|
|
HOW-TO, Techniques, & Best Practices Channel
5 Things Sales Agents Look for in Films
By Stacey Parks
posted Jun 1, 2009, 13:23 |
|
5 Things Sales Agents Look for in Films: Post-Cannes Reflections
Stacey Parks is the author of �The Insiders Guide to
Independent Film Distribution� (Focal Press). Her website is www.filmspecific.com.
While at Cannes two months ago, some questions rolled
in from people who wanted to try and get sales agents for
their films for Cannes, but it didn�t work out. They want to
know what�s the next big opportunity. The answer is AFM,
which is happening in November in Los Angeles. So if you
didn�t get a sales agent to take your film to Cannes this year,
don�t despair. Just be sure to get your P�s & Q�s in order so
you can get represented at AFM in the fall.
If you�re wondering what sales agents look for when
putting together their film market slates, then I can tell you
from my personal experience that when I was foreign sales
agent, the films I looked for to round out our Cannes and
AFM slates were the following:
(1) Niche Films (Family, Christian, etc.).
(2) Films with great campaigns (i.e., Artwork).
(3) Films with marketable casts (B list is fine).
(4) Films with an extremely impressive and eye-opening
trailers (the most critical sales tool).
(5) Documentaries with a target audience (because they�re
an easy sell).
Incidentally, I had the most success with these films, too.
This article may not be reprinted in print or internet publications without express permission of StudentFilmmakers.com.
Check out this article in the July 2008 print edition of StudentFilmmakers magazine, page 54.
To subscribe to StudentFilmmakers magazine and order back issues please go to
https://studentfilmmakersstore.com/collections/subscriptions
|
|
|