Don't Give Your Film Away for Free

Many filmmakers, consultants and distributors are changing how people think about film and not for the better. While audience members were previously conditioned to pay for films, the new train of thought (seeminly forced upon audience members) is to give it to them for free and without profit to the filmmaker.

The thinking is that the money will come. The reality is that the money isn't coming, didn't come for the music industry, and soon will not be there at all for filmmakers if filmmakers don't start acting responsibly on their own behalf.

The problem is simple.
a) If you give it away for free why should someone pay for it?
b) If you give it away for free how are you going to make money off it?

Simply put, filmmakers are destroying their ability to create profit from their own work. Independent filmmakers seem to be the first to jump off this cliff and into the arms of poverty. Why? Perhaps, in part, out of desperation. It is important for filmmakers to share their work with others. But at what cost? The price of impoverishment is too high. Indie filmmakers put everything they have (heart, soul, time and money) on the line to make their films. For them to give their work away for free is not acceptable and filmmakers need to stop doing it.

Filmmakers need to have faith in their work and faith in their audience. History shows that people are willing to pay for films. If your film is worth seeing then it is worth paying for. If not, please don't waste anyone's time with it and try to do better next time or find a new profession. If you believe in your film then you need to believe in yourself and your audience, as well. You need to trust your film and believe it will make money over time. Reservoir Dogs was not an immediate hit. It gained word of mouth, grew feet and moved forward. Tarantino was not in a position where he could have given his film away for free online. One wonders if people would have been less interested in it if it were that overly available. If that sort of access would have decreased it's overall word of mouth and appeal.

The Problem with Online Ads
The problem with online ads is that there simply isn't enough ad money to go around and those who are creating the sites need that money to function and pay their own expenses - not to mention it's just not enough money on a per film basis to equal the value and worth of your project. I recently visited a beautiful site called, OpenFilm. I love the look of it. It's cool. The problem is that a filmmaker will be hard pressed to ever make more than a couple bucks every couple of months off it. (OpenFilm offers a 50/50 deal on ad revenue for films that get advertisting.) Another problem is that most filmmakers won't know that upfront so they might think it's a good deal, put their film up, and only later realize it isn't profitable for them. In the meantime, this online venue just gave away your film for free... along with tons of other indie films. None of you made any money and you just taught the audience not to pay for your work. Tell me how that benefits you? I'm not looking for enemies here, not meaning to bad mouth the site, but do want people to start thinking about what they are doing and why. Even if OpenFilm has the best intentions, it's not a sustainable option for indie filmmakers. Where's the money? If you are a filmmaker making money on OpenFilm, then leave a comment telling us how much you are making monthly of the site and the name of your film. I will be happy to be wrong. The project has some very cool people attached to it whose intentions are undoubtedly to help the indie film world!

Honestly, if you don't think your film is worth paying for, why should I... or any other audience member. If you think it's only worth seeing if it's seen for free then it's probably not worth seeing at all. Now that may not be true, but I'd guess a lot of people think that way.

As an audience member, I just want to see good films. I don't want to see just anything. My time is limited and valuable. I have a saying, "Not everything free is worth having." Therefore, I'm skeptical of things that might be offered to me for free. The question is, "Do I really want this?" The answer is unknown when it comes to films. But my immediate thought is that they're only going to give me the crap for free. The other stuff I'll need to pay for. How do you want people to think of your film? Crap? Or worth seeing?

That being said, there are tons of really good films offered for free online. This is a shame and will hurt both those films and the film industry in general - both for studio films as well as independent films. Independent filmmakers need to stand up, be counted and lead the way. Do not expect someone else is taking care of you. It is not happening. Middlemen can't even figure out how to take care of themselves, they sure can't figure out how to take care of you. That's okay, but know it and take charge of your own destiny and the destiny of your film.

Why Filmmakers Cannot Depend on Online Ads
I will share my personal experience. I have a few websites that bring in approximately 30K hits a month. On average the sites make $65 per month combined as a result of online advertising. All but one of the sites brings in money through other means. Therefore, the online ad money pays for the site, but nothing else really. The money is made through actual money made from sales made from the site. For example, let's say you have a dog grooming site where the site makes $5 a month from ad revenue and $800 from revenue generated as a result of what you actually sell on the site (such as grooming services, dog collars and doggie travel bags.) This is where the money is made. Trying to live off the $5 is never going to work. Waiting endlessly for the $5 to increase to a decent revenue probably isn't going to work either. Selling products that generate income works! Filmmakers aren't doing this, but they need to start.

How Can Filmmakers Make Money Online
Sell your film(s) for a profit - a reasonable price, don't scalp the consumer or their look for a better option generally a free one (think of the problems the music industry ran into as a result of overcharging). Additionally, sell merchandise. Cool merchandise is best and will vary from film to film. Pencils, magnets, t-shirts, note pads, stickers, posters, messenger bags, etc. You have something cool. Let people who like it buy more of it. By the way, isn't that exactly what the majors do? So do it. Act like a filmmaker. Sell your film and make money!

Allow the indie audience the opportunity to buy your film and merchandise and show it off to their friends... yes! they truly are the coolest indie film lover they know and are willing to prove it by wearing your t-shirt of the coolest film they've seen in the last 5 years, etc. Remember, as they show off their cool buys they are also selling your film to a much larger audience. Trust your film and your audience. Embrace your passion and allow it to work for you and your audience. Don't be cheap and sell yourself short by giving it away for free.

When it is time, put your film online for a profit. If a venue is not available yet, wait. It will be. Respect your audience. In doing so, they will respect you. Trust yourself. In doing so, your audience will trust you. Help the independent film world become self sufficient simply by trusting the field you've devoted so much of your life to. It's that simple. Now do it!