Range Life helps indie films find ways to distribute
By Kimberley Wong
Oct. 26, 2008 10:06 p.m.
As even the biggest and most well-known independent film distributors face a turning point in the once illustrious indie film industry, new companies are still emerging to take the reigns and try new methods to protect the voices of current and future independent filmmakers everywhere.
One such example is the new film distribution company Range Life Entertainment, which hopes to employ untraditional methods of film distribution combined with aggressive grassroots campaigning to make this time simply a turning point rather than an ending point for films outside of the big six studios in Hollywood. Range Life is generating a new form for filmmakers, encouraging them to be proactive in the independent experience and to hone in on their audiences.
“We bounce between college students in places like Westwood and the general art-house demographic, connecting a lot with that. Each city has a different scene, and we try our best to connect with it,” said Todd Sklar, creator of Range Life Entertainment.
By means of limiting exposure through a nationwide tour showcasing four critically acclaimed films through 25 different cities, Sklar and his crew of about eight guys keep artistic control afloat and are scheduled to hit Los Angeles tonight to test the waters. Their hope is to perfect a paradigm to eliminate the catch-22 of reeling in a crowd under limited resources and to encourage the entrepreneurship of the independent film process.
For the business aspect of the independent film industry, Sklar said that it’s difficult to get films seen due to low budgets and lack of available outlets for screening and marketing.
“It’s expensive to promote and advertise, just the operating costs alone to support the film in a theater for a week. So if you’re not going to pack the house for the week, why bother?”
Even with entities like Sundance and the L.A. Film Festival to help boost the indie viewings, there still remains the problem that only so many films can be chosen. So what about the rest of them?
“Ninety-nine percent of people who make independent films only do it if they really care about the story. The only reason you care about the story is because you want an audience to connect with it,” Sklar said.
One of the ways that Range Life Entertainment experiments is through its alternative close-target marketing initiative. Through tactics ranging from online Web sites, social networks such as Facebook and viral videos to word-of-mouth and street-team campaigning, Sklar and his team run wild to bring in their core audiences using everything from flyers to free headbands and even condoms to promote their cause.
The four films on tour showcase the works of Todd Sklar (“Box Elder”), JJ Lask (“On The Road With Judas,” Sundance 2007), Christopher Jaymes (“In Memory of My Father,” CineVegas 2005) and Bob Byington (“Registered Sex Offender,” SXSW 2008).
“It’s a weird thing where we’ll target blogs and different Web communities in general, places where people we think connect with these films will be. JJ’s film is about a writer so we’ll go to bookstores or coffee shops to find people to connect with it,” Sklar said. “My film will hit up college campuses like UCLA. With Chris’ film we’ll go to record stores or concerts, and with Bob’s film we’ll kind of do whatever we can because it’s so out there.”
In addition to grassroots marketing, Range Life Entertainment focuses on molding the screenings into prolonged events to make it more than the regular moviegoing experience and to intimately connect with crowds through classroom follow-ups, postshow Q&As and themed afterparties.
“We depend a lot on the support team that surrounds us like our fans and friends. It’s very weird how if you find people to connect with something, they’ll continue supporting you.”
It would seem that their model would be ineffective and a financial burden, but despite the sometimes grueling toll, Sklar said Range Life is worth the risk to bring quality to the tour and to help future indie filmmakers.
“We’re not counting tickets or trying to collect $5 from every person to see the movie, we’re trying to really dominate a core audience to help build the films.”
The limited release and locations also help attract attention.
“By limiting it to one day you allow yourself to seclude the audience you’re going for, and you don’t have to worry about people maybe coming, you’re making it a priority in their life,” Sklar said. “I kind of underestimated the importance of what we’re doing and how good some of our turnouts have been.”
According to Range Life Entertainment, the tour has been well-received with surprising support from theaters and audiences alike. Sklar hopes fellow filmmakers may follow suit.
“We’re just trying to do our best to promote this model and make it a sustainable thing for film in general,” Sklar said. “There’s this need for something, for alternative paths of distribution for small films. We found one way that works for us, and we want to try and share that with as many people as possible.”
