Here's how to package and position your film for investors and distribution

Why marketing starts in development (The Two P’s Every Indie Filmmaker Should Know)

Most filmmakers treat marketing like a closing ceremony.
You make the film, cut the trailer, post the poster, and hope the world finds you.

But if you look at how studios or experienced producers think, marketing doesn’t live at the end of the pipeline. It lives in the DNA of the project from the start. It’s part of development, part of financing, and honestly part of why some films even get made at all.

When you start thinking about how to market a film early, you’re not just “planning your release.” You’re actually designing a stronger film package. You’re shaping something that’s easier to finance, easier to sell, and easier for audiences to connect with later.

That’s the difference between hoping a distributor will figure it out for you later and being the kind of filmmaker who already has an audience before the film even shoots.

Package and Position

Jonathan Sadler, who’s spent 25 years in film distribution and marketing, uses a simple phrase that sums it up perfectly: package and position.

That’s what distributors, studios, and even film investors are looking for, a well-packaged film that’s clearly positioned for a specific audience.

It’s not about having a glossy deck or the right font. “Packaging” means your concept, cast, genre, and creative vision all make sense together. It means your budget is appropriate for your story. It means the film feels like it knows what it is.

“Positioning” is how that package fits into the market. It’s knowing who your audience is, what similar films they watch, and how yours fills a gap or offers a twist.

The problem is that most filmmakers don’t think this way. They start with a story they love, which is great, but they never stop to ask, how does this story live in the world? Who’s it for? How do we make sure people find it?

By the time the film is done, it’s too late to fix that. Any of these things can happen; the title’s confusing, the genre’s vague, the budget’s upside down, and the audience isn’t defined.

The Two P’s, package and position, are the bridge between creative passion and commercial survival.

Marketing as product development

This is the part that tends to make some filmmakers uncomfortable, treating your film like a product.
But Jonathan’s right, that’s exactly what it is.

Every industry tests and develops products before they hit the market. They ask what people want, what gaps exist, what problems they’re solving. They test colors, language, price points.

Filmmakers, for some reason, often skip that step completely. We just make the thing and hope people will get it.

When you think about marketing as product development, it changes everything:

• You start building an audience instead of waiting for one.

• You make creative choices that align with who that audience is.

• You avoid wasting money on a story that’s too expensive for its natural market.

This is about building awareness, about knowing the sandbox you’re playing in.

If you’re making a $500,000 character drama with no recognizable actors, you’re competing in a market that doesn’t pay back that kind of spend.
But if you’re making a $500,000 contained thriller with a clear hook and one familiar face, suddenly your package has a position.

Same budget, completely different outcome.

Why this matters in development

The development stage isn’t just about the script, it’s where you define the business case for your film.

If you walk into a meeting with an investor or a potential producing partner and you can clearly articulate:

• Who the film is for,

• How it connects to existing trends or audiences, and

• Why your approach stands out,

You’re instantly ahead of 90% of filmmakers they talk to.

That’s packaging and positioning in action. It shows that you understand your project as both an art form and a business.

And that’s what most investors want, not just a good story, but confidence that you’ve thought about the path from script to screen to sale.

The sooner you can answer those questions, who it’s for, how it will reach them, and what makes it stand out, the easier every next step becomes.

Discoverability starts early

One of the smartest things you can do early in development is think about discoverability.

How will people find this film? How will they even know it exists?

It might sound like a marketing question, but it’s actually a creative one. Your title, genre, and casting all affect discoverability.

If there are already six other films with your same title, you’re immediately buried online. If your film doesn’t fit neatly into any genre, it becomes a harder sell for festivals, distributors, and audiences alike.

None of that means you should compromise your vision. It just means you should understand the ecosystem your film will live in.

That awareness gives you control, over the tone, over the strategy, and ultimately over how your film connects to people.

Start the conversation before you start shooting

You don’t need to wait until post-production to think about marketing.
In fact, you shouldn’t.

You can start small:

• Create a social handle for your project as soon as it feels real.

• Share your writing or casting journey.

• Talk about the “why” behind the film.

The goal isn’t to “go viral.” It’s to start letting people in on the process.

If you start early, by the time your film is finished, you’ll already have a few hundred people who’ve followed the journey. Those are the first people who’ll watch it, share it, and show up to your screenings.

Marketing early also forces you to clarify your story. When you have to explain your film in a sentence on Instagram, you learn fast whether the logline is clear or confusing.

Every post becomes a micro test for how the outside world sees your film.

Think like a partner, not a passenger (2 p’s theme happening here)

Too many filmmakers hand their film over to a distributor and then wait for magic to happen. But the distributor isn’t your savior, they’re your partner.

The more work you’ve done to build awareness, the more leverage you have in that partnership.

A distributor can handle logistics, but they can’t create a groundswell from scratch. That has to come from you, from how you’ve packaged and positioned your film since day one.

And honestly, that’s what gives you longevity. Because even if your distributor drops the ball or the release doesn’t go the way you hoped, you’ve built something that carries over to your next film: an audience that trusts you.

You’re not just selling a film. You’re building a reputation.

The 2 P’s as a habit, not a phase

(I was almost going to call this section, The 2 P’s as a practice, not a phase. But maybe that would have been taking the 2 P’s thing over the top).

Packaging and positioning aren’t just development tools, they’re career habits.

If you start thinking this way now, every project you make going forward will be stronger.
Your pitches will land better.
Your marketing will feel clearer.
And investors, distributors, and collaborators will start to see you as someone who understands the whole picture.

That’s the real difference between a filmmaker who makes one great movie and fades away, and the one who builds a lasting career. That’s what everyone once, a career in this industry.

I’ll leave you with this

Marketing isn’t the thing you do after you make the film.
It’s the thing that helps you make it in the first place.

When you treat your film like a product in development, when you build the audience, refine the hook, and think about discoverability, you’re not just being strategic.
You’re being a better storyteller.

You’re giving your film a chance to be seen, not just made.

And that’s what it’s all about.

Follow Jonathan on LinkedIn where he shares insights weekly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathansadler1968/

Hear it all straight from Jonathan in my Deep Dive interview with him.

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