Budget for Distribution

By Greg Pak

Yeah, I know, at the pre-production stage, most of us are barely scraping together the dollars to get our films in the can. But remember that if you don't have the money to properly push your film once it's done, the whole effort is for naught.

For the average short, you'll want to reserve $200 to $300 for VHS copies, $1000 for festival entry fees (and that'll only let you submit to about 35 festivals -- you'll probably want to submit to even more), $200 for stills and press kits, and $300 for postage and packing material.

That adds up to about $1,800, more than I spent for the entire production and completion of "Po Mo Knock Knock." Seems ridiculous to spend more than the film itself, but that's the nature of the beast. Raise the bux and get it out there -- otherwise you're just sitting on your film and no one will ever see it.

Actually, now that I think about my own experiences, maybe it's best� not to keep track of how much you're spending to promote your film. I don't even want to think of what I've spent flogging "Fighting Grandpa," particularly when I add in the costs of traveling to festivals. But these were expenses I had to make -- otherwise the film wouldn't have been recognized and I probably wouldn't have gotten either the agent I have or the grants I've received for my new documentary.

---

05.02.99 | FilmHelp , FilmHelp: Pre-Production , Films