With the right distribution strategy, your short film could have a long and surprisingly prosperous life after its festival run. Choosing the right strategy, however, depends entirely on your goals. If your short is a proof-of-concept for a feature, then you’ll want to get it in front of as many producers and well-connected industry folks as possible. If it’s a calling card to help land your next gig, then you can take a much broader approach (in this case, make sure to include it as 'past work' when pitching on Tongal projects). If you simply want to recoup some of the costs for producing your short, then a sales agent is the way to go. Regardless of the strategy you choose, you should have a clear sense of who your audience is and what value your film provides to them.
As soon as your short hits the festival circuit, you can get started on your distribution strategy and begin meeting and networking with sales agents and distributors. The best way to go about this is to submit your short to festivals with active film markets. These festivals attract sales agents, buyers, and distributors from around the world looking to package and program shorts for various channels. Once you’re in, be aggressive; invite agents and buyers to your screenings, shower them with DVD/Blu-ray copies of your film, or hand out postcards with a URL to a password-protected copy of your short. By the end of your festival run, you should have acquired plenty of contacts to help you with the next phase of your distribution strategy.
Before we dive in any further, let's take a second to make sure your proverbial ducks are in a row and your short is distribution-ready, both for U.S. and international markets. Here’s what you’ll be expected to deliver before you or your sales agent/distributor begin stomping the pavement:
The Distributor Route
First, let’s draw a quick distinction between distribution companies and sales agents as they often get clumped together. A distribution company focuses primarily on getting your short seen, regardless of revenue potential. That means film festivals, events, a 25th-anniversary screening of Dazed and Confused, you name it! A sales agent, on the other hand, focuses solely and wholeheartedly on generating sales from your film.
A distribution company can also be brought in early to help with your festival strategy. Though there are no upfront costs when engaging with a distributor (unless they help with your festival strategy), your contract will likely entail exclusive rights for a 2-3 year period along with a 30-35% commission fee based on any sales they end up making from your short.
Because they’re not focused exclusively on sales, a distributor – especially one specializing in shorts – may find more unique opportunities to screen your film. They also have enough clout to host private industry screenings with other films on their roster. The distributor route is an especially good choice for filmmakers looking for financing to turn a proof-of-concept short into a feature.
The Sales Agent Route
Sales agents work with a variety of domestic and international buyers, such as TV and cable networks, DVD publishers, streaming services, airlines, and hotels. Because most festivals prohibit you from showing your film outside the circuit, you’ll want to engage a sales agent near the end of your run — however, it doesn’t hurt to nurture those potential relationships early. And though it’s tempting to rely on your ever-capable producer to market and find distribution opportunities for your film, a sales agent will take out much of the leg work. Most buyers will only go to established agents, not only because agents are a trusted source of quality films, but because the buyer is looking to purchase packaged content. Short film distribution is a niche market and it’s better to work with someone who knows the lay of the land and has strong connections.
When it comes to the cost of engaging a sales agent, there are usually no upfront fees, however, you should expect to give 30% to 50% of the licensing fee(s) to the agent as they will need to recoup the costs associated with marketing and selling your film. After they’ve recouped their costs, you will likely split revenue upwards of 50% to 70%. Contracts with sales agents are almost always exclusive and extend to up to 3 years unless it only covers online distribution, where the terms can be more flexible.
Sales agents are especially helpful when it comes to cracking the European market, which has a larger appetite for shorts programming on television. If possible, only make a deal with the sales agent in territories they are well-established in. To help with your search, Raindance has put together a comprehensive list of international short film distributors.
The DIY Online Distribution Route
If you’re looking to net a wider audience and increase your short’s discoverability, then online distribution is the way to go. What’s more is you don’t need to enlist the services of a sales agent to successfully distribute online. Most filmmakers can do it themselves.
There are plenty of online platforms and streaming services in want of creative content like yours; some of them cater to niche audiences, while others maintain a wider appeal. But before you start uploading willy-nilly, take a second to consider your original goals. Finding the right online platforms still requires strategy. Think about the types of people who gravitate towards your film and then find the platforms that cater to those audiences. A few good options include Seed&Spark’s distribution channel, which seeks out content that increases inclusion both in front and behind the camera; DUST, a streaming service that's pure catnip for sci-fi and genre fans; and SnagFilms, which caters to documentary-lovers and is supported by advertising.
Short of the Week, a weekly showcase of the internet’s best short films, makes a compelling argument for why you should jump into online distribution immediately after (or even during!) your short’s festival run. After surveying hundreds of filmmakers about their distribution experiences, Short of the Week found that the media landscape is changing. The old model, built around gatekeepers and the tastes of cable television executives, no longer competes with the opportunities available online. Think about it. In a world where a music video can be picked up as a feature film in the blink of an eye, you may way want to think twice about spending too much time landing a spot on a late-night premium cable network in Belgium.
During a successful festival run, you can expect around 2,000 people to see your film. Online, you can easily outpace this number. Agencies, managers, and producers are now turning to online to source talent, knowing that the next generation of content creators are there. The “everywhere all at once” approach to short film distribution is certainly one to consider, especially after your short has had its festival premiere. Though there’s no perfect science to building an audience or leveraging your short to land your next big project, the important thing is that you keep your goals top of mind when deciding on the best path for yourself.
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We hope we’ve provided you with a good primer on the different options for distributing your short film. If you have any other tips or personal experience to share, please add to our conversation in the comments below.
