Digital Production Buzz Interview

I was interviewed live tonight on the 100th Anniversary show of the Digital Production Buzz. Great fun in the studio with the guys...we even celebrated with Champagne!

Here's the link to the show, I thought you all would enjoy listening to the pod cast:

http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/Archives/ShowNotes.php?date=2007-01-25

And speaking of interviews...I forgot to mention that one of the meetings I had last week at NATPE in Vegas was with the head of marketing for Customflix. She agreed to let me interview her for our next Distribution Talks teleconference,
and let us pick her brains on the secrets to succeeding in self-distribution through Customflix. She told me some amazing success stories of a few filmmakers who sold tens of thousands of units in the less than six months, and how they did it. Stay tuned for date and time!

And in other news....the new membership site I promised you *Film Specific* is under the last phase of construction - I'm just working on uploading all the copy and doing all the final tweaks....so get ready for the big unveiling hopefully in the next few weeks. I'm still taking all suggestions under consideration, so if you have any thoughts on types of content you want, please let me know.

Finally, I've been getting a lot of requests lately not only to do business plans, but to do distribution plans - meaning,some filmmakers want me to read their script or listen to their concept, and write up an analysis of what their options are, and give my recommendations in order to position their film better for future distribution.

If you would be interested in this service, just let me know.We can work out a customized consulting package for you.

Thanks for all of you who wrote in with their Sundance
insights....very interesting to hear that not even the panels are geared towards real independents....

And let me know what you think of the Digital Production Buzz
pod cast!

Regards,
Stacey*
PS: Want to learn about self-distribution yourself? Check
out my Self Distribution Starter Kit at
http://www.selfdistributeyourfilm.com

Paramount Launches International Distribution

This past week Paramount Studios announced that it would launch it's own foreign distribution entity called Paramount Pictures International (PPI). Paramount formally used a third party distributor for all of their international releases...until they finally realized that most of the real
growth they can rely on in their theatrical division has to do with foreign distribution.

Now that foreign distribution means more than ever to the Studio's bottom line, PPI will start getting involved even BEFORE distribution happens...meaning Paramount development executives would approach PPI during development, and use their input on what would succeed in the various foreign territories BEFORE deciding what projects to take on and who to cast.

This was such a revelation to me because I've always been a proponent of figuring out what works with the distributors first, and THEN deciding the film you're going to make. It's called 'working backwards'...and if it's distribution you're after for your finished product, then you should be thinking about it from the very beginning of project development.

This goes for when you're making a business plan for your movie as well -- you gotta do your homework in advance on what projected revenues could be in international territories before you can present to investors and ask for their money. You have to prove to your investors that you've actually thought through how you will pay them back via sales and distribution.

So don't be caught unprepared!

If you're thinking of doing a business plan for your film, and would like a partner who knows the value of foreign sales revenues, then check out my Film Financing Secrets consulting package here:

http://www.film-financing-secrets.com/index1.html

We could work together to make a rock-solid plan for your film so when the investors start asking how they're going to be paid back over time, you can show them in cold hard numbers.

That's all for now.....oh, and I can't help but wondering if now that Paramount (and the other studios) are forced to work backwards from foreign distribution, does that mean the releases we'll start seeing from them will not be the same old U.S-centric fare we've become accustomed to? Will studio films become more 'international-ized'? Any thoughts on this?

Regards,
Stacey*
PS: If you haven't heard already, I'm putting on a series of Distribution Labs this year. If you'd like to work one-on-one with me in a small workshop setting,check it out here and let me know if you're interested....or if you're in a city that's not listed and would be interested, let me know:
http://www.filmdistributionlabs.com

NATPE Oberservations

Oh Lord, is it a sad state of affairs for indie films here
at NATPE!

I walked around the sales floor today and noticed all the small sales companies trying to sell packages of low budget indies to various domestic and international broadcasters and it just seems like they're selling them by the pound...

I just kept thinking - with the tools we have at our disposal these days, it's gotta be a better idea to build the profile of your film via self-distribution and grass-roots buzz before taking it to the market.

If you can build the profile of your film through self-
distribution channels, you will have a much better shot at selling your film as a premium property, rather than just as by the pound.

Just look at what Robert Greenwald does with his films via House Parties and email campaigns....even just doing that raises his film's profile....and immediately raises the value of his film to the marketplace.

What does that mean exactly? It means he'll have broadcasters coming to HIM, instead of him chasing broadcasters...and it means they'll actually pay him a decent licensing fee rather than his film being unloaded for a few thousand bucks by some sales company in a 'package deal'.

In other news....

Sundance is gearing up to start and I can't help noticing all the hoopla surrounding the pod casts, video casts, iTunes downloads and all the rest that's going to be taking place for Sundance films, panels, and other happenings.

Even Sundance is fully harnessing the power of the internet to build buzz for all their films now...what a powerful tool.I can't wait to see if that means more distribution for all the films involved....because we all know that only a small percentage of the films at Sundance actually get distribution
deals.

So where does that leave the rest of us? If only a small percentage of films get into Sundance in the first place, and of those films only a small percentage get distribution deals, then the rest of us have to figure out how to get around the system and make it on our own.

Which is fine....that's what we're expecting to do anyway...and once again, thankfully we now have the tools at our disposal to go it on our own.

That's all for now...any thoughts?

