The satellite right of a film is one of the most bankable returns for an investor. Theatrical release is expensive and always a gamble, many things have to be played right for a film to have a successful Theatrical release. So every film production is now forced to bank heavily on Satellite rights to cover up for their investment. Now, whats the major criteria for a Satellite channel to buy your film? 1. Does it have a known actor? Bcoz audience surfing channels will stop at a channel if they see a recognizable actor. Between Tom Cruise and star movies and some random guy on HBO, where would you stop for a few extra mins to check out? 2. Can the movie make sense to the viewer even if he/she misses parts of the film? TV audience are the most distracted audience, so for a film show on a TV network to earn a good TRP, it requires an audience who can follow the film no matter where they see it from, and how many chunks of the film they miss out on while attending to their house errands. Hence a Non linear, complex narrative movie will find it very difficult to have a buyer. 3. Is it LONG enough to go on for a 3 hour slot? If a movie can satisfy point 1 and 2, then it must try to touch the three hour slot. That way, for the same product, the channel can bring in an extra hour of Ad slot... and hence more revenue and recovery for their investment. 4. Does it have good comedy and Songs or Action? TV audience are mostly looking for a good relaxed time on the couch. So a Simple story with good entertainment values is the priority. 5. Is it a theatrical hit? Even if point 1 to 4 are not satisfied, and yet the film has found a theatrical acceptance... then a channel may decide to bet its money on such a product. Very rare cases though. NOW... as a film investor, who needs to recover the investment, and satellite rights being the most bankable resource... what sort of a script will you commission? Will you cast a Known face just for that reason? Will you make the story soooo simple that it can be viewed from any point and yet be understood? Will you stretch it to 3 hours even if it doesnt have to be that long? Can all movies be a COMEDY and have SONGS? How can you bank on a theatrical hit without the above four elements? (It does happen once in few years, but cant be planned) There are many smart people around, they can tell you stories which you cant dream of... but they are asked the 5 questions by the guy who puts in the money... :) According to my understanding... Pay per View, Video on Demand, DTH Release, Netflix model is the only solution. With Audience Films and Home Talkies.... these were the Key points which I was trying to address and resolve.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:01:18 +0000
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