Payam, week 1

The production budget of Birds Don’t Fly Anymore is $20000. So I assume that the budget of marketing and distributing will be $10000 but it is very optimistic to have it. My plan is to fund the marketing and distributing budget through the crowd funding websites after principal shooting and having an edited complete movie. I assume if I have a good movie in my hand I can find some money for the post-production.

Right now, Birds Don’t Fly Anymore has the website (www.birdsdontflyanymore.com) and its Facebook page(www.facebook.com/BirdsDonotFlyAnymore). Because my movie relates to Afghanistan War and human rights condition in Afghanistan. I usually share the Afghanistan news and images to engage the audiences, because simply there is nothing about the movie to share yet. However I’ve tried to give audiences an idea of myself as a filmmaker. Trying to show that what I think about Afghanistan War and making an image of myself as an human rights activist and a filmmaker. I think to have audiences engage for long term, it would be a good idea. But honestly, I don’t believe building and engaging audiences through social medias will work for all kind of movies. I don’t believe with this amount of money and with no hands to help you, it worth to spend your time on it. Actually, when you make a narrative movie you don’t have lots of thing to share.

It might work when you make a documentary or an experimental movie, or for music industry, but for narrative movies I doubt that.

It would be great to have a crew to work on the marketing and distributing of your movie, but in real world and with this kind of budget you will be the one that will take care of it. Right now my producer and I are working on pre-production and if I could have him for the post-production I will be so grateful.

In overall, I found Thomas Woodrow’s plan for marketing and distributing of 

Bass Ackwards very interesting and practical. So in case, I have a chance to inter to one of those first tier festivals like Sundance, I’ll follow his steps to market and distribute my movie.

Before that, the budget will be used for Festival Submission Fees, press kit, photos and posters and DVDs. Then if the movie couldn’t inter to the first and second tier festivals, I’ll make an online version of the movie and self distribute it through its website and other websites like Netflix, Amazon and etc.