A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

Wonderful trailer from a wonderful documentary taking a personable yet clear-eyed view of suburbia.


Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Radiant City' - Distributed by The National Film Board of Canada

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

The greatest minds in the world have thrown in their two cents on the topics, now it’s time for the kids to chime in.

In this remarkably funny and heartwarming clip from the NFB, we get to hear what children have to say about the great beyond.


Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Kids Talking About Death' - Distributed by The National Film Board of Canada

Making an independent film is a huge project, and conventional wisdom has it that you: shoot your film, cut your film and then, after that’s all done, you try to sell your film. However, marketing your film should begin during the production phase. But who has the time? That’s just it— you don’t.

So...find some people who do. Marketing is a priority, but it should not be your priority. You need to beg, borrow and trade favors to find a few key people who can stay on top of your marketing needs while your film is in production. Ideally, you want to make the entire production process a marketing process too. Below are a list of five key things you do not want to forget to do, or better yet, that you do not want to forget to find someone else to do for you.

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"Indie Filmmakers Looking for Film Buyers: 5 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Early To Start Marketing"

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

Man's best friend deserves a treat, so one dog lover and entrepreneur decided to open her own Doggie Daycare center, catering exclusively to the canine set. Here's an entertaining trailer on the dog dream world from Electric Sky productions.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Doggie Daycare' - Distributed by Electric Sky

So, you have an indie film and you want to find distribution.

Never have so many options for distribution been available; never has it been so confusing to decide what is right for you and your film. The industry is experiencing a transitional moment; everyone knows online downloads are the future, but nobody knows exactly how it will play out. As well, distribution has gone online too, offering a plethora of choices for the indie filmmaker and producer. What to do, what to do.

This article is the first of a 5-part series that looks at all of the avenues open to you as a filmmaker and distributor. We’ll offer some tips on how to find your film a home.

Regardless of your film’s ultimate destination, your goal is to find a license buyer for your film. Who are film buyers? We’re talking about broadcast TV (cable, satellite, and terrestrial), home DVD companies, VOD service providers, and mobile content providers.

Let’s start this series by examining the psychology of this rare and overworked professional. Here are five things you should know about Film Buyers and 5 tips for putting the best face of your film forward.

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"Looking for Film Buyers? 5 steps to secure distribution for your indie film"

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys is launching an indie film distribution and sales company called Oscilloscope Pictures.  He has brought in ThinkFilm VP David Fenkel to run things, and David Berger from ThinkFilm is also on board. Bergel and Fenkel know film and over the last few years Thinkfilm has been the company to watch in indie film. The group will be looking to pick up documentary and fiction films from the fest circuit, as well as provide finishing funding.

The down side is Yauch wants to make this happen without any outside financing; he is looking for deals where the filmmakers can “share” the risk. What this means is not exactly clear; but anyone who doesn’t mind a low MG and a DIY ethic should look out for these guys.

Link: The Hollywood Reporter

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

"With anorexia you feel too fat. With this I feel too skinny." Extremely interesting glimpse into teenage boys obsessed by body building. In this candid clip we catch an unusual glimpse into the problem of body-image for teenage males, and learn how simple the decision can be to take steroids.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Shredded' - Distributed by The National Film Board of Canada

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

"There was no sound. It was like it was in slow motion." Against All Odds is an astonishing television series profiling the lives of individuals with the courage and willpower to overcome tremendous physical and psychological crises. In this clip we meet thrill seeker Dana Bowman whose life was changed forever when he collided mid-air with his friend and fellow skydiver.

Some viewers may find these images disturbing.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Against All Odds' - Distributed by Bullseye TV

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

"We estimate that there are more than a million deaths from malaria each year. That's like 7 jumbo jets going down every day. And 90% of those deaths are in children."

We've heard about organizations like nothingbutnets.net attempting to control malaria spreading mosquitoes through the use of simple mosquito nets. But this highly practical solution, while urgently needed, distracts from another question: why is it that 30 years ago malaria in Africa was no more serious than the flu? This clip from the documentary Malaria Parasites (produced and distributed by Journeyman Productions) examines the impact of deadly imitation drugs sold illegally and how they have contributed to the rapidity with which the malaria parasite has developed resistance to previously successful drugs. Now there are signs that the one remaining effective drug against malaria is also weakening. This is a story about humanitarian organizations and government bodies failing to address all levels of a problem, and a situation reaching a crisis point.

Required viewing for all policy makers, politicians, and potential candidates.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
Malaria Parasites - Distributed by Journeyman Productions

E-mail marketing is tough. A study by Forrester research shows that while 83% of companies attempt e-marketing less than 5% are successful.  What’s the secret?

