watch and build interest in my art instead of sitting on a hard drive waiting for Havery Weinstein to call.

The Great Intervention is now on YouTube for FREE!

After many frustrating months of trying to get the movie out there in some way via film festivals or distributors, I have decided to upload it to YouTube for free. Please watch, share, and, if you enjoy it BUY THE DVD!

Fudge The Film Festivals - Get Your Film OUT THERE!!

Your film didn't make into Sundance? Neither did mine. But that shouldn't stop or discourage you. As more and more films flood the small pool of relevant film festivals, it is getting statistically harder and harder to get in. Even if you did, the odds of getting a distribution deal are low and one number-cruncher placed the number of indie films that actually earn a profit at about 3%.

Fortunately, now we have the internet and various VOD platforms for the indie filmmaker to exploit, all the while still pursuing the festival route if you like. Here are a few places I am using to help me distribute my indie comedy The Great Intervention.

1. Kunaki.com - Hands down, this site is the greatest invention for indie filmmakers AND musicians, as they print both CDs and DVDs on demand. But unlike, say, CreateSpace, they don't charge you fees or take a large commission. Basically, they charge $1.00 per CD or DVD (slightly more for bulk orders) and you mark up from there. Customers can pay with Visa, MasterCard, or even Paypal. And the end product they receive is truly professional - DVDs come with a full-color insert, CDs with color inside panel, and both are shrink-wrapped and have a full-color printed disc face. You seriously cannot tell the difference from a mass-produced commercial product. Here's a link to my sales page, so you can check it out.

This is what my DVD package looks like - insert your image here!

The ONE caveat with Kunaki is that you need to upload all artwork and the disc image itself via a PC computer - MAC will NOT work!! As many artists are Apple-centric, they may find this to be a problem. Kunaki's solution? They tell you to find a friend who has a PC. And be forewarned, the upload process is EXTREMELY slow and has to be periodically monitored, even though they say it doesn't. The final upshot, however, is a slick-looking product - and new Kunaki accounts can order a FREE copy to see the quality for themselves!!

2. Distrify.com - Here's the next step in getting your film out there - streaming and download options. Upload your film to distrify and they will encode it and host it - right now, your first film is free. However, they do take 30% of any streaming or download sales - which may strike some as a lot. Still, I think they offer some pretty unique services to help you get your film out there.

Here is the player for my film. Notice how you have a Preview, Watch, and Buy button directly in the player. Your potential audience can click on the preview and, if they like it, watch the movie right there in the player quickly and easily - you can charge as little as $2.99. It works on all platforms, so that's pretty cool as well.

Also notice when you click the Buy button, you are taken to a screen within the player where you are offered packages, soundtracks and other premium options - I've even included a commemorative jar of peanut butter for fun. And, look! There's a button that says Buy DVD, which, when you click on it, takes you to the Kunaki order page! The ability to create other products that your fans can order within they player is a handy feature of the Distrify player, and they don't take a commission on those sales.

And, finally, here's the other great thing about it - it's easy for your friends/fans to share AND they can earn themselves a 10% commission on any sales from their shares! A small incentive perhaps, but it's still something that might make your more ardent fans a little cash. Click Share, and the rest is self-explanatory.

3. Openfilm.com - If you'd like to make your film available for free but still want to earn revenue, Openfilm is an option. If you pay the small monthly fee of $2.95 they will host your movie and insert advertisements, which you will receive payment from ad placements. Also, Openfilm claims it will make your movie available on cable networks such as FIOS or emerging technologies like Boxee, also where you can potentially earn revenue. You can also submit directly to certain film festivals via the Openfilm dashboard. Inclusion in the Openfilm Network is not automatic, however, as a closer look at the website shows that you have to "suggest" your movie to be carried by each of these affiliates. I submitted mine to each and we shall see what happens. Also, there is a Donate button on your Opefilm webpage, where perhaps a guilty philanthropist will throw some $ your way.

But the mobile site, where you supposedly can earn money from downloads, is very difficult to navigate, and, as you can see below, the film plays with no ad overlays or interruptions on the embed. I am placing this "secret"version in this article as a bonus to you readers who have read this far and want to see my film for free. I am hoping that with more views and ratings, it might help it make its way through the Openfilm distribution chain, earning more views (and money?)

4. YouTube. Finally, there is YouTube, the Mother of all video sites. If you are looking for exposure for your film rather than the elusive profit, this may be a (final) option. If you dig carefully around the site, you will discover the prestigious  YouTube Partner Program which allows certain members the ability to create rental videos as part of their expanded Movie section. I have applied several times to this program, only to be rejected without explanation (you are allowed to apply every two months.)

Then again, you could always just put your movie on YouTube for free and hope for views. A separate program, but one with an equally capricious admission policy, allows you to "monetize" certain content, with YouTube placing ad overlays on certain videos. Although one of my videos has over 150,000 views - I have yet to see any "monetization."

Even if you can't get in this program, it is possible to benefit from putting your movie up for free. A link in the video description to donate money to the filmmaker or buy a DVD is possible, and you could even interrupt your movie with your own advertisements selling DVDs and other promotional items associated with the movie. I have not done this yet, but I am seriously considering it. Since my movie only cost $5000, I don't have a lot to lose.

The best thing is that all of these distribution options can be toggled off and on at will, in case you need or want to restrict viewings once your movie takes off. But instead of letting your film collect digital dust while you await to hear from Podunk Film Festival, why not make your film available to the world now? The tools are out there for you to utilize at will.