If you fancy yourself to be a Scorsese or a Kurosawa on a shoestring budget, then a DVD duplication service may be the answer to your pesky film distribution woes. Now, reaching your target audience has never been simpler or quicker. Because whether you're a genuine filmmaker or merely a delusional hack, DVD duplication technology gives you the opportunity to inflict your brand of creative genius upon the world. Your artistic vision, direct to digital video disc.

These days, as more and more companies begin to offer speedy, reasonably-priced DVD duplication services, the task of creating your very own cult following seems to become less and less difficult. You can now easily produce professional-looking DVDs on a small, medium or large-scale basis. And, depending on the urgency and size of the job, copies of your work may even be made for you within a matter of minutes.

Most DVD duplication companies are also flexible enough to accommodate an order of a single piece all the way up to several thousand pieces. You are limited only by your needs, preferences, and budget. However, it is typically more cost-effective to purchase by bulk. The price per disc goes down considerably when you buy larger quantities.

Orders of less than 500 units go through a procedure called duplication. This entails the use of burning software to yield DVD-R copies of your work. Orders beyond 500 pieces go through a more complicated process called replication. This requires the creation of a glass mold from which discs are then pressed. While more painstaking, replication tends to be a cheaper and more viable alternative for large-scale runs.

However, providing DVD duplication services goes beyond the production of accurate, high-resolution DVDs. Duplication outfits also take on the tasks of labeling, packaging and, if needed, shipping the discs straight to your doorstep. Some companies also offer their professional graphic design and editing expertise as optional assistance. So if you lack the time or necessary skills, the artwork and layout of your DVD's menu, label and/or insert may be created for you while the video's content may be streamlined and polished for you.

There are even duplication outfits that take the notion of value-added service to a whole new level. They will market your DVDs for you online and deliver them directly to each of your individual consumers. You incur no additional costs for availing of these services. All you have to do is agree to give the company a predetermined percentage of the profit from the sale.

You must pick your provider with great care. Be forewarned; not all of them will be able to deliver what they claim. Do a little comparison shopping to find the best rates and value-added services to meet your finances and needs.

Be discriminating. Dubious providers will accept any and all jobs, but reputable duplication companies will only reproduce original work. They will not, as a rule, duplicate copyrighted material (unless, of course, you are the holder of the copyright). If a company seems to have little regard for intellectual property laws, you're better off taking your business elsewhere.

Without a doubt, DVD duplication services offer convenience and expediency not just for indie filmmakers, videographers and movie moguls in the making. Anyone can use such services for more mundane tasks. Such as documenting family and office functions for distribution to a handful of people, or creating digital backups of your old analog home movies. Think of the possibilities! In digital format, you won't have to wait till your clunky tape has been rewound to the very beginning. And you can easily skip over the chapters that capture drunken and painfully embarrassing moments best left forgotten.