taormina
Hates to Rent
Speaking of distribution I wanted to mention that while I was in my meeting, I learned some valuable info.
Firstly, the distrib is new but big, with 45 films distributed in the last 3 years, most of them much bigger than Corrado.
Secondly, they were cool with my cast, but only for the budget of the movie. They only really liked Sizemore and Messner - the rest they were ambivalent about.
Main rule I learned from today's meeting:
TV actors do not sell features, especially in the foreign market. They were pretty unimpressed with my Sopranos people. They literally poo pooed them. If you are making a feature, you need names to sell it - this is self explanatory. No names = slim chances for distribution.
The names that sell movies are a bit of a moving target though. There is a real art to picking your cast, an art that I have not yet mastered apparently.
Sizemore is a favorite of mine, but his recent troubles have hurt his ability to do studio pics which has made him less desireable.
Messner is currently in favor with the distribs, especially foreign. They didn't really say why.
TV actors are total ****. I've gone through three of these conversations with big, reputable distributors. They simply do not sell. Can you have them in your movie? Sure, but don't expect to help them sell it for you. I was told that only the very hugest TV guys have a chance: Kiefer Sutherland, James Gandolfini, etc. And even then it's a tough sell.
I was told that ideally you want actors who do indies and studio pics - Dennis Quaid and Matt Dillon were thrown out as examples of stable, bankable actors who are also affordable and can be bonded.
The whole discussion really prompted me to rethink my casting of Hangar 14. Apparently Gary Oldman is not a sellable name!!!!
These guys aren't just making this up - they know this because they attend multiple film markets every year and sell tons of movies. They hear what the buyers are telling them.
New plan with Hangar 14: Run my cast list past my distrib before making calls to agents.
Firstly, the distrib is new but big, with 45 films distributed in the last 3 years, most of them much bigger than Corrado.
Secondly, they were cool with my cast, but only for the budget of the movie. They only really liked Sizemore and Messner - the rest they were ambivalent about.
Main rule I learned from today's meeting:
TV actors do not sell features, especially in the foreign market. They were pretty unimpressed with my Sopranos people. They literally poo pooed them. If you are making a feature, you need names to sell it - this is self explanatory. No names = slim chances for distribution.
The names that sell movies are a bit of a moving target though. There is a real art to picking your cast, an art that I have not yet mastered apparently.
Sizemore is a favorite of mine, but his recent troubles have hurt his ability to do studio pics which has made him less desireable.
Messner is currently in favor with the distribs, especially foreign. They didn't really say why.
TV actors are total ****. I've gone through three of these conversations with big, reputable distributors. They simply do not sell. Can you have them in your movie? Sure, but don't expect to help them sell it for you. I was told that only the very hugest TV guys have a chance: Kiefer Sutherland, James Gandolfini, etc. And even then it's a tough sell.
I was told that ideally you want actors who do indies and studio pics - Dennis Quaid and Matt Dillon were thrown out as examples of stable, bankable actors who are also affordable and can be bonded.
The whole discussion really prompted me to rethink my casting of Hangar 14. Apparently Gary Oldman is not a sellable name!!!!
These guys aren't just making this up - they know this because they attend multiple film markets every year and sell tons of movies. They hear what the buyers are telling them.
New plan with Hangar 14: Run my cast list past my distrib before making calls to agents.
