When I was 5 years old, my mom told me that happiness was the key to life.
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I
wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told
them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon
(special thanks to Tom Gilroy)
Month: December 2010
Guest post by Thomas Mai www.thomasmai.net
There are many advantages to Crowdfunding, but one of the less known is that you actually get to test if there is an audience for your film BEFORE you make it. We filmmakers are driven by passion (clearly not the money) and often we spend 2-4 years on making a film, just to find out that nobody really cares about it.
By Crowdfunding even smaller amounts you send a clear signal to potential investors/ film funds that you know who your audience is (and often where they live) this makes it so much easier for investors/film funds to believe in you because you have have proven that the audience believes in you.
In the traditional way of making films, audience was this magical thing that entered the life of the film once it was completed. Sure, we thought about the audience while making the film, but there was no direct audience participation. Yes, we could do test screenings and go back to the editing room but the film was ALREADY shot.
The US has a healthy supply of “bookers” and for-hire distro/marketeers who can help you navigate the theatrical waters when you are looking at DIY or hybrid approaches, but are there the same folks in Europe, Asia, and other territories? There’s got to be right? So where are they and how can we access them easier?
Many a filmmaker in the US have now decided it makes better sense to split up rights across media, license on a short term or non-exclusive basis, and essentially handle the theatrical themselves on a non-traditional basis. But why would what makes sense in the US, not also make sense in other territories?
This is one of my wishes for the new year: let’s demystify hybrid distribution internationally and build up a good list of companies and individuals to partner with. If you are out there, let us know!
Movies don’t have the same value as they used to, but they now cost much more to market.
Okay, maybe this simple observation is not as simple as I first thought.
When I started out in the film business, it was considered reasonable to value North American rights on a feature at 50% of negative costs. If I was asked to value such rights today, on the average, I would say they were either zero or they would be a negative.
When I started producing movies, a well packaged and developed project could anticipate get 80% of it’s negative cost from licensing foreign rights. The value of foreign rights has been dropping consistently for years. What were once major territories in terms of revenue they returned, now seem virtually impossible to do deals in. Television rights abroad supported acquisition prices for years, but now those slots are increasingly difficult to obtain everywhere. If an independent film can piece together 50% of its negative cost from international, I think they are pretty fortunate.
Categories
100 Best Movie Spaceships
It’s a pretty great list.
Thanks ugo.com!
Guest post by Wendy Bernfeld, Managing Director, Rights Stuff
It’s no surprise for producers and distributors, that revenues from traditional sources such as TV and DVD have generally been declining, along with minimum guarantees for international sales. Despite earlier disappointments, we have seen that the digital marketplace (web, mobile, IPTV/vod, etc) has now become a source of real revenue, although requiring careful attention to suitable platforms, ’windowing’ and deal structuring.
Rights Stuff has spent the last decade dedicated particulary new media platforms , or traditional platforms expanding into new media dealings, as well as filmmakers/distributors/ content owners, helping them in content acquisition/licensing and maximising revenue streams. There are a wealth of opportunities arising from non-traditional/digital platform buyers and funding sources, outside the comfort zone of your usual buyers database .
Okay, granted there are the givens that help one stand out: talent, taste, connections, money, good looks — but what if it was a level playing field?
Are there things that you can put into practice that will help positively separate you from the pack of other hungry artists trying to cement a place for yourself in the field that you love? Since all of you have helped me with your conversation, appreciation, and general involvement, I wanted to do something that might aid you to get to where you want to go.
The following are some quick thoughts as to what things might quickly make others take notice of you, remember you, or give you some deserved respect. I am eager to hear other suggestions too. There are probably one hundred ideas like these, and I think it’s time we all started sharing.
- Know what you like. That is, know what you like beyond the stuff that you like just because you made it, or want to make it, or think you can make it. Understand what you appreciate and why you appreciate it. It is a lot of work to become articulate about creative endeavors, but those communication skills are prized and praised — and surprisingly rare. I am still waiting for someone to provide me with their alternative to my list 32 Qualities Of Better Film. Get to it!
- Know your story. That is, know not just the story you want to tell, or help tell, but know the story of you and how to tell it. In order to get work done, people need to want to work with you, and they need to explain to others why they should also want to work with you. Mastering your story or stories should be a goal. To keep your story evolving is one of the practices I recommend most.
- Be heavily engaged in social media. I know I sound a bit like a broken record on this point, but… We have not yet even seen the true impact of being part of a large, vibrant, and heavily engaged social media community will have on a work,
