posted 10-14-1999 09:33 PM
I sold my feature, AMAZING WORLD, to Northern Arts/Naiad (more info, see my sucky website at www.holytoledo.com). I have some leads on where to send the doc I'm cutting right now.I work on spec---I make the movie, then look for a buyer by perusing distributor and festival catalogs and websites. It's marketing, plain and simple.
1. Canvas the market---who is looking for what. Don't pitch a 14 minute video short to a company that only handle 35mm features.
2. Figure out which individual to send to---the VP of advertising doesn't care, but somebody in acquisitions might. Find a name and use it. Try to approach either someone you know or through mutual acquaintances. Don't lie---they'll find out and you'll look like an idiot.
3. Have a packet ready to send them. The packet should include a letter, proofread it!, press release, press clippings, still photos, and a tape, clearly labeled. Posters or other collateral will help. If you have a funny gimmick, that'll help. Tattoos played a part of AMAZING WORLD's story, so we had some temporary tattoos made of the title. They got a kick out of it.
4. Most important---consider your audience. These people get slammed with tapes all of them time. They don't care if you really, really want to be the next Spielberg. All they care about is what YOU can do for THEM. How are you going to help their careers. Don't tell them your movie will make billions---they know you're full of crap. But you can give them an enthusiastic pitch in a letter or on the phone.
People in distribution, who require people like us in order to have their careers, truly feel they're doing you a favor by watching your trailer, preview, short, feature, epic, whatever. And they are---their bosses have assigned them nine zillion other things to do and they're taking four minutes out of their day to pop in your tape and sip their lattes while answering the phones and reading three scripts.
It's a tough business.
posted 10-13-1999 08:09 PM