When making a short film it is very easy to get caught up in the production phase of the film. But it is important to remember that if you want your short film to be seen, a solid distribution strategy will be the key to your success.
Why are you making a short film?
The first thing that should be done when planning to make a short film is to set out why you wish to make it; for what purpose? What are your hopes for it? You might be making it for yourself, as a way to experiment. If that is so then, obviously distribution is not an issue for you. Perhaps you want to use it as part of a showreel, a means of attracting industry attention. Or maybe you simply appreciate the short film as an art form in and of itself. Whatever your aims, it is important that you get them clear in your head because they affect everything that comes next.
Think film distribution from the word ‘go’
When you have made your short film you are obviously going to want to show it to people, rather than just let it sit there on a DVD or your hard drive. To make the most of your masterpiece you need to be thinking of its eventual distribution from the very start. It needs to be budgeted for (e.g. entry fees, postal costs etc.) and publicity materials need to be created (e.g. synopses, character descriptions and stills photographs).
