Last week I was tagged on someone else’s post. Another filmmaker was asking for help. She had finished her first short, only to have it absconded with by someone who had posted it up on YouTube without her permission. Ouch!
People don't seem to get the concept of intellectual property anymore. They don't get that it’s not okay to take your stuff and post it up on youtube without your permission. Who knows what their intentions were— the people who posted it may have thought that they were helping her out somehow. But even if a whole lot of people liked the video and made positive comments about the film, having your film publicly posted can kill your chances of getting into festivals or getting distributors.
Your film is your greatest asset. Always protect your work-- if you have a screener online make sure all the permissions are marked private, no download, no embed, etc. Don’t upload it to social media. Period. At least not until you are done with your festival screenings and are done with your distribution plans. Even then, check your contracts. And don’t send a copy to anyone that you don’t trust to keep it to themselves.
There are alot of ways to distribute a film nowadays— but you get to decide how you want to do that. Not someone else. If you want to post on Youtube, great! But that’s your decision. I’m really sorry that someone else made that decision for her.
If you have any questions or need an indie film consultation, I am glad to help!
Jenni