Indie Filmmaking as a Business Venture
How Sound Marketing Strategies Can Ensure Profitability
Jun 2, 2009
Independent filmmaking need not be an unprofitable business. While art enthusiasts may insist that making indie films more "commercialized" could lessen the artistic value of these films, producers should still come up with a rational business plan in order to ensure that more and more people will watch the films, and thereby, bring in much needed profits.
Perhaps a fusion of arts and business can still work. Rica Arevalo, in her July 2002 Inquirer article titled "Raymond Red Vivifies the True Spirit of Independent Filmmaking", quoted Asian director John Woo, “Personal art films have a lot more substance than most big-budget studio productions. If we could take some of that independent spirit and combine it with big-budget film financing, we could probably find the niche where a filmmaker can best express himself to a large audience.' Indeed, good business sense is also needed even if indie film protagonists insist that they are creating films only for arts’ sake.
Indie Filmmaking as a Business Venture
Indie filmmaking can be approached as a typical business venture only that it is infused with a higher vision. The likely benefits are two-pronged. First, there will be increased number of audience which ultimately leads to mass awareness-raising. Having higher awareness can very well lead to an increased level of cultural and artistic appreciation among the viewing public. It is a known fact that indie films often tackle topics that are more mind-rousing, nationalistic, and socially-relevant. Having more films that dare to question life and art itself means having a perennially rich source of educational materials. The result could be very well be a more socially-aware, art-sensitive and intelligent population.
Second, mass acceptance will definitely bring in the profits. Good showing in box offices will definitely ensure that more relevant films can still be produced. Profits in indie filmmaking need not be seen only as a necessary evil. Raking the bucks in could mean that more of today’s generation of indie filmmakers will have more access to much-needed funding. In order to avoid the so-called "commercialization stigma" often associated with mainstream films, the profits from these indie and art films can be managed by a credible institution that will in turn award film grants to worthy indie film projects. In this way, profit will not become the key driver of such projects but more as a likely consequent of creating films that are worth watching.
Customized Marketing Plan for Indie Films
The key to the huge commercial successes of mainstream films is aggressive marketing. Take for instance the films produced by the Philippines' Star Cinema or GMA Films. They organize press conferences, air sneek previews on primtime TV, and even go as far as sponsoring international promotional trips of the lead stars. A big budget is usually allotted for marketing alone. According to Arthur Katipunan, an upcoming indie screenwriter and director who used to be with a leading TV network, “marketing budget can go as high as 1.5 million pesos, and that was only for promotions in Metro Manila in 2002.”
Obviously, indie filmmakers cannot afford this “luxury.” Most of this young generation of filmmakers are working on very small budgets. They do not have financial backers and most rely on their personal savings, grants or help from families or friends.
In the February 22, 2008 Signis article of Adonis Narcelles Jr. titled “58th Berlin Film Festival Salutes Six Independent Filipino Films”, he reported that “Tribu” (Tribe), one of the films screened during the festival, only had around 1.5 million pesos as budget. The same amount is just the marketing budget of a mainstream film!
However, marketing indie films need not be an expensive endeavor. A "customized" form of marketing can be done by:
- Approaching government institutions such as the Department of Education to tap their support in reaching out to schools and learning institutions;
- Working with concerned institutions and school heads to encourage inclusion of indie films’ analysis and critique as part of the curriculum (i.e. arts and /or art appreciation classes) even in elementary or high school;
- Tapping the help of the advertising industry in encouraging corporate clients to support showing of indie films in commercial venues such as malls;
- Seeking discounted airtime fees from TV networks for ads /previews of indie films; in return, the TV networks can apply these discounts as tax rebates;
- Organizing mall tours and promotions by tapping support of mainstream networks and actors; in return, these entities can apply these expenditures as part of corporate sponsorship or charities, thus, can qualify as tax deductions;
- Promoting a culture of artistic freedom and independent filmmaking in tri-media including the internet and blogging community; and
- Helping curb or lessen piracy by offering competitive pricing of indie films in DVDs.
A sound marketing plan that utilizes the above strategies can help ensure that indie films can also be competitive. Just like in the usual business set-up, competitiveness will eventually lead to sustainability.
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