ABSTRACT
An assessment of the state of digital production, with the advent of affordable digital camera equipment and state-of-the-art living room editing software, augurs well for the advancement of digital filmmaking. However, turn to the challenge of distribution, and the landscape becomes more confused and complex. It is arguably tougher to bring an independent film to the market with success than it is to actually make one. The traditional structure and system for distributing independent films is encountering a period of growing tension. There is rising pressure on the sales/territorial distributor relationship in the value chain, alongside escalating costs of marketing and distribution that has enable the Hollywood Studios to dominate theatrical distribution. Advances paid to acquire and distribute non-Studio films have now dwindled to near extinction. Without pre-saleable elements such as stars, top directors or proven genre credentials (e.g. mainstream sequels), distributors have grown increasingly shy of paying advances. The narrow, intensely competitive theatrical window has also worked against the smaller, niche film that has struggled to find its audience in the first three weeks, let alone first three days.
