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Not For Friends and Family- 7 Things To Think About When You Are Ready To Sell Your Movie.

By Andrew Herwitz, Curator

So with the Tribeca Film Festival in full swing, thoughts turn naturally to how you should sell your film.

After many months of toil and heartache of working single mindedly on your film you now realize, it is pretty much done. Sure, you want to license more expensive music than you have now; you wish you could afford to keep on your editor for another month or so, and you can’t afford to blow it up to 35mm but basically, it is ready for someone else (unrelated to you and unrelated to the Film) to see it.
Background

The obvious outlets are Film Festivals; Sales Agents/Producers’ Reps; Distributors. While the roles of these distinct groups may be obvious to many, a little review may be useful nonetheless.

Film Festivals. In this country alone, there are hundreds of film festivals taking place annually. (For independent American films, generally speaking, big festivals outside of North America are probably not the best initial showcase for your film). Some are very well known and well publicized and have broad taste. In addition to The Sundance Film Festival, there are the Toronto Film Festival, The Seattle Film Festival. Others specialize in films with a certain unifying theme or concern, e.g. Outfest; Urban World; NY Human Rights Film Festival, or in certain types of films (e.g., documentary film festivals, horror film festivals). The internet can provide the details as to when each festival occurs and what the submission guidelines are, all of which will help you to determine which festival(s) is right for your film. Remember the more prestigious the festival the less likely it is that the festival will be willing to accept your film UNLESS it is a world premiere or at least a premiere in the country where the festival is located.

Assuming your film does not yet have distribution, then the festival may well be the first place potential buyers will see your film. So while it is great to have terrific audience attendance at the festival, if your goal is sales, you need to focus on getting the buyers to your screening. That is the job of the sales agent.

Sales Agents/Producer’s Reps. These industry professionals serve many purposes, first and foremost of which are arranging for potential buyers to see your film, (either at a festival or elsewhere) preparing them for what they will see (i.e., pitching the film), and advising you throughout the process to help you find the best home and get the best deal for your film.

Distributors –There are many types of distributors: I.Studios or studio based theatrical distributors (e.g . 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight, Paramount and Paramount Classics, etc) , II. Independent distributors (e.g. Lions Gate, Thinkfilm), III. Broadcasters (e.g. HBO, Sundance Channel), IV. DVD/Video Buyers (e.g. D.E.J –which buys for Blockbuster to distribute directly in its stores, Netflix, Ventura) Generally speaking the companies in category 1 and 2 buy all rights, meaning theatrical, dvd/video, and television; and often, particularly those in category 1 buy some or all foreign territories. It is unlikely that the companies in the first category will buy the film if all of these rights are not available. It is important to find the right home for your film among these options. Given the expense of theatrically releasing a film, and the short time most films have a chance to play on a screen before being bumped off by the next week’s release, theatrical release is not always the best commercial alternative. It is important to be a fierce advocate for your film, of course; it is equally important to be realistic about what is best for your film, your bank account and your career.

1. Be prepared for rejection- be steady and focused but also try to listen and learn in the process.
Success in Hollywood/IndieWood/Bollywood etc. is comprised of many components. Talent, Charm, Originality, Connections, and, of course, Persistence. Success is to some degree, a war of attrition. Just because one person does not care for your film, does not mean no one will like it. Having said that, if you do start hearing the same sort of response, over and over again, you should try to think about it. Often it may mean more work needs to be done on the film. Sometimes it indicates that you are reaching out to the wrong kind of audience or buyer.

2. Find a sales agent/producer’s rep or someone with experience to guide you in festival submissions.
Getting accurate information as to what festivals really serve as market places and which are strictly more audience oriented festivals is important. Working with someone who may have relationships with programmers at a particular festival can certainly help to ensure that your film will be viewed in the most favorable light by the selection committee.

3.Don’t randomly send out your film to distributors.
If you are planning to premiere your film at a festival, there is no reason to send it to distributors before. If your film will be premiered in some other way (at a film market or via a distributor’s screening (an invited screening at which distributors are invited), then have a consistent view as to how you want your film screened. Just sending a tape blindly to an executive at a company will almost assure that it will land in the garbage. If you do decide to send out tapes of the film either after the initial festival screening or in lieu of a festival screening, make sure the person you are sending it to is expecting it and has expressed some modicum of interest in seeing it.

4. The Quality of the Film Is What Matters Most
Don’t waste money on packaging, press kits and useless quotes from people who are not known in the industry at the submission stage. Unless you have something really important to say, less is more. Distributors will not really pay attention to these added materials. Of course good reviews, if any, should be highlighted, as should any meaningful cast attached.

5. Bogus Comparisons are Bogus.
Unwarranted comparisons to successful films do not help either. The number of films that are just like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” are far fewer than anxious producers and directors would have you believe.

6. Your Time Frame Does Not Govern
The people evaluating your film for festival inclusion or distribution are generally busy and will not watch your film or respond to you on the schedule you would like. If there is about to be a sale to someone else or another festival is pressuring you for an answer, convey that. If you want to exert some control over the process you can conjure a competitive situation but if your ruse is discovered you will lose all credibility.

7. Always be prepared with your next project.
When you do get a meeting with an executive at a film company about your current film, always be prepared to talk about your next film. Face to face time is so hard to get that be prepared to make the most of the opportunity.

Good luck.

Posted on 04/27/07 by: FilmCatcher 06:25 PM

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