Self distribution options in Europe?

Baluardo

Baluardo

Well-known member
Sometimes it's kind of frustrating to live in Europe, where there are definitely less options to self distribute your film, than you would have in the usa.

One of the most convenient i found online is euroduplication.com that promises 1000 packaged dvds for about 850 euro plus VAT. then i assume amazon.co.uk allows the same distribution program of amazon.com

-Do you know of other interesting options for replication/duplication and distribution?

-Do you know of some europe(or maybe asia) -based DVD-on-demand service such as customflix in the states, so they would burn and print and sell only the dvds that get ordered and it would be all-in-one-facility?

thx
Andrea
 
Nobody answered cause nobody tried this or there are no options at all?
Also i can't find an independent distribution program with amazon uk. do they have it?

Andrea
 
Well here's a little update for who is interested:
amazon.co.uk DOES have a distribution program and it's called 'advantage' (exactly like the corresponding american amazon.com). Also the french and german amazon have the same kind of things.
Conditions are decent and I'll go for this option if nobody comes out with other suggestions (always strongly welcome), like dvd-on-demand possibilities, for example.

:)Andrea
 
No idea if customflix would work well for foreign countries, but I personally think that having your title available on amazon is a good thing - and something I'm in the process of doing through customflix.

I researched "advantage" and didn't think it was a smart way to go. With customflix, they sell the dvd for you and you get the commission. But with "Advantage", you have to duplicate and produce the entire dvd yourself, then mail them the dvd's.(which i think is 5 at a time). Then, you still lose 55% of profits to Amazon, yet you've had to take the time and money to duplicate, print covers, print labels etc., then drop money on mailing a 5 pack of dvd's. I'm from Canada. That would probably cost about $20 for me to do. So, I'd need to sell my dvd's for say $24.99 to make up for all the prep I did - then I'd potentially over shoot my price point and not get sales.

I say don't go Amazon Advantage. Go Customflix instead if this is a road you're considering.

I have the same problem with filmbaby.com - It gets decent traffic, so it might not be a bad way to get a movie to an audience, but with a $39.99 start up fee and the cost of mailing it just doesn't seem like a smart way to go.

I'd like to personally get one of those Primera Bravo dvd duplicators. With the amount of time I took this year to mail out screeners of my film, this would have been a great time saving investment:

Primera Bravo SE

Not sure of what I've mentioned has any relevance to Europe. I'd look into customflixes European possibilities though.
 
Thx for answer guys. I started to think I was dead and didnt realize yet why everybody was ignoring me.

From my little research, it emerged that:

- customflix does sell internationally (not sure about their shipping prices tho), but 1)being an international producer involves some tax paperwork that i'd rather avoid and 2)my target audience is primarily uk based and they may be skeptical about buying overseas.

- filmbaby.com does NOT accept international producer

- I'm actually checking whether amazon.co.uk accepts international prods (im based in italy).. i sent them an email for clarification. Anyway their rates are not as high as Staven says (55%), as follows:

"The price at which we purchase each title from you is calculated by applying the appropriate programme discount to the Specified Price of each title. For Advantage programme members, the applicable discounts will be: 35% off the Specified Price of each DVD/Video.
For example, on the Advantage programme, if the Specified Price of your DVD/VHS is:-
£11.10, we pay you £7.22
£6.50, we pay you £4.23
"

in any case, im definitely not going to get rich with this, but i'm so eager to put my stuff out on the market.
I had a distribution agreement ready to be signed with a 'proper' distributor, but i'd have to clear some copyrights for some footage i've included in my film (ab. 5000$), which they are not willing to advance, nor i am willing to pay, nor they are willing to market it before rights are cleared.

So i've just decided to cut off the copyrighted parts (the film will lose 10-15% of its value i think). obviously the distributor doesnt like the idea so it looks like the only option here is self distribution really..

Andrea
 
Christopher Barry said:
Staven, regarding the Premera Bravo, does Amazon and/or Filmbaby require glass mastered DVD product to sell?
Click to expand...
About amazon, i didnt find any restriction about this on the documents they make available online (at least amazon uk).

- another update: amazon uk replied that, as a non uk resident, and since i dont have a uk bank account, i am not eligible for enrolling in their advantage program. damn.. I'll keep on looking. I'd hate having to go for customflix.. i want an european one!

:)Andrea
 
actually i wasn't aware of this rocketindie. it sounds really great. It makes look everything else (eg amazon) like a bit of a theft really:)

In my specific case, it's a bit out of target (I am not sure I'm able to sell 300 copies), but it's great to know it's there! I really look forward to its proper launch!

:)Andrea
 
I just checked out that rocketindie site.

I don't get what they actually do. It doesn't seem like a great deal... I don't think. After reading it over all I can deduct is that they make money off of shipping?? And all they do for you is shipping - after you've sent 300 copies to them(or pay them to produce them).

They don't do anything to help you get sales. Basically, I could do the same thing for you. Send me a bunch of dvds, and whenever you get a sale forward me the address and I'll mail it out for you for a couple bucks. I don't see how this is a good thing.

I'd hold off on rocketindie until it's around for a little while and gets positive reviews.

EDIT - Great... looks like Rocketindie is Jarred's venture... way to put my foot in my foot. I won't delete my post though as that's kinda lame to do. But I'll add, if Jarred is behind it, or people associated with Jarred are behind it, it means it's legit and Jarred always looks out for his fellow filmmaker.
 
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well Staven you're right, it is a 'basic' form of service that doesnt help you marketing, but their markup is pretty small if you have a minimum volume of sales.

On the other hand, from the marketing point of view, the only thing amazon does for you is the insertion in their database. and for quite high percentages. i understand this is not a small thing, but rocketindie constitutes a good option for somebody who wants to go for a basic service, just taking care of the transactions, collecting your revenue, shipping, etc..

Even filmbaby, if you think about it, doesnt do much for marketing, but they still retain a significant markup (even considering it's a on-demand facility)

Rocketindie is just an extra option. nobody says it's the best, but it might turn out to be the most convenient in some cases. Not in my case tho, as 300 copies sold exceed my most optimistic expectations.

I'm practically convinced i'll go for the customflix solution. also the paperwork to do seems to be a smaller hassle than i thought, and shipping costs to europe (about 10$)shouldn't scare too many people..

:)Andrea
 
Well, I've ended up distributing with IndieFlix. Their website may not be the greatest, but it appears to work and they keep fair relationships with the producer.

Anyway, if you guys know of new options for european producers, they will always be welcome!

:)Andrea
 
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