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.

2008 - The Summer Of Music

Well, the summer is officially over. And it seems this was a summer of music for me. I've never been to so many great concerts in one short time span. Part of it was due to having some disposible income. Another part of it was that there were so many great bands that came to Los Angeles this summer.

This summer, I saw:
The Dresden Dolls, The Police, Elvis Costello, Black Kids, Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, George Michael, Yaz, Janet Jackson, and Goldfrapp

There are also so many more I want to see in the coming months, including Stars, Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Sigur Ros, James, David Byrne, Duffy, Antony and the Johnsons, etc. There's just too many good acts and not enough time and money to see them all.

Music and film are inexoribly linked together. As a filmmaker and watcher, I find that film is an art form that is truly multidisciplinary. It brings together painting, music, writing, and several other art forms all into one experience for the audience. I think that's part of the reason why it holds such a fascination for me. It can truly transport the audience to another time, another world, or another dimension.

There are a lot of great music acts out there that are surpassing the traditional path of establishing an audience. With Youtube and Myspace and Facebook, a band can create a community of fans, without having to deal with the antiquated methods of the record industry. It's never been easier to discover new music. I have easily spent hours upon hours exploring the internet, watching videos and listening to new music. I rarely listen to the radio anymore. Who needs to when I have 30 gigbytes of music on my ipod?

One of these days, I'd love to explore my dual fascinations of music and film. Perhaps one day I'll make a music documentary or music video.

Distribution News

Well, I had to take down one of my short films due to a pending distribution agreement. I can't talk too much about it. But I will definitely post more info when it is available.

AFM - Quick Update

If you would like more info about attending the AFM, go here.

What to do at the American Film Market

Judging from some of the searches leading into this blog, there are quite a few of you interested in the American Film Market, aka AFM. Probably because it is in Santa Monica, it will be the first film market for a lot of independent film makers. Most of them don't have to travel far so they don't have to worry about arranging travel and lodging for the market. And for those who do, it's a whole lot cheaper than finding a place in Cannes, where you can easily spend $5,000-$10,000 for a room for the week. There are a lot of cheaper alternatives in Cannes, but we can go into that later in another post.

I've been going to AFM in one way or another for about 7 years now. I missed the whole boobies and blood era of the market, when it was all about Z-grade horror films and erotic films from around the world. Nowadays, there is still a lot of that, but there are also films of all types, including family films, comedies, and theatrical level movies.

So what is an independent filmmaker supposed to do at AFM? Is it worth paying all of that money for a pass? Should you even go at all? And, of course, the answer to all of this is "It depends."

In an ideal world, you would already have an international distributor lined up to represent your film. You'd have ads in all of the trades, and maybe even a banner in the atrium. (As a side note, I personally think they're overpriced and worthless, since they are blocked by the trees and no one looks at them. But that's just my personal opinion.) Then you could go around the market, meeting other distributors and producers, talking up your next film and securing financing for your next slate of films. It can happen.

Most likely, you won't have that luxury. You might not have a clue about any of the distributors or how to go about getting one. Well, here's what you gotta do. The lead in time for the market is one to two months. If you want to go in prepared, you have to do your homework. You can go on the AFM website and look at the list of exhibitors. At first it may seem daunting. There are thousands of companies on there and no information about them. But there are two indispensable tools at your service. The first is google.com. In this day and age, it shouldn't be too difficult to find the website for almost any distributor. The second is the Hollywood Creative Directory's Distribution Directory. It's a must-have for any independent filmmaker. You can either buy it at the bookstore or get it online at www.hcdonline.com.

Once you have found your top ten or twenty or thirty distributors, start dialing. Call the person in aquisitions and ask to speak to them. Tell them about your movie and ask if they'd be interested in seeing your movie. If you're lucky, one of them will like your film enough to want to buy it before the market and present it at AFM. If you have a distributor at the market, they will usually have a guest pass they can loan you for the day, so you don't have to shell out the money for those overpriced badges.

If you're not lucky, then you need to plan on getting a badge and setting up meetings at the market. I'm in favor of the targeted strike as opposed to carpet bombing. If you do your research and set up your meetings ahead of time, you could probably get away with a one day pass. If the acquisitions people all have your screener already, all you need is to set up face to face meetings ahead of time. And you'll only need a one day badge. If you have the money, you can buy a full market badge. I'm not sure the half market badge is worth it, since you only get to attend the second half of the market, when people have already spent all their money, excitement and energy.

Another helpful tip for international filmmakers. Check whether your film commission will be attending the market. It might be useful to meet with them at the market. And they can probably offer you further advice as a filmmaker as well. Some may be more helpful than others, but it never hurts to contact them.

You will need to bring DVD's of your film and a one page information sheet about your film. Put your contact info on everything! Everything! In the rush of a market, flyers get lost, dvd's get lost. The important thing is that they know how to reach you. For more info on what to put in your materials, see my post "10 Tips For Independent Filmmakers Seeking Distribution."

Overall, my advice is to be professional. This is a business environment. Wear a suit or business attire at all times. That way, you will stand out from all of the other filmmakers out there trying to get distribution. If you are going to be asking someone for money or to represent your film, you want to look your best. Don't waste your money on trinkets and giveaways. Save that stuff for the film festivals. And unless you have a star in your movie, leave your actors at home. Good luck and remember to have fun!