I wanted to share something with all my Film Maker friends, and theres an important lesson to be learned by this so it might be worth the read. Alien Hunger, the little low budget creater/monster/sci-fi/horror/comedy we made illustrates a number of things about whats wrong with Hollywood, and especially Sales agents and Distribution in general. Let me back up. When we set out to do Alien Hunger, we knew we couldnt make Alien or Predator, because we simply didnt have the massive budget for a film like that. So we decided to do a movie that was more tongue in cheek. A horro-medy if you will. (In case there are any slow people reading this, (meaning sales agents or distributors), thats a horror-comedy.) When we finished it, we felt we had something fun, and there was interest from several distributors and sales agents who had heard about the film and saw the trailer. Every single one of them responded the same basic way. Uh, its got good stunts. There are scary moments, the action is great. The story works, but theres too much comedy in it. Nobody does horror films with comedy in them (I guess none of them saw the original Evil Dead, or Slither or American Warewolf in London or scores of others...) So the first few passed because they said they didnt know what to do with it, and they didnt think audiences would connect with it. Ive always believed in this film. I know its a stupid film, but it is stupid fun, and its exactly what we set out to make. Nancy Brindley Bhagia, one of my main producers, dedicated herself into going the festival route with the film, and the rest is history, due to her efforts. (I cannot thank you enough for that Nancy. You have no idea how much your dedication to this project means to me.) So far weve been accepted into at least 7 festivals, been nominated for close to a dozen awards, and have won 4 of them, and there are plenty more coming. Now, suddenly, sales agents and distributors are interested again. The lesson is this. Many sales agents and distributors dont know what the $#%^@ they are doing. They dont know whats good, and what isnt. They have no clue whats sellable, and what isnt. They dont know what audiences will respond to, and what they wont. Lastly, they dont want to do any work, or take any risk, and they certainly dont want to even consider something that isnt what everyone else is doing. Theyd rather YOU, the film maker, do all the work, so they can acquire it, and then toss it on the market and see what it does. (and then theyll keep 90% of what it makes regardless of what the deal they signed with you is.) This is EXACTLY why we are going the route we are, and doing the self/hybrid distribution method. All that being said, there are certain things a film does need to be sellable, and to make money, and there are certain things one should adhere to in order to increase their odds of having a successful film. Just dont let distributors, sales agents, or any of the people in that end of the business tell you what you need to do, or that your film isnt sellable. Audiences know whats good and what isnt. Sale agents dont. So to all my film maker friends, good luck with your projects, and if I can help in any way, dont hesitate to ask. Im happy to share how we are doing it, and hope you can do the same.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 18:10:08 +0000
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