What's up with the American Film Market this year?

F

FilmBoy77

Veteran
so my friend was telling me about the american film market and after reading through some of the website info i was wondering if it is as big of a deal as it seems? i mean, after doing a search on this site for it i didnt see much talk about it.

have any of you guys went?

is it something you can benefit from?

what should you have in order to get the most from it???

my friend is under the impression you can just go in there and start pitching to a bunch of distributors. i can't quite make out what its main purpose is and how i can benefit.
 
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The AFM is a huge deal, and it's not for the novice. Distributors and buyers and sellers take over the entire hotel and exhibit their wares and make deals. It's not a festival, it's not a place to "pitch", it's a market. If you've got something to sell, this is where you go to sell it. If you're in the market to buy, this is where you meet with the buyers.

If you're just some guy with an idea, this is not the place to go to "pitch"; they'll throw you out faster than a Hideo Nomo pitch. If you're going to sell your film, and you haven't paid the $14,000 (or whatever it is) to get a booth, then they'll throw you out and ban you faster than John Hudson in his prime. This is not the place to go pitch a script, these people couldn't care less about your script. They buy and sell finished product. I mean, you wouldn't go to a car dealership to pitch your idea for a new car, would you? Wrong place, wrong audience.

What you should do is buy the $250 three-day pass (if that's what it still costs, it's been a while) and go wander through the hotel and see what's going on, talk to the distribs about what it is they're looking for, etc. But be aware that most all of the "business" that gets done is done in the first few days, and that's when the passes are expensive.
 
okay, i think i understand now, but are you referring to "sellers" as filmmakers trying to sell their movie to distributors? if so, then what type of package would you need to "sell" them your product (short film, feature, press info, etc)?

They buy and sell finished product.
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that's what i was thinking but on their website they say: In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed - on both completed films and those that haven't started shooting yet. is this not really the truth?

also, you need a booth if you're trying to sell your film? i guess i'm interpreting what's on their website a little differently:

The AFM is open to the entire film community, including agents, attorneys, bankers, directors, distributors, festival directors, film commissioners, filmmakers, producers, writers, and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.
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how can a director or even a writer benefit from the general $250 pass? are you just basically walking around like at a festival and networking with business cards, etc. or am i completely missing the point here?
 
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FilmBoy77 said:
okay, i think i understand now, but are you referring to "sellers" as filmmakers trying to sell their movie to distributors? if so, then what type of package would you need to "sell" them your product (short film, feature, press info, etc)?
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You have to register as a seller. Packages start at $7500. And that's just to wander around to the various buyer offices and pitch your project; if you want to request that your film be screened then you also have to buy an office (i.e., a hotel room that serves as your base of operations during the market).


that's what i was thinking but on their website they say: In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed - on both completed films and those that haven't started shooting yet. is this not really the truth?
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Sure it's the truth. They're talking about films that are being packaged for distribution; show up with a finished script, Christopher Nolan attached as director, and a letter of intent from George Clooney and Uma Thurman to star, and then you can pitch your project. To you, with that package, $7500 to register is probably no big deal.

But for a no-track-record indie with a dream? This is totally the wrong show. Read that again: $800 million in deals will be sealed. This is big business, professional finished business.

The show that's more appropriate for a "hey I have a script" type of thing would be probably the IFFM, sponsored by the IFP. AFM is for the big boys who are there to conduct serious finished business. No track record and no finsihed product = no sale. No track record but a finished product? Yeah, that might work. Established track record and a package, just looking for foreign presales? Yes that'd be appropriate.

also, you need a booth if you're trying to sell your film? i guess i'm interpreting what's on their website a little differently:
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You don't need a booth, but you do need to have registered as a seller. If you show up and try to sell without being a registered seller, you run the risk of being caught and barred.
http://www.ifta-online.org/afm/exh_barr_comp.asp

It's an exclusionary tactic to keep out the dreamers and the fly-by-nights. If you're serious enough about your project that you'd spend $7500 to register as a seller, then they figure your project is probably serious enough that it's worth their buyers listening to. If you don't believe in your project enough to spend $7500 to register as a seller, then the buyers aren't gonna believe in it either. They want to make sure the buyers' time is protected, that the buyers find value in attending the show, so they establish a threshhold to bar entry to the usual flood of wannabe's.

how can a director or even a writer benefit from the general $250 pass? are you just basically walking around like at a festival and networking with business cards, etc. or am i completely missing the point here?
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No, that's pretty much the point. You get to see how the business is actually done, and you get to see what people are actually buying and selling. Festivals are all about exhbition and "look at me, I'm a filmmaker" with product that isn't going anywhere. The AFM is the other side of the business. No starry eyes, no red carpets, just the meat and potatoes, dollars and sense/cents. Go see how it's done, talk to real distributors, real buyers, real foreign sales agents. Don't waste their time, but if they're bored maybe they'll spend some time with you.

How can you benefit? Imagine you're ready to pull the trigger on a credit card to make a $20,000 film starring Lorenzo Lamas as a bounty hunter who gets caught by the Nicaraguan government. Talk to the distributors, and if they say "why the hell would I want to buy that? I've got six of those on my shelf already. Lamas? Forget him, he's old news. Give me a good family comedy, I'm dyin' for a family comedy" then -- wouldn't you want to know that BEFORE you spend $20,000 and sentence yourself to a lifetime of debt and end up with an unsaleable product?
 
yo, barry, thanks, that's crystal clear. i understand now. so, i may just go to get a feel for how things work then.
 
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