Indie Filmmakers: Looking for Buyers?
Here are two articles written by Daniel Lafleche to help you
find buyers for your independent films.
ARTICLE ONE – “Looking for Film Buyers? 5 Steps to Secure
Distribution for Your Indie Film” by Daniel Lafleche
So, you have an indie film and you want to find
distribution.
Never have so many options for distribution been available;
never has it been so confusing to decide what is right for
you and your film. The industry is experiencing a
transitional moment; everyone knows online downloads are the
future, but nobody knows exactly how it will play out. As
well, distribution has gone online too, offering a plethora
of choices for the indie filmmaker and producer. What to do,
what to do.
This article is the first of a 5-part series that looks at
all of the avenues open to you as a filmmaker and
distributor. We’ll offer some tips on how to find your film
a home.
Regardless of your film’s ultimate destination, your goal is
to find a license buyer for your film. Who are film buyers?
We’re talking about broadcast TV (cable, satellite, and
terrestrial), home DVD companies, VOD service providers, and
mobile content providers.
Let’s start this series by examining the psychology of this
rare and overworked professional. Here are five things you
should know about Film Buyers and 5 tips for putting the
best face of your film forward.
1. Film Buyers want a ‘story’. This little bit of
terminology here might create some confusion. We’re not
talking about the plot of your film or the subject matter of
your documentary, but a story that will sell the film–on
paper. You should be doing everything in your power to
create that story. To do this, you have to distance yourself
from the film you know and love and ask yourself: What will
sell this film to somebody who does not know and love it the
way I do? The answer to this question is the ‘story’ you
will use to sell your film.
The most obviously valuable raw material for a sales story
is…star power. Film stars often fail to attract their
audience, but nothing makes film buyers feel more peaceful
than the presence of some known names in the mix. If you are
bereft of any bona fide name power, do not fear, you have
other options. Festival play and any press generated are
also incredibly important. You should be knocking yourself
out to find some kind of festival and press exposure for
your film. Even if it’s not a top festival or a top
publication, festival and press play will take your film
from having no story at all to having a first chapter. Hype
is over-hyped, but your film is going to look more valuable
to buyers if it has a story. If you can say, “This film
already had some exposure. This film has been reviewed. This
film has played at a festival. This film has a response.
This film has an online presence. This film has the
beginnings of an audience or a niche audience,” then you
have a story buyers will want to cuddle up with.
If you are looking for ideas you should check out the
industry trades. Look at how distributors market their
films, and figure out how to do this on a small scale. You
want your story to be a comfortable and familiar one. “But
my film is original, beautiful, heart-breaking, unique…and
my marketing must be the same,” you say. This brings us to
the next point…
2. Film Buyers think in dollars, not passion. When selling
your film, don’t rely on your own enthusiasm and passion to
make the sale. Again, channel your enthusiasm into a
narrative the film buyer can understand, a narrative about
how and why this film is going to attract people to it. Has
this genre of film had any recent notable successes? Does
your film intersect with any issues or topics that are
garnering attention? Save your passion for your filmmaking,
and focus your remaining energy into crafting a professional
marketing campaign and learning the highly efficient
language of film buyers.
3. Film buyers are overextended, have short attention spans,
and don’t want to waste time. Film buyers are professionals.
Hook them fast with a comprehensive one sheet (or sell
sheet). The circumstances in which you are pitching your
film are going to vary, but one thing that everybody will
need at some point is a one sheet as part of their
promotional package. Here is the crucial thing: your sheet
should be short and to the point. This sheet is a cliff
notes to the strongest features of your film. Do you have a
few positive reviews? Great, use them in the press kit, but
on the one sheet just use the best line from each one. Do
you have some seasoned talent? Stick their names on the one
sheet with 1 or 2 of their best-known films, but save full
biographies for later. Any film can create a ton of
paperwork, but nobody is going to go through it all. Don’t
bury the selling features of your film and assume buyers
will get to it. With that in mind, don’t assume a buyer will
watch a screener. Most buyers accumulate hundreds and
hundreds of screeners every year and many of these remain
unwatched. Save your screeners for buyer’s who show
interest, or even for buyers who you have a good feeling
about.
4. Film Buyers want to work in their comfort zone. To save
your time and your buyer’s time, you should always do
research beforehand, especially if you are making the first
move. Are you targeting a buyer that makes sense for your
film? Why do you think so? What else had this buyer/company
done that makes you think the company is right for your
film. Again, these points can be, if not part of your one
sheet, an introduction to the story of your film. You will
look professional and on the ball, you will stand out if it
seems like you have done the research and are personally
addressing a buyer’s specific skills, past successes and
proven strengths.
