Finding an agent!!!!!!!

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Waheed AlQawasmi

Active member
Ok here is a useful topic for us to talk about. How does one go about finding an agent to lets say find you investors or companies with money to put into your project??

Feedback would be great.
 
That's not an agent. That's a producer. Most of the low-budget filmmaking books give a few different routes to take on this. Create a business plan, go to potential investors or have a trailer screening, ask for money.
 
Scott is right. In SAG states agents arre prohobited, not allowed to produce as this would be some conflict of interest.

An Agency is EXACTLY like a temp agency.
Client (producer) - We Need someone that types 100 wmp
Agent - OK. Waheed will be perfect for that how much are you offering.
Client - Scale.
Agent - Can you pay my 15% on top of that?
Client - Has Waheed ever had a typing job before?
Agent - Are you kidding? Tons.
Client - OK so scale plus 15%.
Agent - Great I'll let him know.

A Manager can be like an agent in someways but they are allowed to produce. They basically try to market you in a more active way. They may try to put together projects ... I've never had one so I'm less sure about this, but this is my basic understanding.

A Producer will actually procure funds and oversee / shepherd a project.

Only way an agent is involved in production othern than brokering the deal, is that the big agencies sometimes try to put package deals together which they present the studios ... in other words presenting two stars the represent to be in a script by a writer they represent to be directed by a director they represent, and maybe the studio gets a price break somewhere, or maybe it's just such a marketable sounding project because it has Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in it they figure they can't lose. But this is not producing, just getting 4 people they represent jobs on a project they pitched. They never owned the script and have no investement (beyond their artists success and therby their own) in how the film finally does.

Now as for getting an agent ...

killer short film + killer full length script = what most books say these days

also the catch 22 -- its beast to have a known poroducer working with you that introduces you to an agent so the agent can Broker the deal -- in otherwords you're already working and the agent is goint to make money right away
 
There's gotta be somebody who does this. Say you're too busy making films, and you don't have time to do all that... isn't there someone that can do the talking research planning for you? There's gotta be a profession for that. I know writers have Literary agents, so what do independent film makers have?

I think that's what Waheed was asking.

Because I know myself being an indie, it's tough alone casting, getting locations ect.. I don't have the time to contact people or the resources to contact producers or who ever else that can help your work get out there. I know some of you guys do it all on your own, you are your own agent and manager, but how about for the rest of us, who want to focus more on film making and let somebody else handle the business side of things?

There's gotta be Agents/Management who handles things like that, and only get paid if they sale your work... Or as Indies are we left with Luck and hopes of a big producer being at a Film festival during your screening and is interested. Any comments?

DAMN Film making is a tough business, that's why I do it for the love, but don't get me wrong, like anybody else I would love to see my work on the big screen one day.

I hope I didn't High-Jack your thread Waheed. :)

Jack oops, right after I posted my post I saw your's.. hope
 
first off -- literart agents -- like all other agents, don't do any research for you or have anything to do with the artistic product other than perhaps to advise you on it after the fact.

All an agent does is act as a prescreener. You have to have a certain level of talent and career readiness to get one. So casting directors, producers etc. don't have to waist there time with crazy people that have no business in the business -- like all those people that show up on American Idol and its just so sad. For this task. The agent gets 10, 15 , or 20% depending on your pull and the market you are in.

You are both talking about a producer for the most part and until you have done something that will make them come to you, you have to do it yourself, somehow convince a producer to work with you, or convince your friends, to answer your question "what do independent filmmakers have" well for the most part independent filmmakers have buddies

cating locations -- are all seperate jobs and you just have to wear lots of hats until you can pay people to do those jobs or somehow get them to do it for free.

A producer rases money and oversees quality to get a return on said investment. A line producer makes sure all of the things that need to happen happen on a day to day bassis. Now at the indie level a producer is just a freelance individual just like the filmmaker, and it often is the filmmaker. If you read Bruce Campbell's memoirs "If Chins Could Talk" you get a detailed account of how they raised money for and made Evil Dead. The went to a lawyer and drafted an agreement to have various investors sign. The started of with dentists who called other dentists. Their film was financed mainly through dentists. But this contract they had said in bold 18pt font on the first page something like:

WARNING THIS IS A HIGH RISK VENTURE. YOU MAY LOSE ALL OR MOST OF YOUR CAPITAL.

AND they only had 30 days to raise ALL the monet or they had to give back the money thet had already rasied.

And it was just a bunch of guys.

Now until you do something that's gonna make someone say ... You know what, I think I could convince 10 people to put 1Ok each in to a project that he's doing. That's the only way its gonna happen.

The same is true in a sense with writers and literary agents. Until the writer has written something that the agent thinks his highly sellable, then the agent won't give them the time of day. And even then, the agent is not helping them make sure they have resources between gigs or anything.
 
Ok, maybe i should have put it in other words, should not have said agent but producer.

AFTER ALL I PRODUCED AN ENTIRE FEATURE FILM MY SELF AHAHHAHAHA, I guess my question is how do you go about finding that someone who know how to find you good scripts to direct and also to find you the people to put money into your projects. Act as a person on your behalf while your finishing your current project and etc....

From the feedback you guys are giving me, I can see what the picture is. The problem is that I can not find someone like that in Memphis. I do have many many stuff that I can show, and its not just crap i mean good quality stuff produced for almost no money, and I work for the top production company intown for christ sake, so where would one go to find someone like that. Go to my webpage and see my work, I am not making anything up.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE MORE INPUT, I appreciate all the advices.
 
capitalP said:
There's gotta be Agents/Management who handles things like that, and only get paid if they sale your work... Or as Indies are we left with Luck and hopes of a big prod
Click to expand...
Are you talking about a producer's rep who help sell the project?

The following quoted from a CustomFlix article:

Consider using help

How important is the distribution/producer rep to the distribution equation? "I like the idea of having someone who is slightly removed from the filmmaking process, who can be a shark and negotiate without knowing the heartbreak and sweat that went into making a movie," says famed indie producer rep Gill Holland. Also if you are a "nobody," you want to try to hire the best-connected person to represent your film. Their representation builds your circle of influence and gets you instant respect."
 
Waheed, What production company are you working for in Memphis? (I'm also in Memphis).
 
Finding the right people to work with is a long process.
Tracey Emin, (English artist), recently was talking about marketing, she believes that
everything self perpetuates and I tend to agree. I did everything on my first music video
and realized I needed help so I found an independent music producer through the boards, he
then found a song/ band to work with and we line-produced together.That led to another band,
(who liked the first video), and that video led to me getting a manager.
I think if you make yourself a marketable freelancer others will follow/ think that they
can make some money out of you. It's a dirty twisty business he he
 
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