Legit ?

A

Andrew McCarrick

Carbonite Member
I got this email from somebody that wants to purcahse my film for theatrical release in India, but I can seem to find information on the company or the guy.

EMAIL said:
Dear Sirs,

We have visited the site http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067570/maindetails of above film and are interested to acquire the above film all rights including Theatricals for territories of India and Subcontinents. Pls let us know if available as also your expectations.

We wish to receive regular update on the above film, pls do the needful.

Regards,
Vijay.A

V Films India
M 0091 93812 08804
P 0091 984121 0098
F 0091 44 4213 5508
Yahoo IM; vfilms_1979
Aol IM : vfilmsindia
Click to expand...

Any ideas?
 
Well, a quick search for V Films India came up empty for me, too. You'd think they'd have a website or something.
 
Looking around on Google for '"v films" india' is turning up a lot of sites about films. It does look like maybe V-films is a distributor/studio perhaps.

I wouldn't rule legitimacy out out too quick on this one.

- Mikko
 
some red flags...
1. he is in another country.
2. he doesn't speak english very well.
3. he gives you his aol and yahoo im, but doesn't give you a business website.
 
If they're legit, why would they give out aim and yahoo?

Wouldn't they give an official website, an official e-mail, and even a business number?
 
I would be very wary of this... Why would he want to acquire the rights to your film if it is listed as postponed until further notice?

When do you expect to start production, btw? Sounds like an interesting film.
 
I'm legit (as far I can tell :)) and I use Hotmail.


And anyone can register any address. Just beacuse it's a company.com, means nothing.

- Mikko
 
herbalmedia said:
I would be very wary of this... Why would he want to acquire the rights to your film if it is listed as postponed until further notice?

When do you expect to start production, btw? Sounds like an interesting film.
Click to expand...

Actually "postponed until further notice" didn't go up until today.... and this was apparently sent to my Line Producer a week ago, which he just got it to me today. And as far as a starting date..... I don't know. I have no funds, that's why this presale would be big.
 
In my (limited) experience trying to sell my feature, I got a bunch of emails similar to this one. Sometimes they just wanted to try and get the rights for free, promising to pay a % of returns, and sometimes they wanted to pay a small advance (not more than $1k). In all cases, I am pretty certain that they just wanted to have American titles in their library, as they were all very small companies looking to penetrate a market. I declined a few offers and then just stopped responding to people whose companies didn't have a robust web presence.

Not that this is necessarily the case with VFilms - but just something to look out for. As your film gets some press and you see more exposure on imdb.com and mandy.com, you will start to see a number of foreign "buyers" come calling.

Hopefully this one is legit though! No harm in getting in touch.
 
herbalmedia said:
In my (limited) experience trying to sell my feature, I got a bunch of emails similar to this one. Sometimes they just wanted to try and get the rights for free, promising to pay a % of returns, and sometimes they wanted to pay a small advance (not more than $1k). In all cases, I am pretty certain that they just wanted to have American titles in their library, as they were all very small companies looking to penetrate a market. I declined a few offers and then just stopped responding to people whose companies didn't have a robust web presence.
Click to expand...


did anything ever come of these offers?
 
Could be at the equivalent in his career as you are in yours - the beginning (relatively speaking). And therefore he's just trying to make a name for himself. But as soon as he asks for that "processing fee" to prepare your film for distribution, that's when I'd run.
 
ugafan said:
did anything ever come of these offers?
Click to expand...

No, nothing. Closest we came to distribution was a company called Echelon based out of LA. We were very seriously considering a zero-dollar deal with them based on their vast library, but then I googled the VP of Acquisitions (to whom I had been talking) and found him on the Most Wanted list for the state of Indiana. Then I asked a few of my older filmmaking buddies about the contract and they were very skeptical so we passed.

It is hard, hard, hard to pass on a deal to get distribution when you have none. Even when the deal is for no money up front, it can still sound enticing, but we went with our gut feeling about that company, and I still think we made the right decision. Now we're getting into the world of self-distribution and it is frightening but at least we still have ownership of the film.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread with this, but I have just found that there are lot more shady companies out there looking to pick up films for cheap so that they can increase the volume of their library. Often they don't really even intend to make an effort to sell the film. It's good knowledge to have before you start talking to distributors and/or sales agents, IMO.
 
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