How Selling Your Film Works

Some Important Facts About Film Baby

  • Film Baby is TOTALLY non-exclusive.
  • We are devoted to furthering the art of independent cinema.
  • Film Baby is artist friendly by design.
  • We are not Hollywood shysters.
  • Film Baby pays film makers for their sales every week!
  • We are constantly seeking additional opportunities for our film makers.
  • Film Baby believes that the lion's share of profits derived from the sale of art should go to the creators.
  • We will never limit you. If you ever need to sever ties (for whatever reason) we'll gladly send you your stock back and de-activate your page. No problem.
An Example of Adding a Film on Film Baby

What we do for YOU:

  • We make a web page in our on-line store, especially for you. It is designed to showcase your movie. Your page will include: a two minute video clip or trailer so people can get a feel for your creative work,a hi-res scanned image of your DVD/Video cover, links back to your website, and all the descriptions, press, reviews, bio information that you care to include.
  • You will create your own user name and password to access the member's area of Film Baby. The member's area is where you'll have access to: all of your sales stats and customer information, real time accounting, all of your account info so you can make changes to your mailing address, bio, descriptions of your film, or ANY of the details on your Film Baby page.
  • A link to your Film Baby web page will be located inside your member area once your movie is set up in our system. Just copy and paste this link into your own personal website to begin selling! You can also email this link to your email list so that your fans will know where to buy your film on-line! We encourage you to link to your Film Baby page and trailer.
  • We take care of the dirty work! We handle all the ordering, fulfillment, payment processing, shipping, customer service, and payments to you.
  • Every time you sell a copy, it will appear in your sales report along with the name and email address of the customer who purchased it. This is a great way to build a fan base to let people know about your creative endeavors!
  • We report your sales to VideoScan. VideoScan 's weekly POS data is one of the largest databases of VHS and DVD products in the country. Data is collected on more than 40,000 VHS items and 12,000 DVD titles.
An Example of a Film Page on Film Baby An Example of Film Editing on Film Baby
What we need from YOU:
  • After reading about Film Baby, you'll create your FREE account. We'll ask you a few basic questions about your film and your preferred contact info. For example: "Where would you like us to send your checks?"
  • Click the "My Films" tab to register your first film. Here you will tell us all of the info about your film that we need to make it available for sale. Take some time to describe the film to us. Your descriptions will go directly onto your Film's store page, so this is what potential customers will see. You'll have the opportunity to post press clippings and bio information here as well.
  • Mail us 5 copies of your DVD. After you've registered your film, described it to us, and told us where to send your payments, it is time to send us some copies of your DVD. Five will be enough to start. When we need more, we'll let you know. Of the five you send us, four will be sellable. We will use one as a store copy to scan the artwork and digitize a two-minute clip, which will stream from your Film Baby page.
  • If you have a trailer/clip for your film that you would prefer us to use (and it is not on the dvd), feel free to enclose a dvd with your submissions. Feel free to change your clip and trailer anytime as well. Don't worry if you don't have one, we will make a 2 minute clip for you.
  • Film Baby does not censor films. You are not required to have a rating on your movie, but we do ask that you use the MPAA rating system as a guideline to help our customers know what to expect. Film Baby does not accept material that is extremely pornographic in nature due to federal laws and insurance restrictions.
  • We do accept DVD-R's and homemade packaging. All we ask is that you give the customer a genuinely nice product. A good rule of thumb is: Make it something you'd buy. If you wouldn't spend your money to buy this product, chances are no one else will! Please do not hand write labels or on the disc itself . If you need professional discs made at a great price, give Disc Makers a try!
  • There is a one-time-ever sign up fee of $39.99 per title. This fee covers the building and editing of your web page, scanning of your artwork, registering your title with Videoscan, digitizing your video, warehousing your DVDs, and making your film available both physically and digitally to nearly every available outlet worldwide. This fee covers these services forever. You'll never face annual fees and as long as you want to sell your film with us we'll gladly keep working with you, forever!
An Example of a bad DVD-R

Now, "Show me the money":

  • YOU set the selling price of your film to whatever you'd like. You can change the price of your film at ANY time. The average selling price for films on Film Baby is $14.99 but we're fine with you selling your film for any price at all (above $4). We know this film is YOUR baby but be cautious not to alienate potential customers by listing your DVD too high. It is MUCH better to sell 10 copies of your DVD at $9.99 than it is to sell none (or one, or 2 for that matter) at $45.00!!
  • We keep $4 for each DVD sold for $49.99 or less. To cover the cost of credit card processing, anything over $49.99 we keep $8 from each film sold.
  • We cut checks to filmmakers EVERY Monday! When you sell a copy of your film we pay you for that sale the very next Tuesday! How cool is that!?!
We Cut Checks Every Monday!

Just the Facts:

  • This is totally NON-EXCLUSIVE. Feel free to sell your movie anywhere! Film Baby is just another outlet for you. Our goal is to help further your art, not restrict it in any way. Film Baby is where independent film fans come to discover new movies. It only makes sense for you to be here.
  • You do not need to have a bar code to sell your DVD on Film Baby. However, we STRONGLY SUGGEST that you have a UPC number. Some of our high partners do require barcodes to participate in their programs (ie. Amazon.com and Retail distribution through Super D). If you don't have one already, you can purchase a barcode in your member area for $25. We'll email you a .tiff file of a UPC barcode that will be specific to your DVD forever.
  • If you have any problems, questions, concerns, please call us any time at 1-877-FILM-BABY.
Barcodes

THE CURSE:

  • Every day someone tells us, "But this is gonna be big, man! We're going to sell thousands!" And every time someone sends a ton up front, they don't sell any. It's like a curse. All of our top-sellers always started out by sending just 5 copies up front, and sending more after those sold.

ADVICE ON SHIPPING:

  • You don't need to include any letter, invoice, or info. Just the DVDs themselves. That's all we need. No presskits or photos. (Though we never complain about chocolate.)
  • Don't use expensive express mail unless you're backordered. Save the money. We want you to make a profit.
  • Up to 20 DVD's fit into a Flat Rate Priority box for only $8.05!
  • If you include a note or a check, please attach it to the DVDs themselves, not hidden somewhere else.

Let's Get Started:

  • Sign up to start selling your movie on Film Baby!