I give up.

I run CONTRABAND (contraband.watch), a scheduled VR cinema platform on Meta Quest for films that deserve a real audience but don't have a distributor standing between them and one.

How it works: you submit, we schedule a community screening for our First100, an early group of cinephiles who signed up specifically to discover films with no other home. They watch, they vote. Score 3.5 stars or higher, and the film moves to a public, ticketed screening open to everyone. Real room, real tickets, direct payout, weekly.

We just had our first real proof this works. Handle With Care, the feature debut from director Matthew James Thompson, whose lead actor Justin H. Min just won Best Actor at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, is screening on CONTRABAND pre-wide-release. Couple of reactions from early viewers:

We're not asking how you made your film or whether it fits a category. Independent, AI-produced, hybrid, documentary, experimental, if it's finished, 70 minutes or longer, and doesn't already have a distribution deal, we want to see it.

No submission fee. No advance against royalties. Revenue split is creator-friendly, happy to walk through exact terms with anyone who's actually considering it.

Submissions: contraband.watch/filmmakers

Will stick around in the comments for anything people want to ask.

I have a independent animated feature on Amazon Prime.
It's been available since 2016 and has a healthy score and some nice reviews and all the reviews have dissapeared.
Anyone had a similar experience?

Can’t afford Scenechronize or Setkeeper etc?
Try Sides-Ways.com $10/week or $30/month
Students are free.
It’s pretty neat if I do say so myself.

i have a good idea for a revolutionary film but its highly illegal, i dont need profit from it i just want to do it as an artist, how can i publish it remaining completely anonymous from the authorities?

[Reel](https://youtu.be/N8EybA7rTWY?is=45NuVBcNwdiKVnDr)
Just got to a point where I feel like I sort of need one at times and don’t have one, so please take a look if you have a minute.

I didn’t exactly rigorously go through and weigh out the “best shots” from each project (which may be worth it actually sometime).

Mostly, it was just picking which parts had the best sounding dialogue from the files I was working with (victim of a dead hard drive from my early days). And trying to give a bit of story and editing context to the shots (I edit also).

Let me know if you think I got any of that across

I wrote and produced this movie - Super proud of it... and just want everyone to watch! And I do mean EVERYONE. It's Rom-Com about three besties who get a special prayer to the patron saint lost items and noble husbands. An independent film production... filmed entirely in San Antonio, Texas. With some terrific actors - including international singing sensation #LuisFonsi, #VannessaVasquez #AngelicaMaria #TatankaMeans #VivianLamolli - There's singing and dancing and even a mime! Take a look this week - a very important weekend... Help us make more independent movies! #independentfilms #HispanicHeritage #SanAntonio

Hi all, pls excuse my ignorance about this, but I am curious about what strategy you use to make your zero-budget or micro low-budget films become financially successful once they are made. 

For this question I’m primarily interested in how the films generate revenue once completed, ie not the funding side of the business (investors, tax credits, private equity, family and friends contributing).

Some filmmakers use the traditional strategy of going to film festivals, perhaps a limited theatrical run, then securing a sales agent, and then distribution and then later streaming services. But others appear to adopt a straight-to-streaming plan via FilmHub, for example, and YouTube and others at the same time. The latter group appear to have a business model of pumping out several super low budget films that create enough revenue to help earn a living while helping to fund their next projects.

And a second question: once you earn enough revenue to fund your business model, do you then feel pressured to increase the budgets for your next films to hire additional crew, actors, secure better locations, etc, or do you impose the same budget cap for all your films?

A third question: how important is social media for getting eyeballs on your videos?

Thanks all. Appreciate the feedback.

Hey! I posted last week about using my variation on the Robert Rodriguez model.

The scoop? I truly love that story. It's also my sophomore effort after completing a regular budget feature. As I've been spinning for a minute? I'm going to put together what I call dumpster fire movie. I'll just power through that one.

And I met with my lead for the first one this last weekend. It's going to be such a fun movie to make. The dumpster fire movie will help me focus on the more nuanced microbudget.