Customizable VOD Platforms
If you understand the work of audience building, and you’ve got the ability to DIY, customizable (or traveling, as we’ve called them) platforms offer moviemakers the back-end software to engage with, and secure revenue from, an audience. Keep in mind that while some platforms started with indie film in mind—and still profess to serve it—many have shifted gears toward different kinds of short-form or episodic content, like comedy specials and instructional videos. The platforms listed here are embeddable into all manner of sites and devices. You’ll want to compare them for their revenue splits, payment methods (both for your users and you), storage, player quality, technical support and other factors.
Gumroad offers a way to sell both digital and physical goods through your digital storefront. The free version takes 8.5 percent plus 30 cents of every sale you make; use the premium version for $10 a month and it takes 3.5 percent plus 30 cents per charge. There’s a wide range of user payment options, while you’re paid through PayPal. Affiliates can get a cut in exchange for sharing your work with their audiences.
Pivotshare focuses on channel creation and has a financial incentive for creators who publish on the same channel. The revenue split (70 percent creator, 30 percent Pivotshare) is fairly steep, and disbursement is based on an in-house calculation. There are no set-up costs and users can rent, purchase, subscribe or use a tip jar. While many sites use only PayPal, Pivotshare does not—perhaps both a pro and con.
Reelhouse continues to offer its social-friendly embeddable player but is shifting gears to accommodate VR moviemakers and live events. Reelhouse takes 10 percent plus 50 cents per transaction, leaving the rest to the moviemaker. Films can gain visibility as staff picks on the site’s storefront. The particularly thorough FAQ can help in a pinch.
Vimeo is, as of March 2016, the parent company to the embeddable player designed by VHX. Between the two, you have Vimeo’s name recognition among the indie film industry and VHX’s user-friendly and customizable technology. For now, though, they seem to operate as separate services. Vimeo has four levels of user accounts: Basic accounts are free, Plus costs $59.95 per year, while Pro and Business allow you to sell videos (costing, respectively, $199 and $599 per year). The revenue split (10 percent to Vimeo) is low, but there are also transaction fees. The remainder is yours. Filmmakers are paid through PayPal. Technical assistance is left to online forums which can be time-intensive and leave your question unanswered.
VHX offers TVOD but specializes in helping makers create DIY subscription (i.e. SVOD) services, and build entire brands. It offers customizable web templates and apps, coupons and screener services, and more. For TVOD, VHX takes 10 percent plus $0.50 per sale and $1 per subscriber per month plus fees for SVOD. Ultimately VHX is tooled to help those interested in carving out a multimedia presence with vertical monetization.
Others:
Dylan Gelula as Anne in First Girl I Loved, directed by Kerem Sanga and produced by Ross Putnam Credit: Courtesy of Ross Putnam
Aggregators
An aggregator is a vendor that, for a fee, provides the service of getting your film encoded, packaged and delivered to the digital platforms that won’t accept films from individuals. As long as you meet the tech specs and pay for the service, you’re in (with the aggregator, that is; be certain which platforms accept your film right off and which your aggregator must pitch). Best-case aggregators have excellent technical support and also help you make strategic decisions. Some aggregators have earned preferred status with their longtime partners and may have more influence with film placement or acceptance rates on curated platforms.
Many distributors more than earn their cut in the VOD realm, though because we’re focusing on DIY, we are not listing distributors here. Last year we listed The Orchard as an aggregator but the company has initiated and brokered deals, assisted with marketing materials and advised on strategy for moviemakers—moving itself to the realm of distribution. Likewise, FilmBuff began as a VOD company, but recently announced its rebranding as Gunpowder & Sky Distribution, with “development, production, marketing and distribution… a full panoply of services for independent creators.”
Distribber has expanded into episodic content of late (many VOD platforms separate film and TV content, on both the backend as well as in their storefronts). After paying Distribber’s upfront fees (for feature films: $1,560 for iTunes, $1,175 for Amazon, $995 for Hulu, $1,395 for GooglePlay, $1,395 for Redbox, $950 for Netflix, $5,000 for unspecified cable VOD; fees can increase for HD formatting and there are discounts if filmmakers start with iTunes) moviemakers take home all revenue. There’s also an annual fee of $225 that increases to $375 after the first year. Distribber focuses primarily on U.S. and Canadian sales.
Quiver Digital (an arm of Premiere Digital) encodes and packages your film to a variety of platforms and has preferred status with iTunes, Google Play, Netflix and Microsoft. Quiver charges a flat, upfront rate and moviemakers keep the rest. Feature films cost $950 for the first platform and $175 for additional platforms. Shorts (under 45 mins) start at $400 for one platform and $100 for additional platforms per film. Additional fees are possible. Quiver can reach 57 English-speaking countries and translation services are available. There’s live chat support and a helpful website. Quiver specializes in film content over TV.
bitMAX is an iTunes-, Amazon- and Google Play-preferred encoding partner and also places on Hulu and Vudu. While other sites have fairly straightforward grid pricing, bitMAX claims to have “film plans starting at $500” (inquire further for details). It handles a range of content—film, TV, music—so it’s perfect for an aspiring EGOT.
Juice has preferred partner status with iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and Netflix and was recently purchased by Vubiquity. Juice has an upfront, flat fee structure that can get your film (of any length, if the platform accepts shorts) on aforementioned platforms plus Sony Entertainment Network, Xbox, Vimeo and Hoopla. Fees for the first platform vary by length of content and range from $250-$945; additional platform fees range from $100-$195. Based in Toronto, Juice also offers post-production and DVD, Blu-ray and DCP services.
Others:
KinoNation, Walla MM
Erin Trahan writes about movies for WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, and teaches film journalism at Emerson College. She’s a contributing editor to The Independent and co-edited The Independent’s Guide to Film Distribution, Second Edition. Learn more at erintrahan.com.
This article appears in MovieMaker’s Complete Guide to Making Movies 2017. Illustration by Jo Yeh.
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