Do you remember when it took months for a film to go from playing in theaters to being released on DVD and Blu-ray?

Oh, how the times have changed.

Now, films drop on streaming platforms within weeks, days, even seconds of the film hitting theaters.

So what does that mean for us indie filmmakers?

This week I want to talk about release windows and how you should think about them for your indie film:

• What’s the point of release windows?
• Death by acronyms - a quick guide to releasing your film online.
• How to strategically release your indie film.

The way you release your film can have a big impact on the kind of revenue and exposure your film receives. Finding the right balance is key to having a successful release.

Let’s roll.

What’s the deal with release windows?

Releasing your film is complicated under the best of circumstances.

Figuring out where to release it, in which order, and for how long complicates things even more.

Are you doing theatrical? Straight to digital? Which platforms do you try to get on? Do you drop it everywhere at the same time, or do you stack the release?

Yeah, that’s a lot.

The reason films are traditionally released in windows is to maximize profits.

A film that releases theatrically will show up next as some kind of premium, early access release where you can buy or rent it. Then it’ll come out for regular sale and rental.

All these formats require you to make an active purchase to see the film.

After that, it might move to subscription or ad-supported platforms.

As a consumer, it’s easy to follow the money trail;

• A ticket to see the movie in theater is the most expensive.
• A premium early access deal will come with a premium price tag.
• Renting or buying a film will set you back a few bucks.
• Watching a film on a platform to which you subscribe, or for free with ads, is cheap for you.

It makes sense that a filmmaker would release a film this way, but the way things have been developing in recent years, the model has gotten muddy.

Same-day theatrical and streaming releases, and short theatrical-only windows, have reduced the exclusivity of seeing a movie in theaters. The studios argue that moving theatrical and streaming releases closer helps them keep momentum up. They avoid having to market the film for every new window.

Exhibitors, especially movie theaters, are not happy to lose their exclusivity. A lot of film lovers wait for the movies to become available on platforms they already pay for instead of going to the theater.

But what does this mean for you?

Releasing in windows is still beneficial for getting the most.

To do it well, you need to understand the different kinds of windows and how to use them to your advantage.

Death by acronyms - do you even VOD, bro?

When we were releasing Wild Boys, the thing that confused me the most was the never-ending list of acronyms.

AVOD, TVOD, SVOD, PVOD, FAST, OTT, and on and on.

The language barrier, or the acronym barrier as I like to call it, can be hard to get past when you are introduced to a new field.

So let me help you break it down.

VOD stands for Video On Demand. This means you actively select what you want to watch (think pretty much any streaming platform). As opposed to a linear channel which has been pre-programmed and you tune in to whatever is playing (old school TV channels).

So VOD = you pick what you want to watch.

The prefix in these VOD names refers to how the platforms do business.

There are four main ways platforms make money:

• Ads - (AVOD, Advertising Video on Demand) You, as the filmmaker, get a part of the ad revenue from the platform.
• Subscriptions (SVOD, Subscription Video on Demand): You, as the filmmaker, get a licensing fee, or a part of the subscription revenue, usually based on hours watched.
• Transactions (TVOD, Transactional Video on Demand) You, as a filmmaker, get a part of a transaction that is paid to watch your film. Think of buying or renting a film on Amazon, Apple, or Google Play.
• Premium (PVOD, Premium Video on Demand) This is basically the same as TVOD, but with early access to films that are still playing or have just left theaters.

If you can remember this, you’ll do just fine when navigating the digital distribution landscape.

So how do we use this knowledge to release our films?

How to strategically release your indie film

With this knowledge in hand, we can start thinking about how we structure the release of our film. If you’re working with a distributor or an aggregator they’ll most likely take care of this for you.

If you’re going the DIY route, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.

There are two things you want to focus on balancing:

• Revenue
• Momentum

You want your film to get the most out of each window, but at the same time you don’t want to lose momentum in the film’s release journey.

When you publish your film in a given window, say for rent/sale as an example. You’ll most likely see an initial spike in interest and revenue before it starts dipping. The idea here is to take advantage of that initial spike and start your next release window once you’re starting to lose momentum on the previous one.

Depending on the interest you see, this might be a few weeks or a few months.

Your goal is to extract as much value as possible from each release window, without losing the buzz and marketing momentum around your film. The hope is that by not exhausting a platform completely, you’re able to avoid starting marketing from scratch with each new release window.

A special note on theatrical: Theatrical releases for indie films are typically much smaller than studio films.

You might have a handful of screenings in key areas, or special event screenings with Q&As, meet-and-greets, etc. The important thing to consider is whether the goal of your theatrical release is to generate revenue or exposure and visibility for your film.

If it’s the first, you want an exclusive theatrical run. If it’s the latter, consider pairing your theatrical run with one of your digital release windows. That way, you can use the theatrical screenings to create buzz and attention for your digital release.

No matter how you choose to release your film, keep these things in mind and learn what works for your film.

And cut!

That does it for this week. Here are the key takeaways I want you to bring with you into your directing career from today:

• Release windows help you maximize revenue and attention for your film
• Learn the basic terminology of digital distribution so you don’t feel like you’re lost in a sea of acronyms.
• Plan a release schedule that balances maximizing revenue and maintaining the film’s attention and marketing buzz.

As always, thanks for reading.

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