Delivery: the final step in the filmmaking process, dreaded by even the most veteran of producers.
After the marathon of making your film is “done,” delivery requires more running — miles and miles more.
If you don’t budget for your deliverables, locking in distribution is going to be a nightmare. And even if you set some of your production budget aside for “deliverables,” how does that break down?
Any distributor will require a “delivery schedule,” a dizzying list of required materials. Most of these were never taught in film school, there’s no instruction manual, and you may have no idea where to start. If you’re out of money, you’re out of luck — and your distribution deal will fall apart. So no matter where you are in the filmmaking process, it’s essential to have a realistic delivery budget planned as soon as possible.
What is a film delivery schedule for distribution?
We have analyzed the delivery schedules of over a dozen established independent distributors to prepare this master list of major deliverable expenses that are typically incurred after post-production. In this article, we’ll overview some of the major deliverable costs that you need to build into your budget.
A word about us: Slingshot Certified is a company founded by distribution veterans to be a one-stop shop for deliverables. We have designed a streamlined process to make delivery proactive and painless. Whether you’re in preproduction, preparing to take your finished film to market, or delivering to a distributor, Slingshot can help you. Reach out for a free consultation and we’ll be happy to help you put together a deliverables budget customized for your project.
What major items should I include in my deliverables budget?
Errors and Omissions Insurance (E&O)
$2900-4500
This is the typical ballpark to budget for indie films, but it always depends on the project.
Copyright report, title report, and title opinion
$900-$2000
Copyright Registration
$45 for screenplay and $45 for feature
Registration at copyright.gov, plus attorney fees.
Fair Use / Public Domain Opinion Letter (if applicable)
$500–$10,000+
This only applies in certain cases. If you are using any clips, photographs, artwork, music or other third-party material without a paid license, or telling the story of a real person, you may be legally allowed to do so under the doctrines of Fair Use and Public Domain. However, there are many nuances and misconceptions around these legal doctrines, and you may be required to provide a letter from an attorney confirming your use is covered. The more instances need to be cleared, and the more complicated this becomes, the more this will cost.
Chain of Title preparation and legal opinion
$3,000–$5,000
Chain of title includes the full set of agreements and other legal documents establishing that your production entity has all the rights to license the film to your distributor. If you had a lawyer preparing your agreements from the start, most of this expense has already been incurred in the preparation of your agreements. However, if you have been adapting someone else’s agreement templates, it’s time to get serious and bring in an attorney to clean everything up. Chain of Title is not a DIY deliverable.
Licensing review (music and other third party materials)
$500 per agreement for legal review (plus licensing costs)
It’s recommended to have an attorney review all of your music licenses, as well as any other license agreements for clips, photographs, and other third party material. Generally you should budget $500 for legal review of each licensing agreement before you sign. Sometimes filmmakers will initially secure a more limited set of music rights (such as festival only), expecting to figure out the rest of the rights later. Your distributor is almost certainly not going to pay your licensing fees. You cannot truthfully sign a distribution contract without having music licenses for all media and territories you grant to the distributor, so you need to settle your music licenses now. If you don’t have a contract with your composer, you will also need one now.
Master QC Report
$1,000–$2,000
There are many processes called “QC” and lots of them waste your money. You need to make sure your final ProRes master goes through a human-operated linear Master QC review at a reputable lab. You will frequently need to make some fixes and resubmit in order to get an approved QC report.
Some distributors will specifically require a Master QC Report and others will not, but they will all generally expect you have already gone through the master QC process before delivering your master. Your distributor will always run the film through their own stringent Platform QC process as a final check, and you don’t want issues to emerge at that point that might delay your release.
Paid Ads Statement
$2,500-$5,000
The shorthand name “Paid Ads” is a bit of an oversimplification. This document summarizes the key language from your agreements for each individual regarding screen credit obligations, advertising credit provisions, name and likeness provisions, cutting and editing restrictions, and dubbing and subtitling restrictions. The more customized your agreements with talent and crew, the more this will cost. You can save some money by doing part of this yourself with a lawyer’s consultation, but it’s very important that you get this right.
Billing Block
$500
You will need to create copy for your billing block, and then review it against your paid ads statement to make sure you’ve included every required credit. You will also need to have a designer create a fully typeset version to use in advertising.
Closed Captions
$8-10/min of runtime
Closed captions must meet stringent specifications and are not a DIY deliverable. You need to have a professional captions vendor create these in order to pass QC. Unfortunately discount services and AI-generated captions will not pass QC, so don’t even try.
Subtitles (if required)
Up to $16-20/min of runtime
If your film has any significant non-English dialogue, you may need both English subtitles and SDH tracks – in addition to the closed captions!
Delivery/postproduction coordinator labor
DIY or $3,000-5,000
Assembling, double-checking, and delivering the required materials will take an enormous amount of time. Ultimately that responsibility falls on the producers, but they will often pay a postproduction coordinator to do this work. Our company’s services are also available to take this time-consuming work off of your plate.
International Deliverables (if required)
Variable
If you secure a worldwide distributor or sales agaent, numerous additional deliverables may be required, such a CCSL, foreign subtitles, dubs, a “fully filled” M&E audio mix, or a worldwide copyright/title report. These are outside the scope of this article, but you should know that these are on top of all of the other deliverables.
What should I do if I am already out of money? How am I going to pay for all these deliverables?
If you spent your entire budget on product and have nothing left over, you’re not the first filmmaker to find yourself in this situation. We have a few pieces of advice to navigate the situation.
Be transparent with your financiers and executive producers about the situation you are in, and educate them about the necessity of creating deliverables. Your duty as a filmmaker is to help them get a return on their investment, and there’s no way for that to happen if your film isn’t distribution ready. By the same token, make sure they understand that getting proactive and becoming distribution ready can make a great first impression on buyers. See how becoming Slingshot Certified Distribution Ready can help you make a great impression and launch the best deal for your film.
Keep your distributor and sales agent in the loop. If you are in talks with a distributor, make sure everyone knows as soon as possible what is going on. Asking your distributor to help you figure out how to pay for your deliverables is definitely a bad look, but it’s preferable to blowing up the deal. In some cases there may be a way to alter the deal terms to help. That might be an advance/MG payment, direct payments to vendors as a recoupable expense, or a gross corridor up to the amount you need. But be aware, if a distributor is going to cover more costs, they’re going to expect a bigger fee. Another 5-10% may not seem like much, but compare that to your expected lifetime revenue for the film.
Know the economics. Keep in mind, even if your distributor “covers” these expenses, that money will be recouped from the film’s revenue before royalties – meaning you, the licensor, are paying the costs of deliverables anyway. When the distributor handles deliverables, you then lose control over costs, and your distributor has little incentive to minimize expenses. They may choose a much more expensive lab than necessary, neglect to negotiate rates, or incur rush fees. Covering those costs may also take away resources that your distributor would otherwise budget for promotion and marketing. Asking your distributor to cover deliverable costs should always be a last resort.
Ready to make a gameplan? Request a free consultation with a Slingshot expert
Slingshot Certified makes delivering your film painless. We’re ready to help you put together a customized budget to get 100% ready to deliver.
Get in touch with the form below and let’s chat.