17. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere
18. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere Advance $0 - $15,000 avg Percentage of revenues 30% - 60% after expenses
19. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere Advance $0 - $15,000 avg Percentage of revenues 30% - 60% after expenses They sell to audience Hopefully
20. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere Advance $0 - $15,000 avg Percentage of revenues 30% - 60% after expenses They sell to audience Hopefully Who pays for the film If theaters book it or buyers buy
21. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere Advance $0 - $15,000 avg Percentage of revenues 30% - 60% after expenses They sell to audience Hopefully Who pays for the film If theaters book it or buyers buy $ to distributor But, marketing, P&A, staffing, cross-collateralization, fees, delivery
22. Old World $ Play festival Maybe Sell to distributor/broadcaster(s) Maybe – forever, everywhere Advance $0 - $15,000 avg Percentage of revenues 30% - 60% after expenses They sell to audience Hopefully Who pays for the film If theaters book it or buyers buy $ to distributor But, marketing, P&A, staffing, cross-collateralization, fees, delivery $0 to filmakers $0 to investors No one is happy...and you don’t even own your film anymore
26. New World/Hybrid $ “ New World or Hybrid Distribution combines direct sales by filmmakers with distribution by third parties (e.g. DVD distributors, TV channels, VOD companies, educational distributors)” Peter Broderick
27. New World/Hybrid $ You own rights Split rights Partner for exploitation You keep more $
28. New World/Hybrid $ You own rights Split rights Partner for exploitation You keep more $ ......(in theory)
29. Rights & Terms Theatrical Non-theatrical Educational Ancillary Home Video Broadcast Online VOD (rental), EST (purchase) Piracy/Peer to Peer Foreign Mobile Event/alternatives MG Minimum Guarantee/Advance Exclusivity/Non Term Territories/markets Cross-collateralization Marketing/ P&A Commitments Windows Day and Date
30. Audience Development From Jon Reiss: Think Outside the Box Office Your film Your needs New Rights Scheme: Your audience Live event/Theatrical Your resources Merchandise Create a strategy Digital Build your team - PMD Start before finished - the new 50/50 Build core audience Social Media Transmedia
31. Make Your Own Model - evaluate your Plan A vs. other Plan B(s)
32. Engage 101: Audience Building & Distribution & Distribution & Distribution Part Two: Fundraising, Quality & Localism and Other Truths
37. Fundraising 101 Foundations Nonprofit Partnerships Production for nonprofits Fiscal sponsorship Fiscal sponsorship - through crowd-funding Production as a nonprofit - Need other components/activities Must form board, etc.
47. Fundraising 101 Foundations Nonprofit Partnerships Corporate Individual Donors Investment Tax Incentives/Rebates/Credits Sales Reality of US Marketplace (as discussed) Foreign sales (esp. pre-sales) have dried up Aggregators To Consumers Importance of pre-sales What else can be sold (merchandise, events, etc.)
48. Fundraising 101 Foundations Nonprofit Partnerships Corporate Individual Donors Investment Tax Incentives/Rebates/Credits Sales Keep Budgets Low Raise Enough to Distribute and Market Your Project
And lately this change, coupled with the decline in advertising, has decimated the print industry.
And now this is hitting film
what this all comes down to, is whether because of content increasingly being free through ad support, piracy or the fact that consumers show up less, no one is able to make money
Let’s analyze the old world model where everyone paid. Now I know there are exceptions, and this will simplify things, but for most producers, I think the following will ring true.
After finishing your film - you play a film festival, hopefully a famous one
Sorry folks, but this was always a myth.
A quick note, btw, but foreign sales have been drying up as well
this is nothing new, for most of us, we can just communicate better and share info and learn about the changes.
and a quick word about traditional distribution - everyone likes to bemoan distributors and middle-men, but they aren’t always ripping you off. In fact, there are some honest ones out there and you can generally check around a get a sense of who is good and bad. Taking a film to market remains an extraordinarily complicated game, and it’s expensive to do it right and they aren’t in business to further your career, but to make money. (well, good ones like you to have a career, but you get the point). They are also facing a very crowded marketplace and the simple reality that while everyone in this room thinks you are making a great film, most of you are making crap. Or at best, films that aren’t ready for the marketplace. So this isn’t a bash the distributor panel, but rather a - given the fact that you won’t likely get a distributor, and if you do, current realities mean that the MG will be low (if anything) - what are your other options panel.
So what are the rights you can split up? Here’s most of them, as well as some terms you should think about when negotiating. These aren’t everything to think about, use a lawyer, but it’s a start. Explain terms
Explain Jon Reiss’ book and model
Make your own model
Keep budgets low 250-500K max; raise enough to distribute and market
Importance of quality
You are facing a lot of competition
Still comes down to the story - the script has to be perfect
Peter Dekom - There are four elements - Ride (Hollywood); Moments (that are shared, think youtube); Character (the characters) Story - indies can own the moments and story and possibly character
Your script might be great, your idea solid, but if you aren’t presenting it professionally to funders, agents, partners, sponsors and others, you are screwed Tell story of presentation quality (poor) from Atl producers while I was at Rockefeller
Usual problem is projects haven’t been properly planned, well in advance
Example of Iron Sky, which will come up later - they’ve planned long-term, are building audience early and presenting themselves professionally
Biggest trend now in online, and in life generally, is the importance of place. Localism, locavorism, etc. Atlanta not different than NYC. Can build on the sense of real-world community, but need to work together, not in-fighting
atl can be just as good as austin
Biggest trend now in online, and in life generally, is the importance of place. Localism, locavorism, etc. Atlanta not different than NYC. Can build on the sense of real-world community, but need to work together, not in-fighting