The Future of Documentary Funding and Distribution

Panel Discussion: The Future of Digital Distribution

October 6, 2008
The Paley Center for Media, Los Angeles

Panelists:
Rick Allen, CEO, SnagFilms
Jesse Patel, Business Director, Miro
Brian J. Terwilliger, Producer/Director of One Six Right
Tami Yeager, Content and Outreach Consultant, Reframe/Tribeca Film Institute 
Moderated by Scott Kirsner, Editor, CinemaTech, and Author, The Future of Web Video

Video highlights:

  • - Clip 1: Panel overview and introductions; example of a do-it-yourself distribution strategy for filmmakers; overview of Tribeca’s ReFrame platform
  • - Clip 2: Overview of SnagFilms’ advertising-supported model and the online media content aggregator Miro
  • - Clip 3: Discussion on free streaming versus pay to download models and the revenue potential for filmmakers; the importance of capturing email addresses in viral marketing; and widgets that make tracking and connecting to viewers easier than ever
  • - Clip 4: Pros and cons of marketplaces available to filmmakers, chiefly iTunes and Amazon Unbox; piracy concerns and the international market
  • - Clip 5: Will the proliferation of new platforms create more flexibility with release windows?; trade offs and profit margins for direct sales versus using third-party providers; the role and opportunities for short-form filmmaking, from the mobile phone marketplace to educational uses