5. Film Buyers are freaked out. By and large film buyers are
a worried bunch, cowering in the ruins of the decimated
music industry and wondering if their business is going to
disappear out from under their feet. Film and music are
different animals, and the future of film in the era of
online exhibition is still not completely foretold, but the
mood is certainly wary. The film industry is in transition
and everyone is handling it in their own way, some better
than others. You’ll see conservative streaks, but also canny
entrepreneurs looking to exploit the changing terrain.
Overall, though, most buyers want to minimize advance
spending. This practice, in itself is not suspicious, but
for your own protection do your homework and make sure you
are dealing with a reputable company and a company that is
in a stable financial position.
ARTICLE TWO – “Indie Filmmakers Looking for Film Buyers: 5
Reasons Why It’s Never Too Early to Start Marketing” by
Daniel Lafleche
Making an independent film is a huge project, and
conventional wisdom has it that you: shoot your film, cut
your film and then, after that’s all done, you try to sell
your film. However, marketing your film should begin during
the production phase. But who has the time? That’s just it
you don’t.
So…find some people who do. Marketing is a priority, but
it should not be your priority. You need to beg, borrow and
trade favors to find a few key people who can stay on top of
your marketing needs while your film is in production.
Ideally, you want to make the entire production process a
marketing process too. Below are a list of five key things
you do not want to forget to do, or better yet, that you do
not want to forget to find someone else to do for you.
1. Find A Photographer
My own experience in film acquisitions has taught me that
even some high-level productions forget to finish production
with some great still photography and I cannot emphasize
enough how important this aspect will be down the road. You
will need photography for every aspect of you promotion and
you want it to be quality product. Basically, you need a
professional photographer, or somebody who shoots like a
professional. You do not need a photographer for the full
duration of your shoot, but you should ensure that you have
one for the most photogenic scenes. As well, you want to
make sure you have compelling photos of all your lead actors
in costume and in character. Brief your photographer on the
film’s story so they can help you tell it visually. Don’t
put off taking stills until the end and don’t assume that
it’s something you can go back to later ‘ you can’t. The
best shots are going to happen during your shoot, so make
sure you have somebody around who can capture them.
2. Build Your Film An Online Home
A stand-alone website for your film is crucial and the
overwhelming consensus is that you want to have something
simple and user friendly. Your website does not need a lot
of flash that makes it clunky to use. Your website, like
your film, is a work in progress, so begin with production
as your homepage, as you progress this will shift. By the
end of your process you will want your site to contain
simple access to at least the following: your film’s cast
and crew, still production photos, a poster, any news
coverage your film has generated (more on that later),
festival play, and most importantly, a trailer. The trailer
is really the money shot here, so don’t hide it: make your
trailer, or a link to your trailer, your film’s centerpiece.
And make sure it’s high quality. The payoffs for starting
early on this are invaluable. By the time you are submitting
for film festivals or looking for distribution, you will
have a site that reflects your film’s production history,
that already has an audience and that has all the bugs
worked out.
3. Meet The Local Press
Variety may not be interested in the fact that you are
embarking on an independent feature may, but it may be news
for publications in and around your location. Reach out to
the local press and see if you can get some coverage of your
production, talk up your location, why you chose it and what
you are doing. Give a local reporter or freelancer some time
with your cast. Once you’ve wrapped, you won’t be in the
position to be a local story ‘ take advantage of it while
you can.
4. Reach Out To Film Buyers
A number of independent distributors will not purchase an
unfinished film, but that does not mean that you should wait
until your film is finished to contact potential buyers. A
simple e-mail, with a link to the film’s website and a note
that screeners will be made available in the future is all
you need at the beginning. At this point, focus on the
distributors you would most like to work with, your dream
list. E-mail with a follow up phone call is the best way to
go. This period is low pressure for both the buyer and you,
so take it easy and treat it as a “getting to know you”
session. Once you have a completed project, the distribution
channels you like will at least know who you are.
5. Shoot Your Film / Create A Community
During the pre-production and production stage of making
your film, you are going to come into contact with a large
number of people. Each of these people will have an e-mail
address, and somebody should be tracking all of that
information; your film’s production creates its first
community, so take advantage of it. Take business cards form
everyone you come into contact with and get all the e-mail
addresses logged.
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Daniel Lafleche is the COO of IPEX TV, the leading
multiplatform B2B Film and Video online marketplace. Daniel
has over 25 years experience in film distribution, combining
film and video licensing with internet media. IPEX TV
specializes in helping indie producers and film and video
distributors take advantage of the web and reach out to
international film license buyers. You can learn more at
http://www.ipextv.tv
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Copyright (c) 2008 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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