Tim Molloy of MovieMaker alerts us to a new podcast/vlog all about selling your independent film called Demystified.
It’s produced by StudioFest, an annual competition to pair one writer with one director and $50,000 to make a feature film.
The first episode follows founders Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale to the American Film Market (AFM) and their meeting with Glass House Distribution about their first feature Souvenirs.
Here are the highlights, according to Tim:
- 7:30: Do you need a sales agent to sell your film?
- 8:20: How does a sale work? Is it revenue sharing?
- 8:35: Do you need to finish your film before you approach a distributor?
- 9:00: How important is a trailer?
- 10:00: What genres are most marketable? Can you sell a drama with an unknown cast?
- 11:36: How much does it cost to hire Nicolas Cage?
- 11:50: Should you reveal your budget?
- 13:30: Should you count “in-kind” contributions toward your budget?
- 16:20: What you can compromise on, and what you can’t.
- 17:23: What’s the etiquette for meeting a distributor?
- 18:20: How much money can a lower-budget movie with no stars expect to make?
- 19:10: Can you just go straight to Netflix?
It’s a very entertaining and enlightening podcast.
You can enter this year’s StudioFest at FilmFreeway.
My take: Of course you need a sales agent. There’s no way you can connect with all the outlets for your film across the world. However, please realize you may never see anything beyond your advance. Expenses will always dilute revenue until there’s nothing left to split. See Hollywood accounting.