Filmmaker Chris Abell’s Talks About AFM 2009

by Chris Abell

In 2005 I attended the AFM as an attendee with no film, no finished script and quite frankly no idea what I was doing there. It seemed I had been hurled into a bizarre world of film I had not prepared for. Only upon my return to the 2009 AFM with a finished feature film did I truly understand the complexities of the business surrounding film and my role in it. I felt more like a business man than a film maker.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but one more time won’t hurt, it’s a tough business. For Indie filmmakers you’re right in the trenches surrounded by thousands of others fighting for the same money and distribution rights. But there is little reason to get discouraged, because in the end, distribution companies use formula when attaining films: quality, production value and names.

Taking the leap of faith and getting yourself to AFM has its benefits and does set you apart from the rest. Imagine a hub with over 400 companies, the AFM tells you, will be eagerly anticipating your pitch on the next, Paranormal Activity. You’d be surprised to learn that it’s no longer a buyer’s market unless you have met criteria already hard wired into acquisitions agents, sales companies and foreign buyers. After doing my homework, with a couple other producers, we whittled the long list of companies down to about 150 who would actually be worth talking to. Included were distribution companies and sales agencies. A good portion of companies at AFM are trying to sell their own films and rarely pick up floaters, nor appreciate you clogging up their front halls when potential buyers are roaming through their poster stands. I’ve had my problems in the past.

During some of my scheduled meetings we learned more about what distribution companies and buyers are looking for and a common question asked by practically everyone was, “Who’s in it?” Sadly I found myself cringing behind my million-dollar smile every time I walked into a pitch. Although the talent in my film acted their hearts out and did an astonishing job, their lack of fame was strike one and there was always the market to blame when an executive was trying to let us down easy. Not losing hope, I learned that not all companies care about names, however the majority of them do, and unless your film has an incredibly unique story, you may run into problems while attempting to sell it.

Our film, however, wasn’t completely hopeless and we learned just how valuable the Red One Camera was for our production. Shooting at 4 K inside a northern forest during autumn definitely raised the quality of the film. After disclosing a padded budget to acquisitions the response was usually quite positive and screeners of the film were requested. It seems there is still a heart in the beast we call the film industry for quality films with unique stories, and our company was fortunate enough to have requests for the full screener.

The last major factor distributors look for is production value and I’m glad we sank a good deal of money into that department. Buyers, especially foreign, didn’t care too much about names, only that the film looked professional and not some campy high school flick shot on a handy-cam. Hollywood style film-making definitely helped steer buyers our way and I would urge anyone to spend the money in production value such as stedi-cam, dolly and jib, whenever possible.

In the end my producers and I visited about 100 companies, handing out about 80 screeners. Hardly the original number of 400, but headway was made and many relationships were formed. In my eyes, AFM was an investment to lay the ground work for our film, understand more about the business of film and most importantly establish relationships with companies who may one day be our films champion. The toughest part of my experience was not cold pitches, subtle rejection or anything at the market itself. It is the arduous task of maintaining over 300 new contacts I made while in Santa Monica. Anyone can have a few drinks and schmooze while handing out an obscene amount of business cards, but it takes a true businessman to maintain a professional relationship with them. What I learned at AFM is that when attending, you’re a filmmaker second and a businessman first.

(Director and Producer Chris Abell is President of Dark Phoenix Pictures. His credits include Feral (2009), Johnny's Gonna Kill Himself (in production), and Infected/ (in production). He website is: www.darkphoenixpictures.com. He can be reached at chris.abell@darkphoenixpictures.com)