This year started with hope and ends with hope.
The middle was filled with the ingredients of a witches brew — swirled, singed, and steaming. Angry and directionless.
My 365-day blog is still titled “Real-Time Distribution Case Study”, but the percentage of posts on the film release have dropped well under 50%, replaced by covid and wildfires.
Our film, Phoenix, Oregon, is still finding a home. Distribution stalled because of covid and industry changes.
Our distributor is still seeking a subscription deal which they believe will happen in Q1 of the new year.
DVD sales are strong as our audience skews over 50.
Foreign sales are in progress.
Digital sales are continuing.
Everything is taking longer than expected, and we’re not in the black. We’re not sure if 2021 will see an uptick in sales, if the stall will continue, or if there will be new changes in distribution models.
The revenue stream that worked best was virtual screenings with partners. We may do more of that in the new year, but we’ve been focused on non-release work the last few months.
This case study is not wrapped up the way I hoped it would be at the end of this 365 day blog. We’re still in the middle ground, and I’m not sure what is next.
I’ll try to come back to this at some point in Q1 and give updates. I’d like to summarize the wins, challenges and lessons with the intention of helping other filmmakers. It’s possible that even with the shifts, the learnings from this unique year may map to future projects.
♡ Annie