The Dinner Date - Self Distribution or Bust!

W

Win Edson

Member
After a lengthy attempt to find distribution for my first feature, The Dinner Date, I've decided to self distribute via YouTube. Although I've opted for the monetization option which adds a few adverts, I'm not under the illusion that I'll be quitting my day job any time soon. It's just that I want my film seen and I just want to get it out there as a possible calling card for new opportunities.

So, if you want to know what a feature film that was shot in 7 days for £700 ($999) and where one guy took on the roles of writer, director, cameraman, producer and editor looks like. And you're in the mood for a light hearted Rom Com, then please check out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtYD-wjuDEc
 
Win, thanks for sharing this. Would you be willing to share your experiences trying to find distribution? I have always been interested in your film ever since you shared your trailer (which I thought was pretty good). Thanks and I hope you get a lot of youtube hits!
 
Here are the things I learned while making The Dinner Date and during the distribution process. As they say, experience is another word for 'learning from your mistakes'.

Mistake #1- I chose the genre of Romantic Comedy. Unless you have a Hugh Grant or a Jennifer Aniston as your leads, you should steer clear of Rom Coms. I made the decision to go with this genre when I attended a film marketing seminar and they said that Hollywood was desperate for Romantic Comedies. Screenplays maybe, but not independent films.

Mistake #2- My film, after a brutal edit, is only 66 minutes. While still qualifying as a feature by festival standards, my research shows that the optimal running time that they're looking for is around 85-95 minutes. Festivals need to organise their screenings, too short or too long can be problematic for them. I'm open to people's theory on this, but I do think you need to take this into consideration.

Mistake #3- Echo problem. I'm referring to the sound recording here. Although I did perform numerous sound tests at my main location, I ended up taking a lot of furniture out of the room when I dressed the set. This and my actors resounding voices meant major ADR in post. Time consuming and it never sounds as good.

Mistake #4- I wasn't aware of Errors & Omissions Insurance. This is a very costly way to protect yourself from trademark infringement and liable suits. I think I always assumed that a distributor would pick up the costs for this kind of legality, and I suppose if your film is the talk of Cannes, then maybe they would. But in the real world, not being able to afford this can cost you major sources of exposure, as I later found out.

After a hellish 7 day shoot, and then 2 years of editing in my spare time, I finally finished my first feature film. A very satisfying achievement, even if my movie will never win an Oscar.

As for distribution, I emailed every Sales Agent and Distribution company I could find an email address for. I actually got very few rejection letters, that's because I got almost zero replies! Maybe 4 or 5 standard emails 'I'm sorry but we've decided to pass on your film at this time…'

I also sent my film out to every contact I've ever had in the industry. Whether the producer of Forrest Gump has actually seen my film I seriously doubt. But I'm sure it's gathering dust on a shelf someplace high up in Hollywood!

Okay, this is all sounding very negative, right? But there have been some positives. The Dinner Date was accepted by IndieFlix, where it is live and getting a respectable amount of views. Everyone their really treated me well and I highly recommend them as a company. They also act as third party distributors, so they can get your film on Netflix and iTunes, etc.

The other very satisfying event was getting accepted by Hulu via Distribber. But Hulu requires Errors and Omissions insurance, and the cost, after figuring in attorney fees and title searches would have easily been over $6000. I didn't have this kind of cash. I did seriously consider doing a fundraiser, but extraneous circumstances stopped me from trying.

I've always felt that my film, which is totally unknown to the general public, had the best chance of being seen if it was available online for free. A small profit could be made by having a few (maybe 3 or 4) in stream ads. This is why I chose to make my film available on YouTube. And my timing was good, YouTube has recently made it so you can upload full feature (no cutting it up to 4 slices) and it's easy to 'monetize'. You don't have to apply to become a partner, it was instant for me.

The Dinner Date has received over 700 hits in the first two weeks. I believe the majority of these views came from third party websites. I tagged my film with words like 'free feature film' full length movie' etc, and it got embedded on many small and strange websites that offer free films. I'm totally happy about this as I'm still earning ad revenues, and I just want to get my film 'out there' at this point.

So, now my film is available in HD on the most popular video website and I'm not paying any fees to keep it there. Am I totally satisfied. Hell no, I wanted to sell my film for enough money to quit my day job and have a budget for my next feature. But I'm happy that I've finished my project, it's being seen, and I can FINALLY stop trying to distribute my film, and do what I love to do best, MAKE MOVIES. ;0) - Win
 
Congratulations! Like I always say, merely finishing a feature is an accomplishment in itself, let alone a well done one like this. I do find it somewhat enervating when I read how "it was done for $X", because let's face it - what does that mean? However much you spent - and however you count what counts and what doesn't count in costs - you managed to accomplish a lot with a limited budget. The problem with many super low-budget features is that they feel cramped location-wise, and I never felt it here. Good job!

It was also very informative to read of your experience, and I'm sure you feel doing this was the best education your money could buy - you'll take those lessons onto your next project. The number 1 indicator of future success is the ability to learn from past experience, and it sounds like you learned a ton, and - importantly - thought through your experience and reflected upon it. Again, congratulations.
 
