YOUNG FILMMAKERS FUND MARKETING GUIDE

For the purposes of this paper short films (be they live action drama, animation, print, video and/or experimental works) are works under 60 min in length and short documentaries are documentary productions under 30 min in length. The word “production” is used when the information pertains to generic marketing strategies and opportunities. Specific references to different kinds of productions are used where appropriate.

1. INTRODUCTION

Each year there are literally hundreds of short films and short documentaries produced in . This paper provides an overview of opportunities available for the exhibition and exploitation of such productions and guidance as to how best to access and exploit such opportunities.

2. WHY MARKET YOUR PRODUCTION?

2.1 The primary reason is to obtain exhibition for your production, be it through festivals and like screening events and/or commercial exhibition. The benefits of such exhibition are:

(a) To promote further exhibition of the film; (b) To promote your talents (and others associated with the film); and (c) Generate revenue from exploitation of your production.

3. HOW TO MARKET YOUR PRODUCTION

3.1 When undertaking a marketing campaign for your production the first step is to design a strategy which will allow the film maker to make best advantage of their available resources in pursuing particular market opportunities. The marketing strategy will take into account the following:

1. Nature of the production. 2. List of target festivals, agents, broadcasters etc. 3. Budget for costs associated with your campaign such as festival entry materials, freight, office costs etc.

3.2 It is prudent to tailor your strategy to suit your budget. Your marketing campaign may stretch up to 2 years and your budget should be flexible enough to cover immediate costs plus future costs. Important: Festivals rarely return materials submitted for entry.

3.3 Broadly speaking the market can be divided into two categories:

1. Non-commercial exhibition (i.e. festivals and like screening events where there is no expectation of direct monetary return from the production’s exhibition); and 2. Commercial exhibition (television, cinema, video and on-line exhibition where the payment of money is made for the exhibition of that production.

Festivals and other non-commercial exhibition forums are the most effective way of platforming a production’s marketing campaign and promoting it to commercial exhibition forums such as broadcasters.

3.4 Nature of the Production

The main considerations for the filmmaker in assessing the nature of the production will be:

1. Is it finished to film or video? 2. Running time (including all titles and credits). 3. The style of the production (e.g. is it conventional drama or experimental). 4. The subject matter of the production (e.g. does it fit within the creative parameters of the festival? Is it too confronting for television? Will there be censorship issues for the commercial exhibitor?)

A production that is 12 min and under has more opportunities than a production which is longer than 12 min as it can supplement the exhibition of a traditional length feature film or television production. A longer production will require a screening slot more focussed on that production itself which may sit outside the standard exhibition pattern of the festival, cinema exhibitor and broadcaster.

4 FESTIVALS

NOTE: You should always check entry guidelines to be certain that your production meets selection criteria. In particular you should check whether you can satisfy the requirements for screening format, year of production, running time and whether a premiere is required.

4.1.1 Selection

Festivals are the main theatrical showcase for short productions. A selection panel previews productions and makes selection recommendations. This panel might be made up of the festival programmers, invited filmmakers, industry

2 representatives, journalists and programmers from other film festivals. Festivals will nearly always ask to preview your productions on VHS tape although occasionally a festival will issue an invitation to screen your production on the basis of it having screened at another festival.

4.1.2 Australian and/or international festivals

It is wise to consider entering a selection of Australian and international festivals. The bulk of Australian festival programs will be made up of Australian productions therefore the chances of your production being selected are far greater.

4.1.3 Length of film

Festivals whose screening programs are dominated by feature films will tend to select short productions which are under 15 minutes in length that can be programmed with a feature and compliment it in some way. Australian festivals will be more flexible in this regard as they are interested in showcasing the best of Australia’s productions regardless of length.

4.1.4 Film or video

The highest profile festivals (i.e. the major feature film festivals which screen short productions as well) generally only screen productions finished to print. In some cases this may only be 35mm prints however if a film is of high enough quality to be selected then 16mm is generally acceptable.

Festivals which focus on productions other than live action drama (e.g. documentary, animation and experimental) tend to be more flexible on the screening format. Certainly in the case of documentary and animation festivals there is recognition that the broadest form of commercial exhibition for these type of productions is television and so even the highest profile festivals in these areas may have sections which screen video. Festivals focussing on experimental productions invariably screen both prints and video.

