As documentary films have risen in esteem over the past decade, and the equipment with which one makes them became easier to access, more people have found the camera a comfortable means to explore new stories and views. But what happens after the production and editing are completed? Where do, or should, or can filmmakers go to get their projects out to viewers?

There are two major options to consider when you are finished with a documentary – you either submit to, and negotiate with a distributor, or you self-distribute. The primary issue that determines which approach to take tends to be a matter of personal commitment, of how much time and energy you are able to invest in the aftermath of the credits rolling. Secondarily, because documentaries are usually such personal journeys, is the consideration of whether a distributor has the background to get your film to its audience, or whether it would be more productive for you to go after them yourself.

I am grateful and honored to come from a varied background of experience. I came to New York a dozen years ago to work on feature film sets, having been obsessed with movies since age 4. I got sick of seeing films be made but not go anywhere, so I decided to enter the world of distribution, finding a job at the New York office of the National Film Board of Canada. It was there that I learned about non-theatrical distribution, that films which did not play in neighborhood theaters had alternative venues and people who would watch them. I have continued working in this vein for the past 7 years because people in the academic world have been wonderful to work with. They are genuinely interested in great non-fiction work to share and there are always fantastic conversations and ideas to participate in.

I’ve often been told that I should describe what I do with an air of mystery. Apparently, I should create an element of importance so enormous around the term I have used to describe my work – outreach and distribution advising for documentary films – that more people will hire me because of being impressed by ideas beyond their mental reach. But the truth is that what I do is not brain surgery and I see no reason to pretend that it is. As a filmmaker, myself, I appreciate when someone is straightforward about technical questions I’ve needed to answer and I don’t wish to be hypocritical about openly sharing information.

So what happens next?

First, you should have some idea who your target audience is. You figure this out by looking at the film from a variety of perspectives, i.e. are you following families, advocates or cultural figures, for instance. What culture? What age groups? What gender or sexual issues, if any. Do you see people helping other people, and if so, how? What is it you think you are showing people that they were not shown before?

After answering these questions, take an honest deep breath and think about how much you kept up with the people involved with the film and would these people and organizations be part of your audience? Would they spread the word? Would you be able to get quotes and advice from them? Do you have the time to see what professional organizations might view your film based on their missions? Do you have time to find out what publications review documentaries that aren’t made by Michael Moore?

Though I think there’s a tendency to scream for revolution and independence, distributors are definitely a strong option to release your film, especially if you have spent so much of your focus on production that you’ve lost track of your intended audience. If you have little connections with the academic world, distributors have built-in audiences in this environment who have been buying from them for years and have mailing lists that information for your film will be sent out on. Be sure that you do take a few moments to peruse the type of material that a distributor handles, make sure they have at least a few films already in what you would consider your category. This research may take you a couple of hours, but it will also give you insight as to whether the distributor has a ready-to-access customer base for your type of film, or if they would have to reach out to new people.

The central issue with signing your film with a distributor is to realize that they most likely have several hundred films in addition to your’s to focus on. This is not to say that your film will not be important, or that they will not promote it, but it should be clear that you may not get central attention when you desire it and that you may not be very involved with the film once you’ve signed the contract. However, if your schedule is constantly packed with new shoots, it can be quite easy and comfortable to have this distribution mechanism in place so that information about your film is getting out into the world while you’re already onto the next project.

Another advantage to handing your film over to a distributor is that they are doing the investing of funds in marketing time and personnel, not you. Of course, this outlay of energy and money comes out of the royalty statements you are sent either quarterly or bi-annually, but perhaps you are simply happy to get some funds without extra effort on your part being necessary.

One commonality between using a distributor and self-distributing is the issue of time. Whether you decide to sign on with a distributor, or do the work yourself, it will take some time for your film to “hit” a place in the non-theatrical market – often up to a whole year. First, the publications that would review your film take between three and six months to get your film assigned and reviewed by one of their critics. Then it takes time to set up and print marketing material and you usually must schedule between one to two months in advance to do mailings (be them email or snail mail) of these postcards or brochures to your perspective customers.

The other consistent feature to both using distribution and promoting on your own is that it is absolutely impossible to promise or estimate how much money you will gain. I get people asking me this question a lot and I try never to give an answer because there simply isn’t one. Some films do better because of controversy or timeliness of their content, others do better because the information they include is unique and nobody else has captured it yet. There is no way of knowing how a film will fare until you or a distributor starts sending it out into the world. There is a lot more to choose from than there used to be and sometimes it’s a matter of sending out a postcard or email at the exact time that somebody is thinking about a subject.