the little guy

HerzogisGod

HerzogisGod

Well-known member
what would happen if the little guy picked up the phone, called Miramax headquarters and asked for a meeting with someone in acquisitions?

Something like, "We have a film we'd like you to consider...perfect for Miramax. How do we go about this?"



Would the pretty receptionest shrug, then hang up on the little guy?
 
HerzogisGod said:
what would happen if the little guy picked up the phone, called Miramax headquarters and asked for a meeting with someone in acquisitions?

Something like, "We have a film we'd like you to consider...perfect for Miramax. How do we go about this?"



Would the pretty receptionest shrug, then hang up on the little guy?
Click to expand...

No, they might just request a screener DVD...likely would not take a meeting unless they were bored.

-M
 
The distributors are in the business of buying films. They are hoping and praying that you have something good. By all means, call them. Be prepared for the three questions though:

1) What is it? (action, comedy, thriller, horror, etc)
2) Who's in it? (i.e., what name stars do you have?)
3) What'd you shoot it on? (this question is basically "are you some do-it-yourselfer, or did you actually raise enough of a budget to shoot on film?)

If you have the right answer to those three questions, they'll gladly listen to you and even request a screener. If you have the wrong answer to those three questions ("I have a romantic comedy, starring some local theater actors from Mount Blunt, Iowa, and we shot on a miniDV camera we borrowed from my friend") then you can expect a "no thanks, not interested" response. If you're lucky, they might go to the fourth question, which is "have you won any festival awards or have you already sold any of the rights to any other territories?" At this point the correct answer to both questions is "yes", but if your answers are "no", then yeah, get ready for the big <click>.
 
Barry_Green said:
1) What is it? (action, comedy, thriller, horror, etc)
2) Who's in it? (i.e., what name stars do you have?)
3) What'd you shoot it on? (this question is basically "are you some do-it-yourselfer, or did you actually raise enough of a budget to shoot on film?)
Click to expand...

Indeed. Good point, but even with good answers to these questions, if it isn't already on their radar they'll still just ask for a screener and likely not want to meet unless answers to 4 surprise them ("Yeah, I won the audience award at Tribeca, you didn't catch that?" :) )

-M
 
Getting Miramax to agree to watch a screener is pretty huge.

I only used Miramax in the original post to pose the question, figuring they represent Mount Everest for "the little guy".

If they are open to communication then smaller companies will be, as well


That's good news
 
HerzogisGod said:
what would happen if the little guy picked up the phone, called Miramax headquarters and asked for a meeting with someone in acquisitions?

Something like, "We have a film we'd like you to consider...perfect for Miramax. How do we go about this?"



Would the pretty receptionest shrug, then hang up on the little guy?
Click to expand...

Was it on this site, or elsewhere? There was an article posted about a recent fest in Toronto, where many deals of the days of yore were done... this year... something like one deal, all the rest of the fest films went awanting.

So, if the 'usual and customary' places where distributors pick up independently produced material are going dry... what do you think is going on trying to walk into the front door of the distributor??? You may as well be the Fuller Brush man and who knows sell a few brushes...
 
Barry_Green said:
1) What is it? (action, comedy, thriller, horror, etc)
2) Who's in it? (i.e., what name stars do you have?)
3) What'd you shoot it on? (this question is basically "are you some do-it-yourselfer, or did you actually raise enough of a budget to shoot on film?)
Click to expand...
1) It is a documentary.
2) A long forgotten blind blues musician.
3) A pair of Hi8 cams.

Barry_Green said:
If you're lucky, they might go to the fourth question, which is "have you won any festival awards or have you already sold any of the rights to any other territories?" At this point the correct answer to both questions is "yes", but if your answers are "no", then yeah, get ready for the big <click>.
Click to expand...
4) The 1999 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for a Documentary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Blues
 
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