Underground Rap Music is an excellent case study for independent distribution. With today’s technology, many musicians took to the streets, laying down there own tracks at home, burning CD’s on the computer, and selling them in flea markets or out the trunk of your car.
“If you can’t sell to your friend, family and hometown, than who can you sell to?”
Independent Filmmakers are also starting to feel the same vibe as the independent music industry. Personally, I have shot several projects on a $110-Circuit-City-1-Chip-Manager’s-Special, which have all turned out just fine. Avoiding poor lighting conditions, using interesting stories, and staying close to the camera because I didn’t have a shotgun or lav, helped create the look and feel of higher production values.
Just as cameras and computers are readily available, any filmmaker can in essence “bootleg” their own project by burning DVDs and selling straight out the trunk of their car. And to be more specific, trunk of the car could mean:
1) Going to all of the local shops in your area and convincing them to carry a few copies on consignment.
2) Going to all the local bookstores, record stores, convincing them to carry copies.
3) Standing in a crowded place with a table or a bag simply hawking your wares.
4) Convincing an establishment to buy several instead of just 1 or 2.
5) Finding a special interest group to buy copies for their constituents.
The possibilities are limitless.
You are only limited by what you cannot imagine.
–Christopher C. Odom