The ten-part series The Beginner's Crash Course In Film Distribution distills some of the information contained within The Insider's Guide to Film Distribution into a useful mini-guide for independent filmmakers.

Part 6: Feedback Is Critical

Oh, the dreaded unveiling of your film. Not a bad moment but it can be a highly nerve racking moment. It may go well. It may go poorly. Or it may a may have that hard to read, "did they like it or not" quality. But either way, the film is finally out there. Although it feels like it at the time, this is not the make-or-break moment. Look at it as a draft. Either it needs a lot of reworking, it's near ready-to-go, or, most likely, it's fallen somewhere in between. Unless it's your final cut. In that case the situation is make-or-break. Which brings me to my next point: Start this process at the completion of the ROUGH cut. Objective (that's the operative word) feedback is crucial to any film, especially any good film.

First, don't show it to only those people who are gonna love everything you do. Mom may be very supportive, but she may not be your best critic. And conversely, don't only show it to those who don't like anything cause you think it'll be good to hear overly harsh criticism. So if your brother's favorite hobby is berating you, he's not the ideal audience either. Start off by showing it to a very small and trusted group of friends and advisors (who support you but aren't afraid to disagree with you) - whose tastes you know and who will offer an honest and quality critique of your work. People who will "get" what you've done, are doing, or are trying to do. (And for the record, a good critique will commend you on what you've done well, point out what's off or could have been handled better, and may offer suggestions on how to fix what's not working or how to bring in more of what is working.) Showing it to a small group will not only prevent too many cooks in the kitchen but will give you a support group where you can go for advice when something about the film is bothering you, but you just aren't sure what it is. These are the necessary people who can help you tinker with it until you fully realize your movie. The film comes alive on the cutting room floor. Prior to that it's just an idea.

Over the course of the following cuts is the time to gradually introduce larger audiences, still relying on your initial group as your core advisors. The cutting process is the time for making mistakes and correcting them, for learning what does and doesn't work. Now towards the end of the process is the time you should start incorporating those who you don't necessarily think will enjoy or even understand the movie as viewers. Why? By now you're in tune with the film and the often ego-bruising experience of honest feedback. At a point the film has to stand on it's own and oft times the feedback of those who aren't necessarily in your target audience may turn out to be invaluable. These are the fresh eyes who can see things those with your sensibilities may not. They may be the ones who can shed some light on and can even get to the bottom of what exactly isn't working and why. Your movie may be better off for the feedback of a diverse set of viewers in the end.

But how does one take notes and successfully incorporate them to benefit the film? The seasoned filmmaker knows how to take notes all too well. But for those with less experience, there are a few things you need to know. First, I won't lie, getting feedback and talking notes can be excruciating. When you make a film you want it to be great and you want those, especially those you think will love it, to actually love it. But, often, it just doesn't work out like that. Why? The movie in your head and even the movie you see before your eyes, may not be the movie your audience sees. You're so close to the film you may not be able to see major holes or inconsistencies - you're naturally filling in the blanks as you go along. So you'll ask yourself, "I get it, why doesn't everyone else?" Well, cause it's not on the screen. Your test audiences will help you discern what's there and isn't there.

The first round of feedback can seem sort of, well, brutal and it's natural for a filmmaker to get defensive and dismiss notes. And considering you certainly can't please everyone all the time, how do you know which notes to implement and which to take with a grain of salt? One way to go is with the rule of three. If three of your early, trusted viewers find something problematic, it is and you just can't see it. Recurrent criticisms mean something is not working. These are the criticisms you want to take to heart and fix sooner rather than later. Don't know how? Ask for advice from your friends and have them offer their opinions on how you might solve the problem. People love to give their opinions. Now is the time to exploit that for your own benefit. Even if you don't like any of the ideas presented, they can point you in new directions you never considered and new ideas may grow out of that. For as ego-bruising as it can be, feedback can also be totally invigorating to the film. And, please, do not take all the notes you are handed. Make your decisions based on what's good for your film, not the whims of a needlessly nit-picky friend.

And note, this is a crucial step for a filmmaker looking for distribution. A distributor doesn't know you and quite frankly doesn't care how long and hard you worked on the film. A distributor cares about what's on the screen and if they can or cannot sell it to audiences. End of story. A distributor is not going to take the time to give constructive criticism or wait around while you tinker with your film to get it just right. In most cases, distributors want finished films they can put directly on a screen to a paying public. And the more paying public there is, the better.

If your budget allows, it's always a good idea to hire a professional Distribution Consultant. Generally, they're moonlighting Producer's Reps or Independent Sales Reps. The benefit of hiring a Distribution Consultant, of course, is that they will give you a real-world analysis of your film from a distributor's point-of-view and make suggestions so you can tinker with the film accordingly. These are notes you want to take seriously. A Distribution Consultant has no personal stake in the film - this is true objective third party feedback from a professional perspective. This is a direction every serious filmmaker should consider, but one you'd be advised to take if you're feeling particularly pressured to pay back your investors.

For a film you put so much into and work so hard on, it doesn't make sense to not take full advantage of the cutting process (even on a miniscule budget) and hand a distributor a finished, polished film. The rewards can be well worth it.