Bulletin Board
New NZ Sales Outlet for Independent Productions
31 October 2008
Filed under: New Zealand Industry News
New Outlet for Independent Productions
The life of an independent programme-maker has a strange shape to it. The moment of enthusiastic passion when the idea is conceived is heady. The months (or years) to get it funded can be dispiriting. Once production is underway there is an inevitability about the process that makes the hard work oddly enjoyable. It all builds to that symphonic climax when the baby appears on screen. After an all-too-brief moment in the sun, the much-loved child finds itself sitting gathering dust on a shelf. This has always concerned Simon Reece, film editor of long standing and proprietor of Wellington post-production house and replication facility The Dub Shop. His new sales venture The Film Shop seeks to change that.
Simon Reece saw a need for a sales outlet to the public for programmes that weren’t going to sell huge numbers of DVDs but nevertheless deserved to reach an audience beyond their brief television or cinema release. “Some big distributors,” according to Simon, “are only interested in the heavy hitters with minimum sales expectations in the thousands. There are productions 30 -40 years old that I know most people don't know exist and there must be many more that I do not know of. I am sure someone, somewhere in the world, would love a copy.”
Currently programme-makers sell DVDs on their company websites but they don’t get the ‘foot-traffic’ – shoppers have to search for specific titles to find the site. Film Shop, as the premier online site for New Zealand-only independent productions, will attract browsing customers from within New Zealand and around the world.
Another plus for programme-makers is the setup costs. Film Shop will not expect money upfront for any setup costs for a title. If there are setup costs (eg. Making a DVD master or creating artwork for slick and label) they will come out of profit. No sales means no cost to the programme-maker. And unlike some distributors, Film Shop won’t demand exclusive rights over a title. Programme-makers will be able to continue selling titles on their own websites. “We want to help producers, not make their lives more difficult,” says Simon.
The Film Shop website went 'live’ on Thursday 23 October.
www.filmshop.co.nz and for producers: www.filmshop.co.nz/producers
[The Film Shop release]