Post MIPCOM, Pre-AFM

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." - Charles Dickens

Things are so crazy right now finishing up from all of my MIPCOM follow up and getting ready for AFM next week. However, I just wanted to talk real quickly about something that was the talk of MIPCOM: the global financial crisis and its effect on the international film business.

Everyone that I talked to at the market was wondering aloud about the global financial crisis and how that would effect our business. And the conclusion is that there are both good and bad aspects of what is happening internationally. Firstly, there is less cash around for some of the smaller companies and distributors, who seemed to be less of a presence at the market. But all of the major buyers, broadcasters and distributors were still out in force and buying. But I think that the downtown in the economy is mitigated by one thing: the writer's strike.

The writer's strike kept the studios from producing as many movies and TV shows as they would normally. That meant that the appetite from some of the broadcasters was greater due to a lack of studio product to fill their pipeline.

However, the further implications of the financial crisis has yet to be seen. Plus, there is the anxiety over the negotiations for the SAG contract. At one point, a strike seemed imminent and studios halted production. But with the recent increase in production, it seems that the studios seem to believe that there will be a resolution to the SAG conflict in the near future. But only time will tell.

Looking forward to the AFM market next week, things seem a little quieter than in years past. I think it may be due to several things:

1. A lot of the US minimajors have gone away. Warner Independent, Picturehouse, New Line are all going away or are already gone. On top of that, the recent exodus of executives at the Weinstein Company will most likely mean their acquisition appetite may be diminishing as well.

2. Back in 2000-2001 when I first started going to AFM, there were still plenty of bigger budgeted completed pictures that were available. A lot of these films were financed by big film funds from European countries. Unfortunately, one too many risky investments didn't pay off and these funds wound up drying out as a source of investment. (There are also other reasons for this as well that I don't have the time to go into.)

3. It could also be a simple perception issue due to the fact that AFM is now more spread out. It is no longer just in the Loews but has spread over to Le Merigot as well. And with the addition of screening rooms in Le Merigot and the Fairmont as well, buyers are more spread out than ever.

4. Timing: AFM used to be in February between MIPCOM and MIFED in the Fall and Cannes in the Spring. But people complained about the proximity to Sundance and Berlin so they moved it to November.

5. Communication: It used to be a lot more difficult to connect with and talk to distributors from around the world. With the spread of email, video conferencing and digital online screening rooms, it's easier than ever to get someone to buy your product without ever having met face to face. For a lot of the smaller distributors, it could be a cost cutting measure to not have to travel halfway across the world for a film market.

Either way, we'll be fine. We have a steady flow of product and big pockets. It's some of the smaller companies out there that may have to scramble harder to stay afloat in this new world economy.

Coffee to your door

So the news can finally be announced! My short film Coffee is going to be released as part of the short film compilation First Out 3 from Alluvial Filmworks. The street date for the DVD is January 6th and should be available from most major retailers including Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster, Virgin Megastore, etc.

I'm pretty excited as this is a first for me. It's been a long and interesting journey that began with a short film script I wrote while in a screenwriting class at UCSB. Then back in 2003 after turning 30, I decided to get off my ass and finally start making short films. I had always wanted to make this short script into a film. After a year of editing and post-production, the short film made its premiere at the 2004 Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Then I spent another two years going to various film festivals.

At the time, the options for distribution on short films was severely limited. I had several offers from fly-by-night, start-up internet companies that wanted to take my film for free and put it up on the internet. I was always wary of these deals and waited for the right opportunity. Now I am glad I turned those offers down. So I guess the lesson is to take your time in evaluating offers, vet the company making the offer and don't sign with any company that you don't feel comfortable with.

Click here to pre-order the film on Amazon.com.

Now I guess it's time to get off my ass again and make another short film or two.

When is enough enough?

"Art is never finished, only abandoned" - Leonardo da Vinci

As we get ready for MIPCOM and AFM, I cannot help but think about deadlines and the nature of this business and art in general.

When I was making my short films, it was easy to keep editing and re-editing. Unfortunately, the law of diminishing returns means that you get less and less of a benefit the more you tinker with a film. At a certain point, you need to say to yourself, this is probably the best it is going to get. There will always be those problem children, the scene that doesn't feel quite right or the awkward edit. Eventually you have to learn to look over those small little details and look at the bigger picture. There are tons of little goofs and mistakes in most films. Heck, imdb.com has a whole section devoted to mistakes in movies. Some of my favorite ones:

1. Star Wars: Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When C-3PO and R2-D2 are in the control room of the Death Star, as the storm troopers get the door open and go storming in one of the storm troopers hits their head on the door. This goof was highlighted in the remastered version with a comedy "donk" sound effect.

2. My favorite movie Harold And Maude: Crew or equipment visible: When Maude pulls the banjo out of a cabinet, you see the reflection of crew and lights.

3. There's even a whole debate about the bandage on Ving Rhames' neck in Pulp Fiction.

But the point of this post isn't about pointing out goofs in films. The point is that you eventually have to stop tinkering and get on with things. The same can be said of scripts as well. You can tinker and tinker away at a script until it doesn't resemble the original script. And usually, by that point, the thing that made the script interesting in the first place is gone. It's a delicate dance to know when something is done enough to start showing it to people. Show it too early and you've made a bad impression. Take too long and you've lost all your original passion and excitement over your project.

I know there are a lot of writers out there that have been tinkering with their scripts, changing a page here or there but never getting anywhere. When you are lost like that, it may be a good idea to step back and try and take an objective look at the script.

There's also the story of Wong Kar Wei, who was supposedly in the middle of a long drawn out editing process on his film Ashes of Time. It was dragging on so long that he decided to go out and make a simple and quick movie in order to clear his mind and rediscover his passion for filmmaking. The film was Chungking Express. He shot it in 23 days and it wound up being the film that was his big break on the international film circuit.

Ultimately, I guess my point is to be careful of being too much of a perfectionist. Your script will never be 100% perfect. Your film will never be 100% perfect either. Films are messy things. And it's those little imperfections that make films so interesting and intriguing. So get it as good as you possibly can and then move on to the next project.