Regards,
Stacey*
PS: Self Distribution Starter Kit can kick-start your
distribution strategy....check it out here at:
www.selfdistributeyourfilm.com or

PPS: Someone asked me if Insiders Guide To Film Distribution
is still available...answer is YES...you can get it here at:
www.film-distribution-secrets.com

Sundance And NATPE Tips

This week there are two big gatherings of interest to
independent filmmakers everywhere.

The first is Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and the second is the NATPE Broadcast Convention in Las Vegas.Personally, I will be heading to NATPE in Vegas, and will be keeping an eye our for what types of independent films are getting bought by broadcasters. I'll report back afterwards of course!

In the mean time, if any of you out there are heading to either of these events, here's some tips to keep in mind so you can make the best of your experience there:

1. If you're going to Sundance, try and go to some screenings so that you can see all the hullabaloo that takes place before and after screenings with distributors and sales agents in the room. Take notes on which distributors you see scouting the film, maybe take a note of their name (visible on their
badge hopefully) - if you know they're interested in a particular type of film (like the screening you're at), and you have something along the same lines, you can always try contacting them after the festival about submitting your film for consideration.

2. If you're going to NATPE, if you can get a day-badge, great.It's pretty expensive even for a day badge to get on the sales floor, but I know they have a cheap student rate of less than $200. If you manage to get on the sales floor, what you'll see are the big networks selling all their series to international
and local buyers, as well as small, medium, and large sales companies selling independent films and television programs and pilot ideas. Remember, these companies all pay a tremendous amount of money to be there and they are there for one thing only - to SELL. So don't go door to door bothering them. What
I would do is walk around and take notes on what companies are selling what types of products, and make it a point to get in touch with them AFTER the market to submit your films and ideas. If you happen to be there on Wednesday or Thursday,things should be a little slower then the first two days of
the market so you may get lucky and get to talk to some
companies while their standing their at their booth. If you get that opportunity, feel free to pitch your film or TV program then, and try and get their cards so you can follow up after the market. Don't worry about carrying around screeners of your film, as they won't want to take anything while they're there. Better to send everything after the market is over.

3. Whether you're going to Sundance or NATPE, try to get your hands on an attendee list or buyers list. This is an incredible resource and is often worth the price of registration itself.This is your ticket to email all these people AFTER the event and pitch your film to them. Remember, when contacting any of these people by email, send a short polite note with a link
to your trailer. They will watch it and let you know if they would like to see a full screener of your film.

4. If you're at NATPE and you don't have a badge to get on to the sales floor, there's at least a central bar/cafe area in the lobby of the Mandalay Bay Hotel (where the event takes place) where many buyers and sellers mill about. Hang out there and observe what's going on, and by all means try to network if the opportunity arises.

5. If you're going to Sundance and you can't get into any screenings or big parties, hang out in the bars and
restaurants in the evenings, as there are always impromptu gatherings going on and you can network till your heart's content. You can also network just walking up and down the street for that matter!

Any way you slice it at either of these events, there's a lot to be learned just by being present....so if nothing else,you'll have a tremendous learning experience by just being there and watching the buying and selling process of indie films and TV programs. It will also give you insight into what's happening NOW sort of thing, in terms of cutting edge
technologies and products.

So if any one makes it to either of these events this week, do let me know what your experiences were! I'll do a round-up of everyone's responses and report back to the group so we can all learn from each other.....sound good?

And remember those small distribution workshops I said I'd be launching in 2007? Well stay tuned for my Distribution Labs flier coming out in the next couple of days. Registration is opening for London (this Spring), Los Angeles (this Summer),and New York (this Fall). I've created a program that will provide one-on-one customized distribution plans for all
involved, in a small workshop setting, over the course of a full day.

Talk to you soon!

Stacey*
PS: For all of you who were having trouble with the Pay Pal portion of purchasing the Self Distribution Starter Kit, I heard back from Pay Pal that they were doing maintenance over those two days, so service was spotty. What luck! Anyway, it's all up and running smoothly now, so take a crack at it here at:
www.selfdistributeyourfilm.com
or
http://www.selfdistributeyourfilm.com

Four Eyed Monsters Gets Distribution

We all know that the majority of films that screen at even the most prestigious festivals never find distribution.

In fact, there's a window of about 1 year for a film
that debuts at a festival to find theatrical distribution.If a film doesn't get a theatrical distribution deal during that one year window, it's chances at distribution significantly decrease.

The filmmaker usually ends up using that film as a calling card to get other gigs, or parlays the festival buzz to get their next film going.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Independent feature Four Eyed Monsters premiered at Slamdance in 2005 then went on to screen at some 20 other festivals.Prior to going to Slamdance however, they began to promote their film on the web, creating pod casts and video blogs documenting the making of their film.

These pod casts and video blogs soon found an audience, and so did the film.

Two years later Four Eyed Monsters got a U.S theatrical
distribution deal through Emerging Pictures and will soon premiere on the Sundance Channel.

Never underestimate the power of creating a buzz for your film on the internet! It can mean the difference between getting a distribution deal, and not.

Four Eyed Monsters was picked up for Indie Wire's Undiscovered Gems list, which led to publicity in the New York times, which led to distribution.

It's exactly the strategy I champion in my Insiders Guide To Film Distribution program. You can get your copy here at: www.film-distribution-secrets.com

And if you have any stories of your own on how your internet buzz-generating activities helped you to get distribution for your film, please let me know so I can share them with the group.

Until then~

Warm regards,
Stacey