Looking for options for releasing your films through VOD platforms? Check out this post from Douglas Horn, feature film producer, director and respected blogger in the film industry. Last spring Washington Filmworks shared his post on available VOD platforms, but in the quickly shifting landscape of film distribution, a lot can change in a year. Horn generously shares his latest research in this recent post entitled VOD for Independents in 2014.
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VOD for Independents in 2014
One year ago I wrote an article about the VOD platforms that had the greatest impact for independent film and series creators. It quickly became one of my most popular articles. As I prepare to release several of my own films on VOD, I am struck by how much has changed in this area in just a year. So here is the 2014 edition of the VOD rundown.
The 2103 article covered about a dozen VOD platforms and services in a number of sectors of this space. Much of that has not changed much in a year: you still (mostly) need an aggregator service to get onto iTunes; Netflix still seems to me like a platform that will kill your hopes for any VOD sales elsewhere. Rather than rehash that article, I’ll point you to it to read for yourself. This article will focus on VOD platforms that offer direct filmmaker to audience platforms. (I plan to cover how to get your film on iTunes in another article soon.)
What to look for in a VOD platform
Picking a VOD platform is not a small decision. Even with platforms that are non-exclusive and make uploading your materials easy, launching a film onto a VOD platform takes time. You need to upload images, films, trailers and bonus materials, set your pricing structures, customize your landing page, plus add all the extras like merch, soundtracks and perhaps screening info. This takes a lot of time. Once your film is loaded up, you’ll be forwarding this information to a lot of people and probably advertising it. So you want to choose your platform carefully since…