Independent film companies operate outside the Hollywood system and often require government funding as their films do not have large markets or revenues. They face several challenges including oversaturation from cheaper digital production methods, changes in distribution from online platforms like YouTube, and difficulties obtaining development and production funding due to budget cuts and weak economic conditions. Successful independent filmmakers develop genre-specific stories, hybrid distribution strategies across traditional and online platforms, and leverage social media promotion to help market their films on limited budgets.

1. Ryan Harris
Independent film companies.
Independentcinemaare:
 Filmcompanieswhoare notseenas majors.
 Companieswhoworkoutside the Hollywoodsystem.
 Companieswhooftenrequire some formof governmentfunding,aswhattheyproduce
doesnotnecessarily have alarge marketor large revenue.
Whygo to independentfilmwhenHollywooddoesit“biggerand better”?
 Oftenindependentfilmsare notsostraightforward/appealingtothe mainstream.
 Independentcompaniescanperhapspayforthe same kindof distributionasthe
conglomerates:marketforcesmayalwayswin.
 As a businessmodel,backinganindependentfilmisoftennotgoingtomake financial sense.
Problemsfacedby independentfilmcompanies:
 Distributorswill oftenprioritiseHollywoodfilmspurelybecause of profit.
 Oftena small filmiscompetingwithafilmonblanketrelease.
 Half of the filmsreleasedinBritaindonotgetreleasedacrossthe whole country
 Expense of producingfilmreelsmeansthatthere maybe a little choice aboutwhere tosee it
(althoughconsiderthe impactof the UK Filmcouncil’sdigital screennetwork.)
The sevenchallengesfacingindependentfilmmaking:
 The digital revolutionhas floodedthe marketplace.
Fact: Cheaperdigital productionmethodshave helpedcreate more productthanbuyers.
Strategy:make certainyourmovie isgenre specific.Genre isthe onlywaythata filmbuyerand
the marketingmanagerof a distributioncompanycanquicklyvisualise the move poster,trailer
and marketingcampaign.
 Online distributionis becominga commonplace.
Fact: on Valentine’sDay(2005) the c foundersof YouTube registeredthe name at
www.whois.com.YouTuberevolutionisedfilmdistributionandhaschangedthe way consumers
watch moviesandtelevision.The impactof illegal online distributionhasalsohadthe same
impacton the filmindustryasithas the music industry.
Strategy:developahybrid distributionstrategythatencompassestraditional
cinema/DVD/Televisionreleaseswithonline distribution.
 Hollywoodis bankrupt of ideas.
Fact: the gamingindustryhasinfluencedstorytellingtechniquesandfilmmaking techniques.
These new storytellingtechniquesdominate.
Strategy:successful filmmakersare mostlikelyartistswho considerthemselvesasvisual
storytellersusingmovingimagestosell theirstories.Incorporationof gamingtechniquesbothIn
termsof storytellingandvisualisationwill make moviesstronger.

2. Ryan Harris
 Cinemadistributionis still healthy,but it is differentsomehow.
Fact:
You can’t limityourself tojustcinemadistribution.(There are plentyof otherformatstohelp
distribute yourfilm
There ismore productneededbecause thereare now somanychannelsoutthere on television.
Thismeansthere isloadsof demandforcontent.
The contentfrom one channel toanothercan be much different,itisimportanttomake sure
that youknowwhoyour targetaudience isandwhat channel theyneedtoputyour producton.
Strategy:successful filmmakerswilllearnhow tocommunicate withtelevisionandcinema
ownerstodeliversaleable contentinthe formatwhichwill deliveryourproduct.
 You can’t fund themlike you used to
Fact: the euro economicmalaise hastranslatedintopublicsectorbudgetcuts,dampeningthe
political appetite forusingpublicmoneytofundfilms.
Strategy:filmmakingneedtoknowhow togetfundingfortheirfilms.
 Producers struggle to get developmentfunding:
Fact: developmentfundingishardtoget.Yet withoutproperdevelopment,movieswill continue
to sufferfromweakstorylines.
Strategy:until the scriptisfullydeveloped,amovie shouldnotbe made.
 Filmproducers don’t necessarilyneedtobe involvedwithsocial media.
Fact: social mediaishere tostay and a strong social mediastrategyissomethingthatis
becominganessential partof a film’spackage.
Paranormal activity may have cost a mere $15,000 to make. What paramount bought was not
the film,butthe social mediastrategythatthe film maker Orin Pelli developed around his film.
Government funding of the UK film industry
 Fundingusedtobe channelledthroughthe UKfilmcouncil.
 Thishas nowbeendisbandedandnow fundingisorganisedthroughthe BFI(Britishfilm
institute)
 Theygive outlotterymoney,amongstotherthings.