Deliverables For Distribution

Preparing for distribution and all the materials and deliverable items that come along with it can be daunting. I would recommend starting this process in pre-production. Items that are requirements, require planning from the beginning of the film-making process. For example, DVD extras such as behind-the-scenes, interviews and director commentary used to be a nice to have. Now, they are expected and will be part of your materials list to the distributor. This has to be planned for in pre-production so you have a crew that can film on set while you are filming. You cannot go back after production wraps. Also, you want to take advantage of your talent while they are on location for interviews as you won't have the luxury later. People move on to other projects and you want to get them while they are going through the process. Still photography is also really important. I have made the mistake too many times, not having a person dedicated to this role. You will be required to provide at least 50 high-resolution stills and for us working in the digital world, we always say we can just pull tiffs from the actual footage. This isn't the best strategy as someone has to actually take the time to go through terabytes of footage, pick the clips, color correct which all takes an enormous amount of time. Easier to pay a professional photographer upfront. Some of the other items to be prepared for are cast and crew list, above-the-line bios, synopsis, graphic art materials, music clearances, copyright, audio files and a master of your film. It is a lot of work, but very rewarding when you have a chance for your work to be on store shelves and seen in multiple languages in many parts of the world.