Lets begin with the end in mind, distribution. You've finished your feature and sadly distributors aren't beating down your door. You can shelve it, cut your losses and move on. Option 2...self-distribution. A great tools for this is CreateSpace. CreateSpace, formerly know as Customflix, is and Amazon owned company ( thats important, but I'll get to that in a bit).
CreateSpace provides a "DVD on Demand" service. Basically, you send in your master DVD, cover, and disc art; then, CreateSpace creates an e-Store. You set the price and your movie is available for sale online. You also have the option to make you film available on Amazon and Amazon Video on Demand for digital download. All of this is free. So whats the catch? For each sale, CreateSpace retains a base price of $4.95 plus 15% of thee-Store sales price ( from Amazon sales its 45$) Heres how it breaks down according to their site:
For example...
If you sold a DVD with a list price of $25.00 through a CreateSpace eStore, you would earn a royalty of $16.30. The calculation is as follows:
| List Price | $25.00 |
| Our Share | $8.70 (see details below) |
| Your Royalty | $16.30 (list price minus our share) |
| % Share for eStore | $3.75 (15% of $25) |
| Fixed Charge | $4.95 (one DVD-R in amaray-style case) |
| Our Share Total | $8.70 |
It seems a little steep I'll grant you. Only getting $16 out of $25 doest seem like a jip. Not quite like hitting the lottery. I'll ask you to consider the hidden costs.
The Hidden Cost
I was telling a fellow movie maker about CreateSpace, CustomFlix at the time. His father chimed in saying that they would be better off doing bulk duplication and selling them themselves. That would bring the cost down to about $3 bucks a piece. Spending the $3 is better than "losing" $8.50 right ? Well I'll ask you to consider the following. Unless you have your own DVD replication system, you're going to have to use a service. There are plenty of them out there. Lets use Disc Mkers. To doa run of 100 DVDs, with case and art you're looking at an inital investment on about $300. Not too bad. Now you've sold a DVD. You need to collect the payment. Selling noline, you're looking at a credit card transaction. You need to package it. You can't just slap a shipping label in the outside cover. You still have to pay for shipping. Not to mention the costs involved with setting up your online store and the opportunity cost of running to the post office. Whats the cost involved with doing a return of a defective disc? If you do the math and you're looking at a break even point of about 15 units. That is to say, if you know, I mean KNOW, you can sale 15 copies of your flick, mass duplication is the way to go. (By the way, you can bulk order from CreateSpace for the $4.95 base price.) Remember, we're talking about a movie your were reach to resign to the closet. Here's the beauty... theres nothing saying you a can do both. There is an added bonus to using CreateSpace.
An Amazon Company
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| Image via CrunchBase |
- Released on video or prints have been made available to the public (See exceptions below on limited distribution titles).
- Listed in the catalog of an established video retailer.
Listing in on Amazon easily fits this requirement.
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| Image via Wikipedia |
Conclusion
So there you have it. Easy to setup. No backlog of inventory. Logistics, packaging, and customer service are taken care of. Increased credibility with the backdoor onto IMDB. And is free. CreateSpace provides a compelling all-inclusive, non-exclusive option for distribution.
That said, CreateSpace isn't a magic bullet. There is no "one" best option. It is simply a one of the many tools at our disposal to expand our reach. If it isn't already, Createspace should definitely be a part of your distribution matrix. When venturing down the road of self-distribution its in our best interests to take advantage every opportunity. CreateSpace is a good start.
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