Click on the link below to read the article from ifc.com on Kevin Smith’s plan to self distribute his next film Red State. Following the link is my opinion.
http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/01/why-kevin-smiths-red-state-sel.php
As my readers likely know, I am still at the aspiring stage of filmmaking. While I’m still in this place, I pay attention to the trends of the business and what works and doesn’t for distributing and producing films. I wasn’t at Sundance (someday I’ll be there) and didn’t see Smith’s film or presentation but I read quite a bit about it. I also saw a trailer. Many critics who saw the movie said it wasn’t very good. Bad movies get released every day. However, I think this method could work for Kevin Smith. For Megan Cline, not so much. Below are the reasons I have for how it might work for Kevin Smith and not for someone like me.
There are a lot of expenses involved in distribution. According to the article, the ticket prices would be in line with Smith’s “An Evening With Kevin Smith” night and hover around seventy dollars. Would you pay seventy dollars per person for a movie? I can’t think of a single movie I love that is worth that much. If I’m paying seventy dollars for a movie, I should be going home with at least two copies of the movie. On Blu Ray. The argument could be made that when you buy a movie on DVD you pay nearly thirty for it. True. But if I’m paying that much I get to keep it forever, watch it as many times as I want and usually when I pay that much, it’s because I know I like it. It’s not just ticket prices. There’s theater rentals, travel expenses to each city, prints, and advertising. All the things a studio has to pay for when they distribute. Sure, there’s ways to cut costs but you still have to pay money. Kevin Smith has a tour bus. Not everyone has a tour bus.
The movie has to be bankable. Red State was made for four million dollars. From the trailer, I recognized John Goodman, Melissa Leo, and Stephen Root. All very talented actors. Kevin Smith himself is also a famous director. He has a loyal fan base and many Twitter followers. He also has a very intriguing idea. His name will sell tickets. Independent filmmakers can draw bankable talent too if the money and story are there. I know people locally who self-distribute. From what I’ve seen of their work, I wouldn’t waste my money. They post clips on their websites and blogs that are painfully bad. If your selling material (your trailers and clips) don’t draw an audience, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. From what I’ve read, Red State isn’t quite ready for an audience.
Red State is already controversial. Red State takes a topic that frustrates many people–fundamental Christians–and creates a story people might be interested in. It’s also controversial in how Smith handled the sale. All of these factors have created an ad campaign intended or not. For someone without Smith’s fanbase, how would you be able to convince people to see your movie? You can advertise, but it costs a lot of money to do that. If this kind of self-distribution takes off, does that mean anyone trying to sell their film is going to stir up controversy or come up with stunts to make it work?
If this doesn’t work, it could end a career. I honestly think Smith is going to end his career based on this. After pulling a stunt with a fake auction and verbal teardown of the distribution system to a room filled with executives and reporters, unless Red State is a major hit, I don’t see how his career is going to recover. For an emerging filmmaker, if they self distribute a bad film, that becomes their calling card. They might be able to work again but not easily.
I am not saying this system won’t work. I am all for doing things outside the box to get a movie made and to an audience. I’m not saying I’ll never self distribute. I just feel that there’s a lot of bugs to work out before I would agree to this method. If it works, I hope I can find similar success when it’s my time to make a movie. If it doesn’t work, I’ll still enjoy Smith’s films and hopefully learn from this new model.
