By: Patrick Frater
Source: http://www.filmbiz.asia
Category: Film School Online
Industry News
Gulf region film-makers were given a reality check on the saleability of independent and non-English language films on Saturday at the Dubai festival.
International executives from the production, distribution and sales sectors spoke of spending years making a film, but having limited chances to get a film into the hands of sales agencies or into the marketplace.
But they risked scaring their audience. A show of hands at the beginning of the session suggested that only a few of the audience members had actually produced and completed a feature film.
Frederic CORVEZ, of Urban Distribution International, said "it is not easy to get a sales company [attached]" and that "if you go the wrong way that is four years wasted."
Fortissimo Films' Winnie LAU 劉詠怡 said that it is a particularly choice finding a sales agent which can handle a film by a first-time film-maker. And Kevin Iwashima of the US's Preferred Content said "it is easy to destroy your package by mis-presenting it to the marketplace."
If that were not daunting enough, the audience was told that some 4,000 films are submitted to the Sundance festival each year, that some 250 are selected, perhaps 25 will sell to distributors and that likely only four will break even at the box office.
More upbeat comment came from Dubai festival consultant Colin Stanfield, who explained that film markets are probably the worst time for a producer to pitch to a sales agent as the sales agent is simply too busy working on selling existing titles to distributors. But he suggested that specialist project markets such as Rotterdam's CineMart or the Dubai Film Connection are far better moments. These are when sales agents are looking for new movies and represent "low pressure meeting points."
Reed Midem's Ted Baracos said that film producers should consider TV markets as possible alternative meeting points. He advised that producers should avoid what he called "the all rights trap," by which he meant dealing with distributors and sales agents that insist on handling everything from theatrical to video and TV rights. Instead he suggested that producers "Balkanise" their films, selling each rights category for a higher price to a specialist outlet.
His comments reflected those of Mynette LOUIE, a US-based producer whose Children of Invention struggled to find a seller to represent it in the months after the 2008 financial meltdown. Instead Louie acted as her own distributor, earned screening fees from festivals around the US and sold cable and VoD rights herself. "It took a lot of time and left little time for me to work on my next film. But it worked for a micro-budget film."
Stanfield also introduced the concept of "hyper sellable" films, those that producers should protect and avoid over-exposing until they are well positioned in the hands of the right sales agent. He admitted these are rarities.
Source: http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/dubai-film-makers-take-sales-lessons
Source: http://www.filmbiz.asia
Category: Film School Online
Industry News
Gulf region film-makers were given a reality check on the saleability of independent and non-English language films on Saturday at the Dubai festival.
International executives from the production, distribution and sales sectors spoke of spending years making a film, but having limited chances to get a film into the hands of sales agencies or into the marketplace.
But they risked scaring their audience. A show of hands at the beginning of the session suggested that only a few of the audience members had actually produced and completed a feature film.
Frederic CORVEZ, of Urban Distribution International, said "it is not easy to get a sales company [attached]" and that "if you go the wrong way that is four years wasted."
Fortissimo Films' Winnie LAU 劉詠怡 said that it is a particularly choice finding a sales agent which can handle a film by a first-time film-maker. And Kevin Iwashima of the US's Preferred Content said "it is easy to destroy your package by mis-presenting it to the marketplace."
If that were not daunting enough, the audience was told that some 4,000 films are submitted to the Sundance festival each year, that some 250 are selected, perhaps 25 will sell to distributors and that likely only four will break even at the box office.
More upbeat comment came from Dubai festival consultant Colin Stanfield, who explained that film markets are probably the worst time for a producer to pitch to a sales agent as the sales agent is simply too busy working on selling existing titles to distributors. But he suggested that specialist project markets such as Rotterdam's CineMart or the Dubai Film Connection are far better moments. These are when sales agents are looking for new movies and represent "low pressure meeting points."
Reed Midem's Ted Baracos said that film producers should consider TV markets as possible alternative meeting points. He advised that producers should avoid what he called "the all rights trap," by which he meant dealing with distributors and sales agents that insist on handling everything from theatrical to video and TV rights. Instead he suggested that producers "Balkanise" their films, selling each rights category for a higher price to a specialist outlet.
His comments reflected those of Mynette LOUIE, a US-based producer whose Children of Invention struggled to find a seller to represent it in the months after the 2008 financial meltdown. Instead Louie acted as her own distributor, earned screening fees from festivals around the US and sold cable and VoD rights herself. "It took a lot of time and left little time for me to work on my next film. But it worked for a micro-budget film."
Stanfield also introduced the concept of "hyper sellable" films, those that producers should protect and avoid over-exposing until they are well positioned in the hands of the right sales agent. He admitted these are rarities.
Source: http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/dubai-film-makers-take-sales-lessons
