How Hard Is It To Sell 200 DVDs?

[Barry_Green]

Absolutely correct, Doc. That is my internal dialogue now. But I still am curious if there are people on this board who have sold DVDs on their website and how successful they were at it. It "seems" like 200 wouldn't be hard, but everyone is saying it is. This is a tough business!

Well, again, it all comes down to -- 200 DVDs of what? 200 DVDs of some film nobody's ever heard of before, yeah, that's tough. But how are you planning on going about it? Are you putting up a web page and leaving it there? Good luck selling two. On the other hand, if you're having the grand premiere of a locally-shot film and you're going to have 300 people coming, all the friends of all the cast and crew, and you're setting up a table outside the theater (because you want them to buy it *before* they've seen it!) then maybe you wouldn't have that much trouble shifting too many.

Put it this way -- how many times have you spent $15 or $20 on a DVD of some no-name never-heard-of-it backyard production? Never? Then you're in the same boat as everyone else. If you're not doing it, why should they? Answer is, of course, they won't.

But if you're Faith Granger, and you've made an actually pretty good movie, and you're marketing the living heck out of it, and you're taking it around the country and drumming up showings and four-walling it yourself, then yeah, you can sell 10,000 copies of that.

 

[prexdealer]

Barry, well put. Thanks for the clarity!

 

[arniepix]

On the other hand, if you're having the grand premiere of a locally-shot film and you're going to have 300 people coming, all the friends of all the cast and crew, and you're setting up a table outside the theater (because you want them to buy it *before* they've seen it!) then maybe you wouldn't have that much trouble shifting too many.

Looking at it that way, you might be better off selling hats or shirts with a logo from the film. A killer logo.

 

[arniepix]

My biggest concern is the audio and the quality is ok to poor. There is hum in the audio, a little echo in one scene in the teaser.

It sounds like you're looking at replacing all of the production sound. This may cost more than the entire production budget.

My buddy, who line produced the other movie, said the fx company looked pretty weak and he could arrange better fx for less.

While it's easy to just redo the FX, it's costly. Who want's to do that kind of work twice? Today's audiences are pretty sophisticated when it comes to VFX, bad FX will sink a show as fast as bad audio (unless they latch onto the bad VFX for its camp value). If the 1st FX shop isn't up to the job, they should be given the boot. No need to discuss it.

There must be 1000s of these tiny budget teen horror movies, right?

Right. There are a few companies like Fever Dreams or Troma that specialize in this stuff. They have formulas for script, casting, budget, production values and distribution that makes them a small profit. But these shops are specialists that have made dozens of these films, and do it with a certain minimal level of professional standards throughout. What makes them money is that they also have their own distribution channels to the markets that actually want to buy these films.

But for every 1 microbudget teen horror movie that I hear about that is being filmed, I am sure there are a 100 I have not heard about.

Probably more.

I spoke to an actress friend of mine and she said that she knows lots of people who make movies just hoping to catch lightening in a bottle. She says that for 85% of them, the best they can hope for is to get into a crappy festival that exists mainly to make money off of submission fees. Of those 85%, only a small % get into those crappy festivals.

Without meaning to sound cynical, I think that she's painting a rosy, overly optimistic picture for you. I think it's a much smaller percentage that even get into these crappy little for profit festivals. And much less than 1% even get into a halfway decent festival, let alone any real type of distribution. If your film isn't in that tiny fraction of 1%, you'd do better to try to distribute it yourself. And you'd probably lose money at that, too.

A bit of me just wants to help the gal because I like helping people, but my other inclination is to make her stop production have her bring in the people that worked on my other movie and re-shoot it professionally from the beginning. I find the script funny and appropriate for a teen horror. I may just advance her some money for her to write me teen horror and she can use the money, however she wants.

That's actually a much healthier way to look at it. It's not a worthwhile business investment if you don't have any hope of getting anything back from it, but it may be one if you start over from scratch and do it the right way. But it may still be a worthwhile human investment (with no tax benefits, sorry) to try to nurture this film maker. That's something that you'll need to work out between the two of you.

Good luck, let me know if you need an online!

 

[MichaelP]

If you are providing finishing funds for VFX and sound, what is the budget for marketing the finishing film and does that money exist anywhere or will they be coming back to you to get more money to market the movie so you can sell those 200, er.. I mean 300, wait - I mean 400 DVDs...

Michael

 

[PopcornFlix]

Depending on the language in the LPA, your standing as a limited partner puts your investment completely at risk. Finishing funds are usually structured as a loan, collateralized against the negative and the copyright of the film. That way, if they fail to sell enough copies of the DVD by the due date of the loan, you take ownership and can dispense with the film any way that will recover the loan and interest.

IMHO, YMMV.

 

[Doc Bernard]

Depending on the language in the LPA, your standing as a limited partner puts your investment completely at risk. Finishing funds are usually structured as a loan, collateralized against the negative and the copyright of the film. That way, if they fail to sell enough copies of the DVD by the due date of the loan, you take ownership and can dispense with the film any way that will recover the loan and interest.

IMHO, YMMV.

Impressive.

 

[prexdealer]

Seriously impressive. You wouldn't happen to have one of those agreements would you, lol! I am curious how it is written. Thanks for the insight.

Depending on the language in the LPA, your standing as a limited partner puts your investment completely at risk. Finishing funds are usually structured as a loan, collateralized against the negative and the copyright of the film. That way, if they fail to sell enough copies of the DVD by the due date of the loan, you take ownership and can dispense with the film any way that will recover the loan and interest.

IMHO, YMMV.

 

[ullanta]

So what happened?

 

[RyanMKincaid]

I'd like to know as well what the outcome of this situation was?

 

[prexdealer]

Didn't do it. She and I have discussed the possibility of having a script written.

 

[Kegan]

Smart move. If you'd like someone to produce it... :happy:

Kegan

 

[ZazaCast]

Strange... I just sold 200 DVD's while reading this thread! :happy:
(if you can't afford to lose 2K, forget about the film business)

 

[RyanMKincaid]

Yeah, there were way too many red flags involved. Similarly, with a number as low as 2K, the person who's pushing the hardest to have this project made (writer, director, financier, producer) who ever it is, this is someone's passion project, I don't understand why they couldn't come up with the money themself.

 

[PopcornFlix]

Seriously impressive. You wouldn't happen to have one of those agreements would you, lol! I am curious how it is written. Thanks for the insight.

Sorry, I don't. However, you should be able to get a good idea by contacting one of the finishing fund entities. There are a slew of companies that loan money for completion funds if you have a distribution deal and a bond, because then it's just a bridge loan.

HTH

 

[Cedric Perry]

I don't know if this helps, but I read a book about the minds of a human being. The book is called "Buyology" by Martin Lindstrom. He says that a product that is sold will stand out if you are able to make the product appeal to a certain ideal. Like "community" or "unity". Make it appeal to everyone. Hope this helps

 

[paulears]

er, you did know you replied to an 18 month old question?

 

[prexdealer]

I don't know if this helps, but I read a book about the minds of a human being. The book is called "Buyology" by Martin Lindstrom. He says that a product that is sold will stand out if you are able to make the product appeal to a certain ideal. Like "community" or "unity". Make it appeal to everyone. Hope this helps

Hi thanks for taking the time to post a reply. It makes sense. I guess that is why studio films try to be giant tentpole films to make sure it has something for everyone. Thanks.