Originally I thought that there would be no need to make this video, but in the interest of being thorough and because in the videos about posting your film to The Filmmakers Channel, I neglected to pay much attention to adding the embed code for your trailer to your listing, I decided to make this very short video. [Read more...]
Adopt-a-Film Demonstration
Aug
08
2011
Before we  have you post your film on The Filmmakers Channel, or on your website we want to show you the inner workings and the finer points of the Adopt A Film software. The reason is so that you can make an informed decision about how you want to manage your adopters. Do you want to manage everything manually? Or are you in it for the long haul and ready to go with an email management system such as with Aweber.
This video will demonstrate the Adopt A Film software system with and without the use of an email management system. If you choose to go with an email management system then click the link below to get signed up with Aweber. Â
The Filmmakers Channel Big Picture, Checklist Overview
Aug
08
2011
Before diving into the details and the step by step of the Filmmakers Checklist check out this big picture video. It will give you an idea of how things will end up working once you have all the pieces in place and hopefully frames the tasks of the checklist with some context that will give the individual pieces more meaning. After you finish watching this video you will understand how your film will look on the Filmmakers Channel as well as your own website and how the “Adopt A Film” software works, how it is integrated with email management software which will allow you to guide and nurture your adopters and get more revenue.
Filmmakers Checklist
The checklist is organized into logical sections with the intent and purpose of walking you through all the steps for getting your film up in the most expeditious fashion. However we will not leave any stone uncovered or will we cut corners. All the information is pertinent.
Section 1: Getting Your Film Ready for Pay Per View and DVD Distribution
These steps will familiarize you with our 3rd party streaming provider Maxcast. You should pay particular attention to the video on picking your subscription level. There’s an Excel worksheet we put together that will help you decide which subscription is best for you.
Section 2: Getting Your Film Listed on The Filmmakers Channel
If you were paying attention to anything we’ve said so far, then you know that audience building is high on our list and it should be high on yours as well. So in this section we’re going to ask you to make a decision about email management. We highly recommend that you use a service like Aweber as we have extensive experience with Aweber and you’ll find quite a number of training videos on Aweber here on FilmmakersNation.Com. Suffice to say that you will not and cannot get the greatest benefit from the Adopt-A-Film software without an email management system. You can still post your film of course on our site and your own site but you will have to manage your adopters manually.
Section 3: Getting  Your Website Setup
The last section will be getting your free website setup. With all the work you will have done to this point this will be a breeze and if you’re already familiar with WordPress then it will be a piece of cake for you. If not you’ll find videos on WordPress training and if you don’t find what you’re looking for you can always call the office or have us call you by sending us a message using the contact form.
In conclusion, we’re here to help you. We want to do all that we can do to make sure that you’re completely empowered and in control of your own destiny.
How To Add Your Film to The Filmmakers Channel
Aug
08
2011
How To Add Your film to The Filmmakers Channel: After you’ve ripped and uploaded your DVD to Maxcast and optionally uploaded your DVD for Kunaki you’re ready to create a listing for your film on The Filmmakers Channel at http://thefilmmakerschannel.net. This process is the same process you’ll use for any additional movies, or videos you want to post on The Filmmakers Channel and also approximates the process for adding your film to your own website after it’s setup. Below you’ll find the process summarized and a corresponding of resources you should have before you go to The Filmmakers Channel to post your film
Adding Your Film to The Filmmakers Channel, Process Summary
The video is not only going to walk you through the steps for posting your film but will take you through the steps so that your post is SEO, or Google friendly. So the first thing you’ll want to figure out is what we call the “Focus Keyword” is. To do this click this link to go to the Google KeywordTool.Â
Focus Key Word
The Filmmakers Channel uses a easy to user Word Press Plug-in that will help you write a film description that is optimized for search. This obviously will give you the best possible opportunity to rank highly both on The Filmmakers Channel and the site we provide for you. So ask yourself the question what word or phrase best describes your movie? The go to Google and use the Google Keyword Tool to do some research and determine what your focus keyword or key phrase is.
Resources You’ll Need
Before starting this process have the following ready in advance. If you do you’ll be able to blast through the process pretty quickly.
- Maxcast Pay Per View URL: If you need a refresher here’s a link to the video on how to get a Maxcast Pay Per View URL
- Kunaki DVD URL: Here’s the URL for the Kunaki video if you need a refresher
- YouTube Trailer Embed Code: Even if your trailer is already uploaded to YouTube you need to watch this video if you haven’t already so you know where to place the embed code for your trailer when you create your listing.
- A copy of the Front of Your DVD Cover, or some piece of artwork. If you use the DVD cover just use the front sized at 100 pixels by 140 pixels. Â You can download a Photoshop template from this link.Â
- An image to use for the Featured Content Gallery. This is the rotating gallery on the home page of the Filmmakers Channel and should be sized at 530 px by 330 px. You can use a screen shot from the movie if you want.
If you have any questions about any of this you are more then welcome to call us for support. That’s what we’re here for. The most important part of the movie is
Maxcast Subscription Levels, Figuring Out What’s Best For Your Needs
Aug
07
2011
Maxcast has a number of different subscription levels. They kind of work like cell phone plans with a certain number of allocated broadcast minutes for each level with different per minute charges when the baseline allotment of allocated minutes is exceeded. To help simplify your decision making process, I created and Excel spreadsheet in Excel 2003 format you can download below. It’s pretty simple to use and all you have to really do is input things like the run time of your movie, or video and what you expect the Pay Per View sales price to be.
Important: You should open up the Excel spread sheet and have it on your desktop as you watch the video so you can play with the variables and see exactly how you can effect the change in values. This will get you familiar with the way the spreadsheet works and you’ll figure out which Maxcast subscription level is best for you given your needs and what you know about your movie and market.
The video is a demonstration of how to use the spreadsheet and interpret the results. This will allow you to not only pick the plan that fits your needs best but also will help you determine pricing for your film, given a certain subscription level.
WordPress Event Calendar Plug In, Usage and Configuration
Jun
23
2011
There are many different event calendar plug-ins for WordPress. This particular plug in was attractive to us because it is easy to create events for the calendar, has support for a “Big Calendar” which  you can add to a Page, or Post as short code as well as support for a calendar and list of events as a Widget. This all gives me and you the flexibility when you’re deciding how to present the calendar and calendar of events to your users.
This video is actually videos. The first video is all about some of the background and set up, as well as how to add widgets to sidebars and the second video in the playlist  is all about how to actually create an event for the calendar.
If you have any questions about these videos, please leave them as comments below.
Dan
About Custom Menus in Word Press
Feb
10
2011
Word Press 3.0 introduced the concept of custom menus. This gives you a tremendous amount of control and flexibility when configuring your top navigation bar as well as your side bar since custom menus can be included in your side bar as well. This short video provides an overview of custom menus, their function and their configuration. [Read more...]
Aweber, Setting Up Your List
Nov
03
2010
This is the first video dealing with the basic functional steps necessary to configure your Aweber auto responder. In this video you’ll learn how to define and configure your list. You’ll also learn about double opt-in and when you can and should use the double opt-in technique and when you don’t need and shouldn’t use the double opt-in feature.
Copy Your PPV Film Using Maxcast & Track in PayPal
Nov
02
2010
This video is very important if you are using the Adopt A Film feature of the DIY system to create and manage your PPV distribution network.
This video will teach you exactly how to
- Create a complete copy of your PPV film or video in Maxcast.
- What you should do after you create a copy so you can track networked sales.
- How to track networked sales in PayPal
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.
