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"BOOK REVIEW: INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION - How to Make A Successful Run Around the Big Guys"
Author: Phil Hall
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN#: 1-932907-16-5
It is always a bitter pill to swallow when I tell my students that after all their hard work, time, energy and passion that they will eventually end up with a product. It is not necessarily a bad thing for them to realize that, once they are done writing their screenplay, they have to treat it like it is the newest product out on the market. And, yes, they have to market it. To market it, they have to distribute it.
The book "INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION" does a great job getting to the core of what this journey entails. With a mix of interviews and research, Phil Hall, explores this process from the ground up. He delves into the roots of Independent Film and then shows how those roots have grown into the apple tree of today.
What is "Independent Film?" Well, it depends on who you ask. Phil Hall explores that question and then takes it further into: "You've made your film, now what? How do you get your product out to the masses?" Do you go to the comprehensive list of distributors in the back of the book and contact these companies? Or do you do it yourself? Create the website, the marketing kit, the word of mouth? How do you get your product out to the consumers?
Film Festivals? What of those? Mr. Hall devotes a chapter to the pluses and minuses of going the festival route and then, what about "Direct to Video?" Do you want to go that path?
Again, Mr. Hall peels away this onion through interviews of some of the top independent film-makers, producers, publicists and distributors working today.
If I had only one issue with the book, it is the lack of mentioning Roger Corman. Either via interview or his own chapter. In my opinion, Roger was one of the first and most influential independent film-makers who distributed his and other films.
All in all, Phil Hall rips the lid off the Independent Film canister to show you what it takes to distribute your independent film. A great book for anyone planning to take this journey.
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