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 2: Market research

So to start, let's focus on the necessity of market research and how a few hours spent conducting simple research can have a big effect on you and your film down the line. It could literally save you thousands, maybe even millions. How?

Many filmmakers get an idea in their head and believe this is the film the world has been waiting for or this is their golden paycheck. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. However, before even starting on a script one has many variables to consider in addition to the story.

The following is a list of questions one needs to consider:

1. Is there an audience for this film?

Distributors sell films to audiences. That's what they do. If there is no "universal theme," nothing every member of the audience can somehow relate to, whether it's love or loss or fear or feeling like a misfit, the audience will be limited at best and a distributor will be less likely to take on your film.

2. Who is that audience?

Distributors are looking for the largest audience possible for any given

film. A larger pool of movie-goers means more possible revenue. If your

film will clearly appeal to only a small portion of the public, you'll

have a harder time finding a distributor. For example, if you were to make a silent film cause no one does it anymore, a few people probably would pay to see it. But no distributor would take it on based on the fact that they could never recoup their costs and no matter how different it is from anything else out there, there's no way it would fly with more than a handful of people.

But do note the benefit of making a "niche" film. A "niche" film is a film targeted specifically at one audience, whether it be a film focusing on gay men, a music documentary or a religious film, a niche film comes with a built-in audience and distributors always consider them sound investments since more likely than not, they will see a return.

3. What genre am I working in?

This may sound like "studio speak," however genres do matter and

being able to put your film into a specific "genre" will only help you later.

For starters, distributors obviously have to be able to market your film

to an audience. If there is no clear way to market your film, a distributor

may just pass on it cause, while they may love the film, they may feel it's

too difficult to find an audience. Remember, distributors are approached

by literally thousands of filmmakers a year and can only distribute a

handful of films. Make it easy for them to say yes to yours. And with

some very clever maneuvering you can retain your vision and make

it a profitable venture for all.

4. What are the norms of the genre and can this film address them?

Again, this may sound like a lot of "studio speak," but there are certain

genres where certain rules apply. If you're making a horror film it pretty

much has to be a scary and that's it. By nature, horror films have built-in

mass-audience appeal. But with something like a romantic comedy, you

need to have more of a selling point. Since romantic comedies are

generally studio fare, you need to be able to compete and pull in an

audience. When it comes down to it all romantic comedies seem to

have one thing in common: a name. A big name can sell a romantic

comedy. When asking yourself, "does this film address the norms of

my genre?" actually research the norms of your genre. This may seem

overly simplistic, but log onto IMDB, watch a cable outlet where you

may want your film to eventually air, check out Netflix or go to the

video store. Study the genre you'll be working in to find the common

patterns or elements that have made certain films more successful than others. Was there a star? Was it an A-star or a B-star? Did it have such

an amazing "hook" that audiences couldn't stay away? Study the films in

your genre you feel are most similar to your film and figure out why

it worked. Even the most seemingly mundane details may be quite telling if you really take the time to study them. Unfortunately, for most films a great story simply isn't enough. But if adding a star is what you need to do to tell your story and have it seen by audiences all over the world, it seems a small price to pay.

Making a film is a tremendous investment of time, energy and money. You will pour your heart and soul into it and possibly all of your financial resources. I don't need to tell you what a huge gamble that is. When you begin the long, often-frustrating, often-rewarding process of making a film, you can and should keep certain elements in mind that can help safeguard you from hearing from distributors that it's "too risky" or "unmarketable." For example, you may have a great romantic comedy but if you're lacking a "name" star (and keep in mind, this can be an actor or even a "name" producer) you're probably in for a heartbreak - My Big Fat Greek Wedding comes along basically once in a decade. And Tom Hanks was a producer on it so the film had the benefit of his name and his promotion of it. If you do not have the budget to add a star, consider working in another genre that fits more into your budget. While this may seem to go against the nature of independent filmmaking, it can actually be a safety net in the long run. You don't necessarily need to abandon your project, but rather put it on hold. Working on another film in the meantime that you may be able to sell to distributors may also give you the resources later to make a passion project on your own terms. Investors will be more willing to finance a film once you have something successful on your resume.

Many costly and heartbreaking pitfalls can be easily avoided by doing a little research and gleaning the crucial elements needed to make a marketable film. Making it harder for distributors to say no is your first and best defense in protecting yourself and not only getting your film distributed and seen by audiences but also in jumpstarting your filmmaking career and insuring you opportunities for years to come.