3 minute read
Autonomous Animator
By Martin Grebing
The Main Attractions: Animation festivals such as Annecy in France and Pixelatl in Mexico offer great opportunities for up-and-coming directors and producers to get the word out on their new projects.
The Path to Feature Filmdom
There are many paths to getting your very own feature flm produced. From doing it all yourself to forming co-production partnerships to fnding investors, the sky’s the limit. And with the internet seemingly creating superstars overnight by the millions and with thousands of flm festivals being held annually around the world, it would seem that the only thing you need to do to get discovered is to hit the flm festival circuit or post your work on social media.
Or is it?
To Fest or Not to Fest?
The ‘Film Festival Circuit’ is a well-known and well-trod path that flmmakers from around the world tread in hopes of landing a production deal. However, with the exception of the top 10 or 15 flm festivals (such as Cannes, American Film Market, etc.), other than the opportunity to fraternize with other hopeful flmmakers, you probably won’t fnd that elusive production deal you were hoping for regardless of how eager flm festivals are to dangle that hope in front of you. There are somewhere between 3,000 – 5,000 flm festivals today. Many of them serve as wonderful social gatherings where you can meet other aspiring flmmakers and enjoy watching and discussing tons of independent projects.
On the other hand, if your goal is to sell your flm, be discovered or get a distributor, the chances that someone from a flm or distribution company who could make this happen is attending the very same flm festival as you could be less than one in 1,000. Moreover, the chances of that person seeing your particular flm is even less, and a yet further stretch that they will actually like your work enough to open up a dialogue with you. Your chances, at this point, are offcially slim to none. If your goal is to sell your flm, be discovered or get a distributor, but you don’t get your flm into the top 10-15 flm festivals, my suggestion would be to take all the time and money you would have spent attending dozens of lesser flm festivals and reallocate those resources to reach out to flm companies and distributors directly.
The Short Route?
Making a short is a great exercise in flmmaking, but rarely do they magically turn into feature length versions later. On occasion, this does happen, but if your interest in making a short is to somehow parlay that into a feature flm later because you don’t yet have the money or resources to make a feature, you would be better off focusing on producing a stellar trailer, an in-depth look book and an air-tight business plan.
Protect Your IP
If you have produced a short or a trailer that you are excited about, it would behoove you to keep it under wraps until you’re completely clear on your goals. For example, if your goal is to let everyone on the web see your work for free, by all means, post it on social media, video sharing sites and every other webpage that will take it. If your short is really good (or really, really bad), chances are it will receive lots of free views. However, if your goal is to use your work as a stepping stone to produce a feature flm, by no means should you send it out to the electric ether. To do this means you are essentially surrendering your work and ideas to any and everyone who may or may not have nefarious intentions. Additionally, acquisition executives want to know that your project is fresh and new and hasn’t been all over the world before landing in their lap. ◆
