Distributing short films via iTunes

[Mark Collins]

Hello all!

I was wondering if anyone here had experience with distributing short films via iTunes, or films of any kind? The way I see it, iTunes can be a wonderful tool for short and independent filmmakers as it allows us to reach a broader audience.

What I'm looking to know is:

How to set up an account on iTunes to distribute work
Where to submit films to be distributed
How much you can/should charge for a short film (I was thinking $1.99 CDN, thinking that it's fairly reasonable)

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Gunleik Groven]

Keep us updated... -

 

[Tim Hole]

Hello all!

I was wondering if anyone here had experience with distributing short films via iTunes, or films of any kind? The way I see it, iTunes can be a wonderful tool for short and independent filmmakers as it allows us to reach a broader audience.

What I'm looking to know is:

How to set up an account on iTunes to distribute work
Where to submit films to be distributed
How much you can/should charge for a short film (I was thinking $1.99 CDN, thinking that it's fairly reasonable)

Thanks in advance for the help.

Is an open question, although I think you can put on two different charges one for mobile and one for full size. The only forseeable issue is to get it compressed properly - If a feature film ranges from 750Mb to 1.5Gb!

Havent had personal experience with itunes though as its only the other side of the pond that is floating this at the moment.

Let us know if you find anything out.
!

 

[Mark Collins]

Is an open question, although I think you can put on two different charges one for mobile and one for full size. The only forseeable issue is to get it compressed properly - If a feature film ranges from 750Mb to 1.5Gb!

Havent had personal experience with itunes though as its only the other side of the pond that is floating this at the moment.

Let us know if you find anything out.
!

Since we're shooting Red, I wonder if they'd let us distribute 4K...not sure but yes, if I find out I'll let you guys know.

 

[Bill Anderson]

There was an excellent link to the makers of the feature THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG : very low budget, shot in two weeks, had internet download sales the same day it was released in the theaters, if I'm not mistaken. Very interesting history of its execution and business, worth searching for.

 

[Brian Petrie]

My buddy I just spoke with was in the process of doing this also. The main problem they were facing was marketing it b/c most people didn't mind paying the 1.99 or whatever it's just most people didn't even know what it was. So they are having a hard time coming up with a plan to get people to actually know about the film and what it was. Now if you already have a large audience that is excited about your next project it won't be as much of a concern, but if you're relatively unknown then getting people aware and wanting to purchase can be a little hard. Anyways, I'm sure you are quite aware of this just wanted to let you know my buddies feelings on this.

 

[Brian Petrie]

Oh and I wanted to add that they are strong supporters of a bunch of extra content. There is a lot of stuff you can add other than just the movie that would be fairly easy and not very expensive. This helps the consumers justify the expense of the film a little easier. One idea I had was to do a "How we made an Indie movie/short" that gives a lot of detail on the process and how "anybody" can do it. My feelings were that maybe some film students/indies would purchase it just to watch this segment and learn more about the process and how to make their own movie.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Yes, pre marketing hype etc., will be half the battle.

Like Terry Gilliam said about the protracted pre release hype of Blair Witch 2, : Of all the films that have never been made, this has to be the best. In fact it is so good, I hope it never gets made. more or less.

 

[Alex G. Cohn]

As far as I know, iTunes does not accept individual submissions for Films or TV shows.

If you look at their information for applying to be a Content Provider, it seems limited to Music, Music Videos, and Books.

I was doing research awhile back about ways to distribute indie films online, and this article about iTunes seems to suggest that you have to partner with a distributor that has a deal with iTunes.

I also found that Amazon has a service called CreateSpace that allows you to submit individual films for DVD sales / online VOD, though videos have to be at least 20 minutes long and Standard-Definition only. I believe you could submit a collection of shorts if the individual shorts aren't longer than 20 minutes.