I know it is a function of the process for most indie filmmakers to resist placing their films in the video libraries of film festivals. Everybody wants to believe that their film is best experienced on a big screen, even if it was shot on video. And truth be told, almost every film does play better on the big screen. The problem is, most distributors and acquisition people don't have enough time to see every film on the big screen. And that is why having your film in the video library is so important.

The dirty little secret about film distribution is that the vast majority of people who will transact business for any film will view it from a dvd. This is true for theatrical bookers, video buyers and tv programmers. This means that distributors have to make sure that a film holds up on the small screen.

We made the mistake of acquiring a film out of Tribeca a couple years ago that played to a sold out house. Laughter rolled through the crowd like they were watching a Charlie Chaplin film. I was totally psyched. Then as time went on and we received a lot of negative feedback on the film, it became clear that this particular title just didn't translate to the small screen in a positve way. To this day I regret not watching it on the small screen before starting the acquisition process.

Video libraries allow acquisition people to cover a lot of ground quickly. If a film doesn't work for us, we take it out and move on to the next one. Believe me when I say that we want to love them all. It would make our jobs a lot easier. But truth be told, we don't. When we do find a "keeper" it's like a choir is playing and radiant light shines down upon us. Then the next step is to catch a real screening of the film.

So if you are afraid of getting lost in the sauce at any film festival, I urge you to place your film into as many video libraries as you can.

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