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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

How to make money from internet distribution of movies?

jpp said:
And there's no evidence yet that the internet is an alternative to the theatrical or video market, either as a sales or distribution medium.
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There have been people who have made fairly significant money selling movies direct using Internet marketing. Maybe not a lot of people yet.

As to how do you compete with Hollywood? Well - you won't. Make a small movie for a niche and market it to that niche. That's a movie Hollywood will never make and can't compete with.

But people seem to think they are going to beat something like "Closer" which has 4 stars in a well written little drama. Yeah, forget it. Your little Romantic Comedy with no one in it won't see the light of day and I don't know how you'd go about selling it direct.
 
joelnet said:
There have been people who have made fairly significant money selling movies direct using Internet marketing. Maybe not a lot of people yet.
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do you have names and numbers or is this just your imagination?
 
So many of these discussions fail to include the spiritual dimension. Doing the right thing at the right time just when people are ready to experience it... Maybe it's believing in yourself and just so happens everyone is feeling the same way, maybe it's a fluke or maybe there's something greater to it all...
 
Does anyone know the significance of 4,032?
That is the number of active members who posted over the last 30 days. How many of these members would buy your movie or any movie via the internet?
The Wizard of OZ played on the TNT cable channel. I sat through about 12 commercials during the show. I own a complete commercial free version on video. So, why did I sit through this commercial filled showing of The Wizard of OZ?
Here is what I think. (And I think this might help figure out how to make a "living or money" off internet distribution.
It was Sunday evening and I picked up the TV guide and started thumbing through it, (it was on the coffee table). I had been watching the Military Channel all day. This is the first time I ever watched a complete show on that channel.
I looked over the entire TV Guide show list and found The Wizard of Oz and a bunch of crummy movies. I didn't even consider the regular programming.
How many people watched the Wizard of Oz that night? A lot of people did. But only a small segment of the total viewing audience.
So what is the point?
There needs to be a way to communicate to the masses that a good movie is playing and they can watch it (where and when). The other point is. People are willing to watch commercials even if they own a copy of the movie. This might be due to the matter of convenience for the viewer or laziness of the viewer.
So, making money or a living off of distribution over the internet will really require using a combination of methodologies.
What are the methodologies?
I bet that the answers have already been posted in this thread. Maybe an ambitious soul without anything to do could compile a list of the methods. No I won't do it.
Does anyone know the significance of 1,458,632,361?
Check out http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
If you haven’t already you may want to check out http://www.internetvideomag.com/
 
I will allow myself to quote something I wrote on ScarletUser, because I think it's relevant:


http://scarletuser.com/showpost.php?p=12023&postcount=30


We're working\researching hard to make this work. :bleh:

If we have some real and practical success with this, I'd be happy to share our experience and "methodology" with fellow RedUsers.

Very happy. :)

For the moment - it's just theory.

Wish us luck. :sorcerer:
 
And we're back to the leader; but what's the dif between making money and making a living? Nothing. We want to make money by selling our movie. We've invested time and money and we want people to the max to see it. How can we get the most people to see our movie and still make the most money personally? Okay, maybe at least get a reasonable cut?... Um, anything?
 
joelnet said:
I have names and numbers. You'll have to use your imagination.
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OK. I imagine you have no names and numbers then.

As far as the original question, this is the answer: there is no way to make money from internet distribution. Not now, not ever.
 
muroshi said:
That's like you would claim Apple doesn't make any money over iTunes.
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Are you comparing Joe Blow with Apple?

Are you saying that the everyday aspiring filmmaker has the same economical, experienced and creative resources Apple has?

Anyway, if making money through sole internet distribution is possible, then go ahead, what are you waiting for? More power to you.
 
vstm10 said:
Anyway, if making money through sole internet distribution is possible, then go ahead, what are you waiting for? More power to you.
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Pretty much sums it up. If you don't think it's possible don't waste your time. And I'd say for 95% of the people out there it probably isn't possible. But traditional distribution probably has worse odds for the filmmaker.

But I do know of a guy who did a low budget narrative and grossed $800k in his first week of online sales (for physical dvd's - not downloads). If you're great at the Internet you'll figure who he is and how he did it. If you can't figure it out you're probably not good enough to replicate his success. And I'd charge you for the information because it's taken me years to figure out what's possible.

I also know of people who've made millions selling training videos over the Internet. Hell... just go to Lynda.com or http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/ but there are many more. And none of that includes porn.
 
joelnet said:
But I do know of a guy who did a low budget narrative and grossed $800k in his first week of online sales (for physical dvd's - not downloads).
If you're great at the Internet you'll figure who he is and how he did it. If you can't figure it out you're probably not good enough to replicate his success.
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I don't understand this pedantic answer. Why wouldn't you say what movie it is? What does it have to do with being a good sleuth on the internet?

By the way, I really don't care to replicate his success, I'm not a filmmaker, just curious.

joelnet said:
And I'd charge you for the information because it's taken me years to figure out what's possible.
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Not interested, thank you. I already make a great living.

joelnet said:
I also know of people who've made millions selling training videos over the Internet.
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Non-narrative videos are different beasts. I thought the OP was more interested in being a filmmaker?

Alright, then. I'm revising my answer: OP, send a PM to joelnet, he knows how to make money on the Internet.

Now I've nothing else to say. Good luck everybody. Red is a great tool.
 
vstm10 said:
II don't understand this pedantic answer. Why wouldn't you say what movie it is?
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Same reason most people don't post their best movie concepts on the Internet. I don't post my best marketing concepts or business plans.

I'd agree with you that selling narrative movies over the Internet is probably about the toughest thing I can imagine trying to sell. But it does happen. Hollywood even does it. For the first time a couple movies this past year had more people saying during theater exit polls that they found out about the movie on the Internet than any other source. We're in a pardigm shift. If Internet promotions can get people into a theater then it follows that a download, dvd purchase or other product purchase may also be possible.

Just got off the phone with someone who's producing an online comedy and apparently has advertising presold. They already had major industry contacts so it's possible, but I still want to see it. I also know people making money from podcasts. And of course, AskANinja.com put an out of work actor into semi big business. The Internet is actually loaded with different video oriented things that have made money and/or launched careers. Heck, Napoleon Dynamite and Blair Witch were more than likely purchased for their Internet marketing campaigns and not the movie itself.
 
joelnet said:
I also know of people who've made millions selling training videos over the Internet. Hell... just go to Lynda.com or http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/ but there are many more. And none of that includes porn.
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Awwww man, I went to those sites and they have training videos on exactly the subjects that I was planning to make videos for. Sucks for me, but oh well.

So... porn, how well is that selling these days?
 
Are you comparing Joe Blow with Apple?
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Well, Joe Blow probably could sell his movie over iTunes in the near future, or even a better place. You said: "there is no way to make money from internet distribution. Not now, not ever." That's a very hazardous statement. Distribution will go online sooner or later. And there are films that rely on mouth-to-mouth, without big marketing. "Oldboy" or "Donnie Darko" for instance. There isn't a way to make a living from your own films, online or offline, except for the case that you hit the golden jackpot. But it will rather happen if you have some success in the internet. You've got an audience, not a filmfestival jury to reward and proof it at least and you keep your rights.
 
Shit! I'm totally confused on who is saying what! I guess that's the point. It's all so deep it's meaningless. Has the internet helped any company sell anything? Check your dipstick at the door if you think not! Who the Fuck are the Arctic Monkeys? (That's a song for you uninitiated...)....

The Dark Knight: 300% darker.... Porn, 3000% wetter. You?!?!....
 
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