21 Mar SXSW Panel: Festribution
Posted at 19:41h
in
Festivals
by Brighid Greene
Festribution:
Film Festival and Distribution
Moderator
Sean Farnel: Proprietor,
Ripping Reality
Panelists:
Chris Horton: Associate Director of Artist Services,
Sundance Institute
Nancy Schaffer: Executive Director /Senior Vice President,
Tribeca Film Festival/
Tribeca Enterprises
Jason Janego: Co-President,
Radius (a division of the Weinstein Company)
A few words from Chris Horton:
- How do we apply our brand (aka Sundance) to help our filmmakers?
- Sundance is a non-profit, Artists Services enables self distribution with Sundance branding
- Connecting artists to audiences in emerging creative platforms
- Sundance curated page on Kickstarter has 65 projects that netted 1.5 million (see DFA’s curated page)
- Truth: many films play Sundance and don’t get distribution
- Advocate for self distribution
- Sundance has deals with iTunes, Amazon VOD, YouTube, Hulu- any film that has played festival or been in a lab is eligable
- New Video Group handles licensing
- Absolute ownership for filmmakers
- Deal is consistent not depending on the film, blind to which films can take advantage
A few words from Nancy Schaffer:
- Mantra: Increase audience for independent films
- Use festival as a platform for release, marketing platforms
- Traditional distributor, with non-traditional ways of distributing
- Video on Demand(VOD) and theatrical simultaneous, windows are changed but it is VOD driven
- Programmers of Tribeca Film Festival and Acquisition department don’t collaborate
- Buy 26-28 films per year
- Tribeca Enterprises can distribute any film, does not have to be tied to Tribeca Film Festival
A few words from Jason Janego:
- Radius is a boutique distribution label, up and running for 6 months
- Jason and Tom Quinn, co-presidents of Raduius, previously worked with Magnolia
- Experimentation with release strategies- multi platform distribution
- Model of distribution
- Release on ultra VOD aka several weeks prior to theatrical
- Each film gets their own type of release at Radius
- Festival premiere provides added exposure, publicity, red carpet, press!
- It’s important to cultivate an audience before the festival takes place
- World premiere and distribution simultaneous – dismisses festival circuit opportunity
A few words to conclude:
- Digital deals and branding
- Based around branding, positive experience for the consumer will make them want to return
- If you make the brand good, then the experience is good
- What does Acquisition looking for at a film festival?
- Types of films that will fit into a slate- A or B list talent
- Goal is to find a film that is touching
- Having A list films allows for B list films to be distributed because the brand has been established
- Film Festival Circuit
- Independent filmmakers should embrace the festival trajectory as the equivalent to theatrical releases.
- It is then possible to experiment with different distribution strategies that can be more lucrative than the tradiontal distribution path.
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