There’s no secret, per se, but film and video distributors targeting license buyers need to be informed about all the potential pitfalls.  A good e-mail marketing campaign demands research, strategy, patience, a smooth follow-up process, and a little high-tech. It’s hard to know where to begin, and it’s natural to be afraid of making a major mistake and alienating your potential buyers.

On the other hand, a good e-mail campaign has proven time and again to be the most cost-effective way to market, and in the film and video licensing industry, it’s becoming a standard and expected practice.  Take some time to analyze what needs to be done, let your creativity and passion for your material inform what you do, and you will reach the film/video license buyers who are searching for the kind of content you offer.

To help get you started, we’ve put together a list of five easy-to-make e-mail marketing mistakes.

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"Five Common E-mail Marketing Mistakes That Film Distributors and Producers Need to Avoid"

When most people talk about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) they tend to talk about getting more traffic to their website.  Everyone wants more traffic.  Right?

If you are like most film and video distributors, you care less about volume of traffic and much more about quality of traffic.  The goal is to get the right people visiting your site.  Can SEO do that for you?

Search Engine Optimization is about helping people who want to find your site, find your site.  Optimize your site properly, target keywords intimately related to your business, and the high quality traffic will come.

By making a few technical improvements to your site right now, you can help search engines like Google and Yahoo understand and ‘respect’ what your site offers and then pass the good word on to the thousands of film and video license buyers who use search engines every business day. 

Maybe a buyer only remembers a few words about a title they saw on the back of one of your sell sheets.  Good SEO practice makes it possible for license buyers to find you using even the sketchiest keywords.

We’ve put together a checklist of nine very basic things you can do today to make sure your website is search engine friendly.  Give your site an SEO tune-up, work hard posting keyword rich content, and you will be amazed how fast you can ‘own’ a set of keywords related to a film/video content category or genre.  This means that whenever, or wherever, a buyer searches for content related to your business, they’ll find their way to your website.

This checklist is just as essential for film and video distributors as it is for indie producers and film festivals wanting to boost their exposure.  Everyone can benefit from these best practices.

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"Film/Video Distributors and Producers: Make Sure You Know These Nine SEO Recommendations"

We covered a lot very quickly during our December 6th webinar on Search Engine Optimization. We talked about getting your old sell sheets online and the importance of catalogue titles, we talked about social bookmarking sites, web 2.0, and what it takes to use content fans to put pressure on license buyers.

For all those who asked, we’re happy to offer a PDF version of that presentation for download. It doesn’t have quite the same effect as hearing it straight from Mr. Jordi Duran, our SEO expert, but it’s a useful document nonetheless.  Stay tuned to this blog for many more hints and tips.

SEO for Film and Video Distributors PDF

And, of course, feel free to leave us comments.

The votes have been tabulated, and based on the results from our last webinar we’re happy to announce our second webinar.

Title: Search Engine Optimization for the Film and Video Licensing Industry
Date: Thursday, December 6th, 2007
Morning Session: 8:30 AM EST (UTC/GMT -5)
Afternoon session: 5:00 PM EST (UTC/GMT -5)
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: Free

This webinar will explore the benefits and challenges of Search Engine Optimization: the art and science of drawing qualified traffic to your website. Search engine expert Jordi Duran i Batidor, will offers tips, tricks, and hints to help film and video property rights holders expand their web presence.

Click here to register

Earlier today I posted a note on HD technology.  The fact is, that even as prices come down, it is ultimately content that will drive consumer adoption, and, naturally, license buyers are on the look out for HD in a big way. Vanguard buyers like Discovery Channel HD are setting the pace, and we are more than happy to help industry buyers like them discover what international content providers are offering. Watch this blog as we work to welcome the best HD content in the world to the web.

The website is only going to be up for two weeks, but that’s long enough for Akamai’s HDWEB to make a simple point.  The web can deliver HD content.  It’s still expensive and it still requires some powerful hardware, but HD over IP will be coming a lot sooner than many people in the industry expected.

The technology is finally just about right.  NBC Sports head David Neal, predicts NBC’s 2008 Summer Olympics HD broadcast “will be a signature moment for the adoption of high-definition as a mainstream delivery medium for consumers” (source: Broadcasting & Cable).  He goes on to predict that over 50% of U.S. households will have an HDTV set in 2008.  Even if this is wishful thinking, HD TV is clearly on the verge of a tipping point.  The technology is moving rapidly from luxury item, to cool toy, to “the only way to watch sports at home.”