Distribution questions

[Scottness]

Someone told me the other day that I should start approaching distributors now for my film - even though it won't be finished editing till the end of the year - because it takes ages to finalise deals and to set things up - so better to start now -- is that a good idea? - what does everyone think - I could cut together a trailer now of the film and show that while the rest is being edited --- and also who should I approach - can someone suggest names, contact details, web sites etc?

-And what happens if you get a deal - will they (generally) want to be the only one's selling the film - ie. could I still sell it off my web site -- and what about the packaging etc of the film do they take care of that and do whatever covers they want for the video box etc?

Thanks

Scot M www.mango-a-gogo.com

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[Matt Pacini]

Scott, good to hear from you again.

I will comment on what my experience was, but I'm sure there will be differing opinions, since everyone's situation could be a little different.

I would not suggest doing anything, until your film is finished, or at least, really, really close to being finished. Here's why:

Distribution deals don't take long, unless there's lots of back & forth negotiating.
But they aren't going to make you an offer until they see the complete film anyway, so that's not going to happen just from your trailer.
If you contact distributors, the first thing they're going to say is:

"Who's in it?"
"What was it shot on?"
"How long is it?"

And if they like what they hear, they are going to ask for a viewing copy.
No deals are going to happen until they see the completed film.

They will want worldwide distribution, which means they, and nobody else can legally sell your film, including yourself.

I would suggest creating a complete press kit, nice professional video box, a mini-poster, Bio's on you and your actors, other interesting stuff, any newspaper articles, synopsis, still photos from the shoot, etc. The whole pile of marketing stuff.
You are marketing to these people.

If they buy the film, they will probably do their own artwork, etc., but they do need to see all this stuff, because you want to give the best first impression possible, and you are competing with pro's who will have really slick marketing stuff.

Having said that, I didn't have all that.
I had Bio's, a pretty damn good video box, and a mini-poster, and a synopsis of the story.

I got most of my heat from my film being on ebay, but also from listing my film on Mandy.com
In fact, the distributor I am going with saw my film on Mandy.com, not on ebay.
There are other websites like that, but I can't remmeber who they are.

I went to some meetings in L.A., and made some good contacts, but none of them offered me a deal.

For those of you who are interested, it was the "Let's Do Lunch" thing.
You pay like $60 and have lunch (or breakfast) with different industry people each time.
Sometimes it's development exec's, sometimes it's producers, etc.,
They have it every two to three months.
Here's the contact if you want to get on their mailing list.
Do me a favor, and tell him I gave you the contact.
Contact: Paul Crocket, at [email protected]

Matt Pacini


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[Scott Spears]

I agree with Matt, wait until you have a near final cut. It could be a final picture cut with a temp score and sound effects. If you hit them now, they'll forget about you by the end of the year.

As to rights, sometimes the distributor will want world wide rights for a period of time, unsually 7 years or under. Never, never, never go for more especially a forever deal. Sometimes they will only want foriegn rights or domestic territories.

Regarding what distributors want to see:
- A finished film or close
- Professional PR stills (not behind the scenes, but shot of actors in scenes)

OPTIONAL STUFF
- A trailer is not a must, but can't hurt
- A simple poster, but again I've found this isn't necessary.
- Bio's, unless you've got a track record or your actors do, they don't care. If the actors do have some decent film credits then mention them

As Matt says:
<<If they buy the film, they will probably do their own artwork, etc., but they do need to see all this stuff, because you want to give the best first impression possible, and you are competing with pro's who will have really
slick marketing stuff.>>

It helps you think about your film as a marketable piece of product. We hate thinking about our works of art as "product", but remember we're in the film BUSINESS. Unless you're independently wealthy, you'd like to make some money off your movie.

NEVER send a screener of your movie without something super-imposed on the screen, either your production company name or at least time-code. Slimy distribs have been know to take good VHS screeners, dub them to Beta SP, start making dubs and sell your film in Sri Lanka and/or other countries without you having a clue unless you have some buddies living there. I talked to one filmmaker/mini-distributor who was in a hotel bar in some foreign country and saw a dubbed verion of his movie, which wasn't even finished yet (temp sound mix and score), on the TV. Some scum bucket had snagged a VHS screener and started selling it overseas.

Like Matt says, all distributors care about are:
Who's in it? Stars sell

How long is it? Try to get under 100 min. Thousands of copies cost money and the longer they are the more they cost.

What was it shot on? I'd be cagey and say film without mentioning Super-8, but don''t lie if they push. If your film looks like 16mm, then maybe they'll won't ask.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Scott

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[Scottness]

Hi Matt and Scott - thanks for your replies - yeah I was a bit surprised when this friend of mine said I should start approaching them now - and what you've both said confirms it for me too - I'll wait until I've got it finished -- it's good advice what you both said about what they look for etc too - I'll keep it all in mind for when I do start approaching them.

Thanks

Scot M

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[MovieStuff]

Hi, all!

Well, here is my experience on the whole distribution thing. For direct video releases of low budget movies with "no name" stars, the distributor will make the lion's share of profit on overseas sales and not domestic. I have worked on a few productions where the film makers worked a deal to get all the domestic rights (which basically funded the film) and the distributor made their money on the foreign release.

Now, in any event, I can not stress how important it is to have a separate music and effects mix IN THE CAN before approaching a distributor. Because foreign sales are so important to distributors, an M&E track is one of the first things they will ask about (unless it is assumed to exist).

The WORST thing is to sign a deal for distribution and then the phone rings requesting you to send your finished M&E track to some post house and you don't have one. Not only will you have to pay out of your own pocket to create one in a hurry, but the distributor may hold you liable for any losses due to the delay. I've seen this happen SO many times to neophyte directors that don't take this into consideration.

Just making it through editing isn't enough. The movie ain't finished until the fat lady foleys.

Roger

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Roger Evans
MovieStuff
http://www.afterimagephoto.tv/moviestuff.html