Marketing on Facebook

With more than 325 million users, Facebook is nearly the size of the United States in terms of population. And Facebook users share information about their like and dislikes at a prodigious pace. That's why many films have a Page on Facebook. (Facebook Pages are different than profiles. People have what are called Profiles on Facebook, but your business can’t have a Profile — it can have a Page.) A Facebook Page is a place to house all the pertinent information about your film and to build a community of people who will support your film (by attending screenings, buying DVDs or merchandise and telling their friends about the film). If you’ve emptied your bank account to make a microbudget film, a Page on Facebook may be all you can afford. But it's a great cheap way to get the word out.

This post on Mashable.com is a beginner’s guide to setting up and getting the most out of a Page on Facebook.

And the unofficial Facebook site, allfacebook.com, has written a handy guide to developing a Facebook Page that attracts viewers.

Finally, the NY Times has written about Facebook Pages and the opportunities that exist with Facebook Ads.

Digital Distribution - A Legal Battle Over E-Book Rights Suggests Where Film Distribution is Headed

On December 12, 2009 the NY Times reported on a dispute over the electronic rights to William Styron's novels.

Filmmakers should pay close attention to these e-publishing disputes. Just like the music business (where digital distribution is already generating huge revenue and is expected to top $5 billion by 2012), the e-publishing business is growing and decisions made about e-books may well point the way for the online motion picture business.

The revenue from digital distribution of films is growing and digital distribution will inevitably become the dominant mode for delivering films, books and music. But there are many questions that must be answered before a viable business model for digital distribution of indie films can emerge. For example: Will indie filmmakers even use third-party distributors in the future? Can filmmakers self-distribute? If filmmakers self-distribute, how will the audience learn about the film? Who will pay the marketing costs? If a filmmaker uses a distributor, just how much should the author earn in digital royalties (the costs of delivering a film digitally may be small, but marketing - to break through the clutter - will still be expensive)? Will distribution in the old formats (e.g., DVD, theatrical) still exist for indie filmmakers - and, if so, who will pay for those costs?