Distribution
Options
It comes down to this.
You may have an award winning film but if no one sees it, it
will not be effective.
Fortunately there are numerous inexpensive ways to get your program
in front of viewers.
Here are a few ways to reach the masses:
Small Theater
Presentations
If you have a facility
or visitor center that has public access you can set-up an LCD
display with a solid state media player for less than a thousand
dollars. Find a place where visitors can sit and relax for a
few minutes. It doesn't have to be a large room. I've installed
theaters in rooms 10'x16'.
Make the presentation part of your educational program so every
child in the county has a chance to view the program before heading
out on nature hikes. The video can provide detailed images and
sounds of plants and wildlife found on your nature trails. This
can enhance the experience of students and visitors when they
go out on the trail. You could even make an exploration game
out of it. Students can try to find in the field things they
saw or heard in the video.
Public Space
Kiosks
One of the challenges
faced by many conservation organizations and museums is finding
ways to reach audiences that may not be particularly interested
in learning about or experiencing nature. We're often preaching
to the choir. People who tend to watch nature programming already
have an interest in preserving and protecting natural systems.
One way to get around this is to set-up mobile kiosks in public
spaces. Places where people have to stand in lines or sit in
waiting rooms. They could also be positioned in businesses such
as medical clinics, banks or hotel lobbies. These businesses
could also be a sponsor of your organization and thus cover the
cost of the display. There are also ways to distribute content
to existing video networks that provide programming to hotels
and resorts. These cable networks provide an opportunity to reach
thousands of visitors with your program.
Internet Syndication
This is one of the most
exciting and exploding areas of media distribution. As the internet
get faster the quality and size of streaming video content gets
better. Soon you'll be able to watch full screen high definition
video on your computer. I've been streaming video on my website
for many years and it's a very effective way to make programming
accessible on a global level. The best thing is it costs little
to host video programs on the internet. The challenge has been
attracting viewers. Cross-linking and site promotion is time
consuming and can be expensive. Now, however, there are some
new services that syndicate video by allowing other sites to
embed your video into their site. Another term for this distribution
model is Viral Video. These are commercial ventures that hope
to make money by attaching advertising to videos. It's all very
new and is evolving minute by minute. Although there seems to
be little income generated from internet publishing I feel this
could be a fantastic way for non-profit organizations to distribute
informative and inspirational video content.
Local and
Regional Public Access
Public access television
has often been linked with low quality local programming produced
by amateurs. This seems to have moved to the internet as basically
anyone can publish anything on the web. But many local cable
TV stations are now producing some very high quality programming
and are constantly looking for new content. This is good for
non-profits who have video programs that they want to share.
Although cable stations prefer half hour programs they are also
interested in PSAs and short films that they can insert into
other programming. Local cable stations are required to provide
a certain amount of public access programming. To do this they
usually produce programming two different ways. Some provide
grants to produce local programming. Others provide free community
access to their facility, which is usually run by minimally skilled
volunteers. Grants allow you to hire professionals, creating
higher quality programs. I've produced several programs with
grants from local cable TV foundations. Many universities have
their own production and distribution capabilities to. They are
always on the lookout for information and arts programs.
PBS &
Cable PSAs or intestitials
On the broadcast end,
if your program is high quality, you may have a chance to have
it aired on your local PBS station. They do use Public Service
Announcements (PSA) and interstitials (fillers) from time to
time. There is also a chance they may be interested in funding
or at least partially funding production of a documentary program.
If it's turns out really good it could go national.
DVD Fundraiser
/ Mailing
The cost of replicating
DVDs has dropped significantly. You can have 1000 bulk DVDs made
for under $700.00. Compare that to designing and printing a full
color multi page brochure. DVDs in printed cardboard sleeves
can be mailed directly to potential sponsors. They can also be
use as a membership incentive and be given away to members who
join at a certain level. A nicely packaged DVD can be sold in
gift shops with the revenue being used to support you activities.
Public Outreach
Presentations
Video programs can be
a vital component of your community outreach efforts. A short
5-10 minute video program used during a live presentation can
provide an overview of your organization, its mission and projects.
They can be shown on a laptop to a small group of people sitting
around a table or projected on a large screen in a conference
situation. Video can also be incorporated into a power point
presentation.
Broadcast
Documentaries and IMAX films
On the high end are the
big budget one hour documentaries, feature documentaries and
large format IMAX films. These programs have large budgets and
thus usually have investors who hope to make a profit from distribution.
Distribution for this type of programming today is global and
has the ability to reach tens of millions of people.
So you can see there are many
options for reaching the masses with your film. Your media campaign
should include several of these distribution avenues. I provide
clients with free streaming video hosting and offer packages
that include DVD and presentation systems. Please contact me
if you have questions about distribution and production packages.
F
I L M
P R O D U C T I O N
S E R V I C E S
Copyright 2006 Jim Karnik Films