By Lawrie Brewster, founder of Hex Studios and president of Amicus Productions
When Lawrie Brewster was forced to re-think the Film industry
I recently published an article describing the early stages of my life (which include some ridiculous photograhs) that eventually led me toward a career as an independent film producer. From childhood me, with a plump, Bart Simpson-esque tummy, to 43-year-old middle-aged me with, well… another rotund tummy to boot.
While that unfortunately hasn’t changed, my outlook on the film industry, particularly when it comes to independent film distribution, has shifted dramatically since the days we launched Hex Studios, backed by Roger Corman and covered by Screen Daily. That shift has come through hard-fought battles and some cruel lessons learned over the 15 years I’ve worked in film.
The Return of the Studio System
This experience led to a strategic redirection of my company, Hex Studios. We previously operated as a production services company, often co-producing films with distributors – the most recent being a two-and-a-half-hour Lovecraftian medieval epic, The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, which we covered recently on this site. Films such as Lord of Tears would go on to grace (or haunt) the new releases section of Amazon Prime, or the DVD shelves of Walmart for our friends in the US.
But that model no longer serves us. We have transitioned into a new model of distribution. Or rather, more than distribution, a complete change in perspective. We are now working increasingly within a vertically integrated studio structure.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, think of a 1930s American film studio. These companies not only produced and distributed their own films, but also owned the cinemas where they were screened. That vertically integrated system was dismantled following the Paramount Decree of 1948, which led to the gradual breakup of studio monopolies into the 1950s. In the UK, such regulation wasn’t as pressing, since most films were distributed either by the Rank Organisation or by American studios with existing distribution footholds.
Nowadays, that model has re-emerged in digital form. Streaming services and content-locked platforms are increasingly controlled by the same companies who make the content.
Want to watch Severance? You’ll need an Apple subscription. Interested in Andor? That will be Disney Plus. Once upon a time, it might have been United Artists that claimed your pocket money for a Charlie Chaplin film. Today, it’s Apple and Disney, each with their own paywall.
The Illusion of the Indie Film Market
This change is critical for independent filmmakers. Many are still operating under the illusion of a marketplace that no longer exists. They imagine a creative stock exchange where their film gains value at the European Film Market in Berlin, the American Film Market in Las Vegas, or the Cannes International Film Market.
Yes, films are still bought and sold at these markets. Often international rights are licensed in single territory deals, perhaps $5,000 for Germany. But here’s what any veteran indie filmmaker with an eye patch will tell you: you will likely never see that money. Deals are done between sales agents and distributors, not you.
The supposed middlemen, the ones who claim to sell films, are increasingly becoming producers themselves. They are keeping hold of the budget and any valuable tax subsidies.
The first warning sign is this: if the people who say they make money selling films are now suddenly making their own films, something is wrong.
Corporate studios like Apple, Amazon and Netflix are walling off distribution. Sales agents are becoming filmmakers. If you’re still hoping to sell your indie horror film into the marketplace, you’re working with a concept that no longer exists.
What remains of the film market is fragmented, cliquish, and controlled by gatekeepers you are unlikely to ever reach out except to snatch your film as a cheap bauble for aggregate distribution.
A Harsh Reality Check
Some filmmakers will protest and say, “But my film did well.” Maybe it did. But individual success stories don’t change the larger trend. The behaviour of studios and distributors shows us that business as usual is changing fast.
If you’re producing a film in the hope it will be picked up after the fact, you’re in for a harsh awakening. Without a pre-existing deal or partnership with a distributor, your film may already be considered almost valueless by the market.
A completed indie film with no attached distributor is treated like a slightly dented trinket. You may get an offer of $5,000 to $8,000 all rights, paid in instalments over three to five years. That’s after you’ve met an exhaustive list of delivery requirements at your own expense.
The Way Forward
At Hex Studios, we have long supported our productions from within our own community. A brief foray into distributor-led co-productions only confirmed to me that the market was collapsing. I don’t regret the experience, but I’m glad we moved on.
My advice? Don’t create a film in isolation, expecting that it will be picked up at a film market and distributed widely. That market is a mirage.
Yes, corporate banners still flutter at industry events around the world. But what goes on behind the scenes has changed permanently. Your strategy needs to change too.
For us, this led to the creation of the British Horror Studio project, whcih I discussed in a recent article, we are committed to doing it all ourselves. We have fully embraced the vertically integrated model. No UK studio has seriously attempted this in recent memory but perhaps we shall prevail?
Hopefully, we’ll survive for many years to come. But whether we do or not, the journey will be thrilling and, at times, dramatic. Most of all, I hope it proves inspiring, encouraging other independent horror filmmakers to follow our path, abandoning a system built to exploit or exclude them in favour of a new one forged by authentic artists.
About Lawrie Brewster
Lawrie Brewster is a veteran horror film producer with 15 years of experience. Lawrie Brewster leads Hex Studios, serves as president of Amicus Productions, and runs the British Horror Studio project in collaboration with filmmakers from around the world.
You can also read Lawrie Brewster’s 5 Brutally Honest Tips for Indie Filmmaking Success which went viral on Reddit!
You can also follow Lawrie Brewster on his Official Website at www.lawriebrewster.com
For those with an eye for vintage charm, a full 1950s broadsheet-style rendering of this article awaits your attention at the British Horror Chronicle.