MIDNIGHT DRIVER (SIJI:DRIVER) - Distributing an indie film.

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Making a feature film is just the first step. Getting it distributed is whole different side of the business. You can read about the process of getting my first feature film MIDNIGHT DRIVER (AKA SIJI:DRIVER) made in my earlier article: Friendly Challenge to Best Picture

After getting deals from the sales agent for China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Africa, the offers and interest dried up. I can't say for sure if it's actual interest in my film or just the fact that sales agents carry a lot of titles and will prioritize newer titles or titles that get more interest. Luckily, we had got an 18 month exit clause from the sales agent and I was interested in pursuing other avenues for distribution. They did sign a deal with an English language territory distributor before terminating our deal and the film is now available on Amazon. Some sales agents want to sign 7 years or even 15 years. But really they are most likely going to do the majority of exploitation within the first 18 months. The wording on the contract was a bit convoluted, but luckily the sales agent was willing to let us have the rights back.

One regret is the sales agent did a pretty lowball deal for China and actually had a much better offer given to them later, which would have included theatrical but the rights were already gone by then. One lesson is that even sales agents can give bad advice. Even though the China deal wasn't the greatest monetarily, at least there has been good viewership. MIDNIGHT DRIVER (AKA SIJI:DRIVER) is in China on Tencent (equivalent of Netflix) and has been seen by over 2.95 million people with a average score of 6.8. It would be helpful for filmmakers if Netflix was as transparent with viewership and ratings.

I went to the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 trying to pitch my next project and also looking for potential sales opportunities for MIDNIGHT DRIVER (AKA SIJI:DRIVER). It so happened that I met with a Japanese distributor in a bar late one night and told him about my film. We ended up signing a deal without needing a sales agent involved at all. He wanted to do a DVD release which is still popular in Japan and asked about bonus material. I recorded a commentary track and put in a couple of deleted scenes and the film is scheduled for release in 2020. Of course this whole COVID issue puts a huge dampener on everything, but they do also have streaming rights.

The previous deal with the sales agent was very useful for us preparing a list of deliverables. Audio M&E (Music and Effects tracks) which is the all the sound without the dialogue so they can dub in their own voice actors. Subtitle file so they can translate and put in their own language subtitles. Music cue sheet since composers usually get paid a royalty if the program airs on a broadcaster. Getting a QC (Quality Control) report done. A QC person watches the film and notes down any technical issues, which was a good thing as he caught a few errors like a boom in the shot that we didn't catch. I got all the issues fixed after QC so it was very much worth it. Textless video, so they foreign countries can put their own translated version of the titles on the film. Deliverables can be long and extensive so it's a good idea to know what the expectations are ahead of time and make sure you get them during your post-production process, not realize you need it later and maybe incur more costs. Promotional Materials like a poster and trailer again with textless photoshop versions so they can modify and make their own adjustments.

On a low budget film like mine, it's really unlikely the sales agent or distributor will spend much time or money to create a new poster design or cut a new trailer, so make sure these elements are well done since consumers base their decisions to see the film based on the attractiveness of the poster and trailer. I had a photo shoot separately just for the poster and I highly recommend you schedule that on a separate day since you need studio flashlights and a good amount of time to make sure the actors look good. I scheduled it a few days after wrap and got a photographer friend to do a favor. Don't rely on screen grabs, even if they are high enough resolution, its unlikely you'll get something as good as if you do a standalone photo session.

So what did I learn? What would I do differently? I would say you should definitely be careful about who you sign with. There are all too many stories about filmmakers getting ripped off by sales agents and distributors and not seeing any money from their films. Do your due diligence, and also be realistic about what the expectations are. One of the biggest issues with distribution on a small film is no name actors. If you don't have a star in your film (recognizable or bankable name) then distribution will be a challenge. A lot of distributors and sales agents won't even look at your film without a name because there are simply too many films out there. The marketplace is a lot different than it was ten years ago, and it's getting harder even for established players to monetize using traditional film financing models. A lot of sales agent companies are going under as streaming competes with their revenues. So how do you get your project on a streamer like Netflix? It's very hard if you don't have established talent, agent representation and / or established relationships with a streamer. Getting a name on a micro-budget film is highly unlikely, but if you have a bit more money I would suggest trying to get a name on your movie.

Do I regret making a low budget film? Absolutely not! If your passion is to be a filmmaker, director, or producer then you absolutely need to make content to prove to others that you can do it. Christopher Nolan's first feature "Following" cost $6,000. Robert Rodriguez made "El Mariachi" for $7,000. So the template to break in has always been there from the rebels and the disrupters. It's very hard to make a feature with little to no resources, so it separates you from the pack. It's a calling card. But since there are so many low budget indie features being made, one film may not be enough, and the quality level needs to be very good to excellent. It's cheaper than film school and you end up with a product you can sell.

I think the biggest lesson for me about film distribution has nothing to do with story or filmmaking. The big takeaway is that name actors are critical for sales and distribution. The only exception to this is if you make a horror film, then your creature or concept is your hook. Art and promotional materials is really important.

I decided to take a different approach for my next projects. I started pitching just with a few look books and outlines to see what level of interest I would get. And after a few producers showed interest, I had to buckle down and write the screenplays. I think this approach is interesting because you are not wasting time finishing a script that the market doesn't want. Also since the producer hears about it early and perhaps has some input into the direction of the story there is much more of a vested interest in seeing the script when it's completed. On the flip side of course you need to be able to execute on a great script. I have taken the proseries and masterseries courses from www.screenwritingU.com and highly recommend them. I see screenplays as evolving entities that don't get finished until the film is done. Feedback is important to help you evolve and shape the story and fix problems before it gets to an audience. The other benefit of having a producer waiting for your script is that now you have a real deadline worth working towards. So I do like this approach and will use it in the future. I've heard stories of a producer who would walk around with a movie poster at the Cannes film festival and presell the movie based solely off that. Then he would go back and hire a writer to write it. That's the power of market testing your ideas.

The flip side of name actors is now you need some financing and now you are beholden to other peoples schedules. That's also can become a form of development hell because it can take years for the stars to align and for your financing and actors to fall into place. I'm not exactly happy about this situation so I've resorted to making some short films in the interim to try ideas and different directing techniques. I don't think there is any issue with shooting more and practicing your craft. It's much better to be on top of your game when you get back into the director's chair than feeling really rusty and uncomfortable.

I made a short for the PGA 51 hour challenge called "Pass The Buck" (watch here:Pass the Buck) and another short for the HBO Visionaries competition called "Alternate Ego." (Trailer here: ALTERNATE EGO Trailer)

The short films got accepted into some great film festivals: Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF 42), Long Island Film Expo (LIIFE 22), South East Regional Film Festival (SERFF) and allowed me to network with other filmmakers and get inspired by their work. This is another important lesson, never wait for your film to get financed or cast. Just start working on something else. If you don't have money, make a short or a proof of concept. As a filmmaker, you can't rely on one project and you need to keep perfecting your craft. This was the great advice I got from passionate filmmaker Manny Serrano who is incredibly prolific and is as excited about making his shorts as his features. Many people I've spoken to have at least six projects in the pipeline. I think that's a good number because you never know what will go first. Even in the case of my first feature film, it was the last thing I wrote and it got funded very quickly. So you have to let go of any attachment to how you think your career will advance and just keep creating. Never stop creating.

So after a few months into the disaster that is 2020, I've enrolled in the TV bootcamp writing course at www.screewritingU.com and been developing a supernatural TV series. I don't know when things are going back to normal but regardless I'm going to be creating new content...

Watch Midnight Driver on TUBI