American Film Market Dailies

The 2013 American Film Market (AFM^®) presented its final two sessions from the five day conference series focusing on distribution.  The Distribution Conference featured two sessions focused on Video on Demand 2014 and Limited & Specialty Releases.  

The first session, Video on Demand 2014, discussed the different VOD models and what it takes to succeed in this market. Moderated by Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Founder, Priority Digital Media.  Panelists included Andy Bohn, Co-Founder & Partner, The Film Arcade, Kyle Kaczmarek, Co-Founder, Kaczmarek Digital Media Group, Lise Romanoff, Managing Director & CEO Worldwide Distribution, Vision Films, David White, Founder & CEO, IndieReign, and Richard Wellerstein, VP, Content Acquisition, Programming & Planning, AT&T.

The second session, Limited & Specialty Releases, focused on crowdfunding, budgets, attracting actors and making films more marketable. Moderated by Andrew Stewart, Entertainment Journalist, Variety. Panelists included Matt Brodlie, Head of US Distribution & Acquisitions, Exclusive Media, Jon Gerrans, Co-Founder & Co-President, Strand Releasing, Susan Jackson, Co-Founder & Co-President, Freestyle Releasing, LLC, and Tristen Tuckfield, VP of Acquisitions, Millennium Entertainment

Key quotes from the Video on Demand 2014 session:

Lise Romanoff on the ‘Do It Yourself Model’:

“You need a very firm marketing plan and release plan, just like a studio would have with a feature film.”

Andy Bohn on Lessons Learned:

“In a world where you have access to tons and tons of connect at your fingertip, I think the desire to actually own films has decreased.”

Key quotes from the Limited & Specialty Releases session:

Susan Jackson on how the market place has changed:

“The cost of getting the titles out there is significantly less and less, we’ve come up with cost effective ways to reach the audience.”

Tristen Tuckfield on attributes to look for in films:

 “Cast always helps across the board. We’re very cast driven and cast focused and the genres that are lower risk genres like thrillers or actions or comedies. I think dramas are becoming increasingly more difficult to sell. For a drama to really work in the market place, you need to have the box office behind it.”

Tristen Tuckfield on the role of twitter and social media:

“Twitter is huge, having some kind of marketable element, no matter how loud you are, you still need a marketable element to really get behind you and your film.  Sometimes it’s someone with a huge following who can reach out to a fan base.”

Matt Brodlie on attributes to look for in films:

 “People may say ‘my films for everyone, everyone will like it,’ but it’s not. Be realistic in what audience you’re going for.”

Today was also the last day of the 2013 AFM Producer’s Forum which kicked off with a packed crowd at The Role of Today’s Film Producer session featuring Aaron Ryder, President of Production, FilmNation. Below please find  a few key: 

On Ryder’s definition of a producer:
 “There are four parts of being a producer, in my opinion: the first is finding and developing the material, the second is the packaging, meaning the directors, the actors… The third is financing and the fourth is overseeing these three things until the release of the movie.”

On the impact of cable television on the film industry:
 “Television has saved the industry. It brings a different speed, a different stamina… the quality of TV shows will make us better filmmakers. Cable television takes more risks, more emphasis on writing… it has pushed the bar higher and has become so incredibly popular.”

On the rapid changes in the industry:

“Out of change comes chaos, out of chaos comes opportunity, out of opportunity comes luck.”

The second session focused on Protecting Your Rights: The Producer’s Guide to Distribution Contracts and Chain of Title featuring  Alissa Miller, Counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.  A few key tips Ms. Miller gave during her session included:

Regarding Distribution:

·         “You need a period of 6-9 months to sell the rights and to get them all sold.”

·         “You need an antiquate amount of time to sell all the rights before production

Regarding Documentation & registering:

·         “Order a copy right report and a title search report. A copy right report will show everything that’s ever been registered with the title that you’re looking for.”

·         “Register your copy rights, as soon as possible especially when you have a lot of material.”

Today’s third Producers Forum session: Working with Sales Agents, featured Clay Epstein, SVP Sales & Acquisitions, Arclight Films. The session focused on the current state of the film market, casting, and risk management among other topics.  Below please find a few key quotes from the session:

On the Impact and importance of marketplace research:

“The marketplace is going to dictate where your movie is going to end up. Listening to the market is very important. It requires true research development.”

On risk management and enticing sales agents:

“The independent world is all about risk management—reducing the risk at all costs. The film must be execution dependent.   Presentation is key, it  must contain stars, directors, writers, etc. with built-in value.”

On the state of the current market:

“The business hasn’t gotten bad, the business has gotten selective.”

The final 2013 AFM Prodcuers Forum session: The Craft of Ultra Low Budget Filmmaking, featured Suzanne Lyons, Producer, Snowfall Films. Suzanne provided producers in attendance her “13 Tips to Getting Investors.” She touched upon networking, sales presentations, incentives, among several other key topics. She entertained the crowd through stories connecting her tips through life lessons. Please see the attached document for further information from Suzanne’s seminar.