Filmmaking on Film Annex

Posted on 15 May 2012 at 17:15

Film Annex rewards all filmmakers with advertising revenues generated on their Web TV channels. The revenues are impression-based, so the more films you have on your channel, the higher your revenues are.

Film Annex welcomes all professionally-made videos by content creators. By professionally-made, we mean the opposite of user-generated. Our team of programmers watch all the submissions. We are not super critical, but we like a well-shot, tightly-edited film with a good storyline. Credits are a must. Original posters and good synopses make a strong and interesting film profile.

As far as duration goes, we accept all shorts and features, but for online use, shorter formats provide the best streaming performance. Nowadays, audiences tend to focus for about 4-5 minutes at a time on an interactive platform.

In addition to full length films, we accept interviews, making of(s), trailers, teasers, and selected scenes. Filmmakers who are seeking theatrical distribution or submitting their films to festivals don't have to upload the entire film, but can upload shorter promotional content to create a community and awareness around the film. Good promotional strategies can generate an incredible following and substantial revenues before the film comes out online or in theaters.

In terms of quality, we suggest uploads in 720p HD so that we can display both higher and lower resolutions.

If you're not a content creator and do not have original content to upload, you can pay a visit to our Open Film Library to add videos to your Web TV. Our Open Film Library offers thousands of public domain and Creative Commons licensed films, including the best of the classics from the likes of Chaplin and Hitchcock, as well as films by emerging filmmakers who licensed their work with "Attribution share-alike" and others. Alternatively, you can request permission to add a filmmaker’s video to your channel if you're a fan of their work.

Once you upload your film on Film Annex, you can contact us if you want your film to be one of our weekly featured films. This will give your content more exposure and help you increase your revenues. In addition, don't forget to share your film's link on social networks like your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Cross-linking leads to higher revenues and better promotion.

For more tips on sharing, go here.

Blog contributors:

Eren Gulfidan

Francesco Rulli (more on filmmaking by Francesco)