Blogging IDFA: Discussing Distribution
Blogger Randi Cecchine gives us the inside scoop on the Docs For Sale series at IDFA.
November 25th, 2008 | Randi Cecchine
At the International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), my documentary Trail of Feathers: The Missile Dick Chicks Take on America is playing on little cubicles at Docs for Sale where distributors, sales agents, festivals and broadcasters come to find new films. I’m here to check out the current creative and industry trends in documentary, to seek distribution/ representation for my film, and to learn as much as possible about the emerging media landscape as I think about distribution of current and future projects.
In this blog I’ll be reporting from Docs for Sale and the informational sessions I’ve recently attended focusing on distribution and representation. My central questions will be:
How are traditional models of documentary distribution changing, and what new models are emerging?
Debbie Zimmerman of Women Make Movies has been leading a series of talks called Docs for Sale for Beginners and those with Docs for Sale passes also had access to a few IDFA Academy Industry Meetings. On Saturday morning in a packed room Zimmerman began by defining the difference between a sales agent and a distributor—something many people are unclear about. From her perspective as a US educational distributor (a market that is much bigger in the US than in other territories) she explained that sales agents may sell their films to distribute in the US market. Those same sales agents may also be selling the film internationally for theatrical, broadcast or to other distributors.
Jan Rofekamp, sales agent and President and CEO of Films Transit offered more insight into the role of sales agents. He explained that 20 years ago sales agents emerged in documentaries. Before that, filmmakers themselves were responsible for all aspects of sales. He continued, “[Our] advantage is that we are the only people in the market with an overview of theatrical, DVD and broadcasters…. Few people know what to expect and what is true, not true, what is bullshit and not bullshit…. Talking to a sales agent is worth it, we are here to help strategize. The doc business has become fast and there are too many in the market—films are being considered ‘old’ very soon you can’t permit yourself to waste time, you need to learn about the market.” Jan suggested joining the European Documentary Network and purchasing their yearly guide to the European market.
How to connect with industry?
Every afternoon Docs for Sale hosts a happy hour where filmmakers and industry folks mingle. After a day watching films in their cubicles, the industry people emerge wearing their red badges. Of course just as at every festival, the badges flip to the wrong side at least 50 percent of the time, so all the filmmakers are waiting to jump at the chance to speak to the “red badges” when they can see them.
Zimmerman offered a very helpful networking suggestion—make a list of 10 people you want to meet, ask everyone you meet if they know those people and, if so, ask for an introduction.
But how do we know who to contact?
Filmmakers Dawn Logsdon and Lolis Eric Elie presented a short case study on their film Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans—a film about a historically black neighborhood that has made significant contributions to American history. Logsdon and Elie are aiming to sell the film to European broadcasters, but are hitting against the misconception that the film is a “Katrina” film—a category that most broadcasters have "already done." This prompted a discussion into the importance of identifying broadcasting “strands” that would be appropriate homes for a film. It was repeatedly stressed that filmmakers need to do their homework, learn the unique interests and programming priorities of each broadcaster/distributor before approaching them with a project.
The case of Fauburg Treme also raised some questions about the potential for US films in Europe. The filmmakers asked if perhaps the election of a black president would create more interest in stories of African Americans overseas.
Rofekamp argued that, with the election of Obama, the prime interest in European broadcasters will be in looking ahead. “There is only so much you can show of US politics, and we have had an overload of films about the war in Iraq,” he said.
He continued: “There used to be interest in stories about African Americans, but Bush had destroyed that. He said to Europe 'we don’t give a fuck what you think' so the Europeans said 'fuck you back' and are now not buying as many US documentaries—the victims were the independent filmmakers. You can see this in the Oscar short list of films, they will not be shown in Europe."
After the discussion, I spent a few minutes with Rofekamp—he spoke about the rapid decrease in broadcast acquisition fees he is witnessing across the industry. I asked him what he saw as the future of distribution and he pointed me to Peter Broderick’s now famous articles in Indiewire about Old World and New World distribution. He described the three traditional models of distribution—theatrical, broadcast and DVD, and how difficult it used to be for filmmakers to penetrate the barriers. Now, with the Internet, filmmakers are targeting the communities that are obviously interested in their films. He is currently working with a director who made the film Beyond the Game, about the World of Warcraft, who will be selling DVDs at a convention of online gaming fans of a half a million people.
He seemed excited by these changes but, as a sales rep, recognized that the shifting landscape puts his own profession’s future in the balance.
“The essential story is that traditional media are in danger, fragile and less to be counted on for filmmakers in search of viewers. The Old World is fighting tooth and nail to keep the old models where producers receive 15-20% of gross,” he said.
Related Links:
International Documentary Film Festival: www.idfa.nl/en.aspx
Docs for Sale website
Trail of Feathers: The Missile Dick Chicks Take on America: www.trailoffeathersmovie.com
Women Make Movies: www.wmm.com
Films Transit: www.filmstransit.com
Peter Broderick’s articles in Indiewire
Link to this page: http://www.independent-magazine.org/
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