What Happens At AFM Anyway?

AFM starts this week so I thought I’d answer
The question I’ve been getting for the last month -
What really happens at AFM anyway?

Well first off, AFM stands for the American Film Market and
will be held from Nov.1-10 in Santa Monica,
California at the Loewe's Hotel. (right on the beach, yeah!)

The basic gist is that distribution companies of all shapes
and sizes will be present to sell their slate of films to
Theatrical, DVD, and Broadcast buyers from all over the world.

The most common set-up is that a distribution company will
have a 'suite', which is actually just a converted hotel room,
and will take meetings with buyers there. Normally distributors
will arrange meeting appointments with buyers weeks in
advance of the actual market, and will line them up every
hour on the hour for 10 solid days.

During a meeting, the distributor will schmooze the buyer
a bit, and eventually get down to business and tell what's
new on their slate, and screen some trailers to get the buyer
jazzed about the films.

Sometimes, if a buyer is really keen on something, they will
buy a film for their territory on the spot, therefore taking
it off the market for competing buyers in their territory.

Other times, they will take a one sheet of the film with them
and ask the distributor to send a full screening of the film
after the market, so they can watch the whole thing and
decide if they want to buy it.

And that's how a distribution deal takes place -- a buyer
visits the seller's suite, checks out the line-up, and
decides which films will work for their market. Sometimes
buyers will buy several films at a time from a single
distributor - this is known as a package deal.

So that's it in a nutshell!

Hopefully some of you will be able to make it out to AFM
next week to see what it's all about - even if you just hang
out in the Loewe's lobby for the afternoon (where TONS of
filmmakers and distributors mingle)you'll get a real insight
into what film markets are about - you'll get a glimpse
of what sells, and how things sell, and it may inspire you
in your own endeavors.

Good luck to anyone who has a film selling at AFM -- I hope
you rack up lots of distribution deals!