Back From HomeMedia Expo

Just returned from a few days in Las Vegas at the Home Media Expo where I had a chance to meet and greet a number of film distributors. The Home Media Expo (sponsored by Home Media Magazine, one of the two top trade mags to the DVD marketing business) produces the convention with the primary purpose of bringing together distributors and video store owners. Along the way they also want to talk to "content providers"...that's us filmmakers. We're not the primary attraction here, but we're a little more than tolerated. The big guys ( Paramount, Fox, Universal, Sony, Warner, etc.) are pushing their product, but they're also buyers (acquisition) of our product... Along with a host of smaller players, who probably are more important to you and me as small independent filmmakers.
I had a chance to meet with about 30 of them over the 3 days of the Expo...distributors like Image Entertainment, Allumination Films, Vanguard, Echo Bridge, Vivendi, Monterey Media, Porchlight Films, Peach Arch Films, etc. They both produce their own movies and they buy movies from other producers.
HomeMedia Expo did have one session I wasn't going to miss: It was a two hour pitch session between Indy Filmmakers and some distributors (unfortunately, many didn't show)...but it was a great learning time to observe the session with those who were in attendance. You got to see exactly what it's like to pitch a distributor and question why they do what they do. Most of these people (distributor acquisition people) are young, in they're late 20s or early 30s. They're in a high pressure job...They have to find product for their company to sell or the company doesn't make any money... BUT they can't choose the wrong product that costs their company wasted dollars. Do that wrong a number of times and there won't be a company left. One guy said his days were spent in front of three screens at his desk: Two were computer screens, one for emails, one for other programs, and the third was a video screen where the prospective screeners were playing. He said he continually glances back and forth to all three. Each movie will get about 30 minutes of his very divided attention...and if nothing attracts more of his attention, he'll toss the movie.
A guy from LA was pitching 15 horror movies he had made. All low budget, no name. The Distrib Guy asked who produced most of them. The LA filmmaker said he did out of his own pocket. You could see the Distrib Guy look him up and down coming to the conclusion he didn't look wealthy, and then asked what the budgets of each movie were. The LA Guy says "about 10 to 15 thousand". Immediately the Distrib Guy says he's not interested and walks away. The LA Filmmaker was crestfallen. I take pity on him and pull him aside telling him you never ever tell a Distrib Guy what your budgets were. First of all, it's none of their business, and secondly, you are immediately Pigeon Holed as was this case. Some of the movies could have been good, but the Distrib Guy didn't want to be bothered once he heard how low the budgets were (although he was probably right). If you divulge the budget and do get a distribution offer, most likely the amount of your budget will be the highest offer you ever get. Your response to the question of "how much did it cost to make your movie?" ought to be Dov S.S.Simon's suggested "Somewhere under a million!". Then they will smile, knowing they are talking to someone who has an inkling of how to play the game.
Next up...What genres the Distribs said they'd like to see more of... what they want to buy. The answer almost blew me away!!!