^ +1 Absolutely, great job. Loved the animation titles and the music, it really helped the feel.

Some CC (constructive critisism versus EC :) With the phone calls, short replies should be heard from our end, with the horizontal wipes kept for 'call waiting' interuptions. That'll move the action along.

Thanks for post 3, Yes I believe Festivals look for 85-95mins, so 2 in one session works for them. But a great 60mins will be accepted and they'll be looking for others to fill a session.

Good lesson with Mistake #3 ADR is time consuming, heartbreaking and never sounds as good.

I wasn't aware of Errors & Omissions Insurance for film festival entries, I thought it was basically for service providers with delivery times and monies involved. It's worth checking out though. Onward and Upward Win :)

Cheers.
 
Win, do you have plans for a next film? Sorry for being so nosy, but I just love that you did it for so cheap. It is a drag it took 2 years to edit, but it is an accomplishment that some will never do. AND I LOVE THOSE CREDITS! I wish you would make a tutorial on that lol!

May I ask what camera it was and lenses you used? If it was a dslr did you use an external monitor? The shots looks good and in focus so trying to figure out how you did it. Thanks!
 
Thank you one and all for the really nice comments, critiques, and for taking the time to watch my film.

I am currently writing a new screenplay that I hope will lend itself to another no-budget feature. I'm not going to lie, after not writing for 3 years, I'm rusty and it's coming along painfully slow.

The plan for this feature is to have more of an ensemble cast with multiple storylines, so they'll be less commitment from each actor (who's either getting paid for little or nothing depending on my budget) Yes, it'll be harder to cast, but it'll be a bit like making 5 or 6 short films, so I can take more time doing it.

The Dinner Date was shot on the Canon A1. Not even sure if Canon still sells this camcorder, but I bought it quite a few years back, it was one of the first prosumer HD camcorders to shoot 24p.

It's a fixed lens camera with really no depth of field, that is to say, EVERYTHING is in focus. It didn't look good initially, so in post, in After Effects (software) I created soft masks around the actors, and then blurred the backgrounds a bit. This made it look A LOT more cinematic. But it took FOREVER. This is why it took 2 years in post! The regular edit in FCP maybe took 3 months? Sound edit another 4 months? But this 'treatment' was where the time was spent.
 
Win, The Canon A1 is a great camera, upgraded to the A1S, both are still available around the web.

Might be a bit early yet but are you considering other cameras? How did you record the DD location audio?

Reading between the lines ^ sounds like your DD cast weren't altogether happy with the amount of time they eventually had to contribute.
Did the ADR eventually get to them?

I've seen this before, it leads to a lack of cast confidence etc but you have to hand it to them, they hung in there.

One of the problems using amateur actors is most don't really project their voices properly, even take to take. When you run casting sessions,
pay attention to that.

So you have to compensate by making sure you cover them with good recording practices and gear.
You probably need a competant sound guy with a good boomed mic. I'd use your DD experience to evaluate whether you need to do that.

Cheers.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience here, Win.

This stuff's terrifyin', likely to shave a few years off of your life and that's not including the ones you spend aimin' to finish.

Congrats on being able to move on to the next project, in the meantime I hope you find the results of this one satisfying after its run its lifespan.
 
Thanks Kholi and Allan for your feedback and encouragement.
As for audio, I used a Senheiser boom mic with the Canon A1, so recorded sound with the camera. For my next project, I'm considering the Canon 5d or whatever else might pop up in the meantime. Was quite excited about the Blackmagic camera, but after seeing some reviews, not so sure. But really, we're spoiled for choice right now, so can't complain!

I need to point out my cast didn't have any qualms about doing the ADR and were great about giving their time. I had the opposite situation with them, they really projected their voices more than I realized. They're all trained actors, so this reinforces your point Allan.

I'm definitely going to get a dedicated sound person for my next project, and if funds are available, a professional sound designer for post!

www.thedinnerdatemovie.com
 
Going by your DD feature and these posts, imo you don't need a sound designer, but you DO need a good location sound guy, he's as important as your stars.

If you'll permit an older sound producer, once you get great location sound into post, it'll just flow on without hassles. It's all you baby!

But keep tabs on your music guys. Now you haven't told us how you did the credits, but that's ok if you sold your soul to get 'em :(

Cheers.
 
Win Edson said:
I'm definitely going to get a dedicated sound person for my next project, and if funds are available, a professional sound designer for post!
Click to expand...

Absolutely wise. I'll skimp elsewhere, but the best sound in production and post production possible. We were lucky enough to be able to afford a sound mixer and designer, if there's one thing about the feature that should help it's the sound quality. I won't do anything from now on that can't afford to place attention and time on the entire process of acquiring and posting audio.
 
Sorry Allan, forgot to go over the titles.

Basically, I'm a Motion Graphic Designer by day, and my wife is an illustrator. So I took her drawings, scanned them into photoshop and separated the layers, then in Adobe After Effects, I animated the movement by keyframing and using the puppet tool. It was a fun project but took a fair amount of time. We've got a little website- Thanks!

www.win-me-over-design.com
 
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