We at FAI STUDIOS are excited to say that with the Limited Release of The Great Rage behind us, and the Global Release a few weeks away, production for the second film in the Covenant and Controversy series is officially underway (there may be a hidden teaser for it at the end The Great Rage).
We figured this would be a good time to share with you why and how we give our films away for free.
WHY A LIMITED AND A GLOBAL RELEASE?
On August 10 The Great Rage Special Edition (loaded with exclusive bonus features) was released on Vimeo On Demand to rent and buy. We also released the film on DVD. We call this the Limited Release.
On October 1, the film will become available to stream and download on Vimeo and Youtube for free. And then it will remain free forever. We call this the Global Release. This is how each of the five films in the series will be released.
Why sell them and give them away?
Our desire is to give all our films away for free to maximize the reach and impact of the message. The challenge though, is that film production is a costly enterprise. So here is our solution. Here is what we did and what we do:
Everyone on our team pays their own way and shoulders the financial burden of flights, hotels, food, transportation, and film gear. This is leveraged in part by the monthly support and on-time donations earmarked "For Film." We believe in what we do. And we know many of you do too.
FAI fronts the expenses of printing and distributing DVDs.
For 6 weeks, between August 10 and October 1, all of the revenue from DVD and Vimeo On Demand sales go towards covering the printing costs and then a downpayment for the production of the second film.
On October 1, the film will become available on Vimeo and Youtube for free streaming and download.
After October 1, we will continue to offer the film in DVD and Vimeo On Demand--both paid formats. These will include exclusive Bonus Features that won't be available for free.
Why continue to sell it and give it away after the Global Release?
Great question. We think we have a good answer.
We have two basic objectives: (1) Give our films away for free and (2) Continue producing future films.
We assume most folks will watch it for free online. That makes us very happy. We also know that many people believe these films are important and want to support the production process so that more films get made and that more people can see them.
In short: Those who want to watch it for free, can. And those who want to support it, can.
Those who want to help bear the burden and the privilege of producing these films can do so by doing one or all of these things:
We believe in the power of film. There is no medium of communication more powerful. It is to us what the newly invented printing press was to Martin Luther.
In February of this year we released Better Friends Than Mountains, a field documentary about Gospel ministry among Iraqi and Syrian Kurds who have suffered the barbarism of ISIS. In August we released The Great Rage. And later this year we will release Sheep Among Wolves, a documentary about the underground church in the Islamic world.
If any or all of these films blessed you and you share our burden for the ministry of the exaltation of Jesus through them, we want to invite you to become an ongoing financial partner. To do so, click here.