Special interest festivals (such as Gay and Lesbian, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Women’s and Children’s film festivals) are generally interested in screening a broad selection of material in that genre and so will tend to screen prints and video.

4.1.5 Australian festivals – a select listing

Brisbane International Film Festival Tel: (07) 3220 0333 Fax: (07) 3220 0400 Web: www.pftc.com.au

Sydney International Film Festival (June)

3 Tel: (02) 9660 3844 Fax: (02) 9692 8793 Web: www.sydfilm-fest.com.au

M elbourne International Film Festival (July) Tel: (03) 9417 2011 Fax: (03) 9417 3804 Web: www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au

Flickerfest (January) Tel: (02) 9365 6877 Fax: (02) 9365 6899 Web: www.flickerfest.com.au

Que er Screen (February) Tel: (02) 9332 4938 Fax: (02) 9331 2988 Web: www.queerscreen.com.au

Tropfest (February) Tel: (02) 9368 0434 Fax: (02) 9356 4531

St Kilda Film Festival (May) Tel: (03) 9209 6699 Fax: (03) 9209 6634

Bathurst Film Festival (April) Tel: (02) 6337 6500 Fax: (02) 6337 6550 Web: www.netwit.net.au/~bxfilm

Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films (June) Tel: (02) 9660 3844 Fax: (02) 9692 8793 Web: www.sydfilm-fest.com.au

Australian Film Institute Awards (November) Tel: (03) 9696 1844 Fax: (03) 9696 7972 Web: www.afi.org.au

4.1.6 International festivals - Short dramas

It is difficult to generalise about what type of production a particular festival will select. Broadly speaking if you have a quirky, fantastic or funny short or perhaps a production that successfully plays with the language of filmmaking then consider entering one of the major feature film festivals such as, Cannes, Berlin or Venice.

Generally these festivals require a world premiere (i.e. first screening anywhere outside of the country of origin) and there is a preference for films completed on 35mm with a duration of 10 min or less. Other important feature festivals such as Telluride, New York, New Directors and Sundance also have indicated a preference for the entertaining short with a duration of 10 min or less.

4 Key feature film festivals which screen short films:

Cannes International Film Festival (May – March entry deadline) Festival International Du Film, 99 Boulevard Malesherbes, 75008, Paris, Tel: (33) 1 45 61 6607 Fax: (33) 1 45 61 9760 Web: http://www.festival-cannes.fr

Berlin International Film Festival (Feb – Nov entry deadline) Budapester Strasse 50, D-10787 Berlin, Tel: +49 (0) 30-254-89-229 Fax: +49 (0) 30-254 89 120. Web: http://www.berlinale.de

Venice Film Festival (Sept – June entry deadline) La Biennale Di Venezia, 56 Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, Palazzo del Cinema, Lungomare Marconi, 30126 Lido di Venezia, . Tel: +39-41-521-8711 Fax: +39-41-522-7539 Web: http://labiennale.com

T elluride Film Festival (Sept – July entry deadline) 53 South Main Street, Suite 212, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA or Fantasy Building, 2600 10th Street, Suite 438, Berkeley, California, 94710, USA. Tel: +603-643-1255 or +510-665-9494 Fax: +603-643-5938 or +510-665-9589 Web: http://www.telluridefilmfestival.com/

Sundance Film Festival (Jan – Oct entry deadline) Sundance Institute, 225 Santa Monica Blvd., Eight Floor, Santa Monica, CA, 90401, of America Tel: +310-394-4662 Fax: +310-394-8353 Web: http://www.sundance.org

New York Film Festival (Sept/Oct – July entry deadline) The Film Society of Lincoln Centre, 70 Lincoln Centre Plaza, New York, NY 10023, USA Tel: 212-875-5638 Web: http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff

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New Directors New Films (March/April – Jan entry deadline) Film Society of Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Centre Plaza, New York, NY 10023- 6595, United States of America or New Directors/New Films, Film Society of Lincoln Center, 165 West 65th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10023-6595, United States of America. Tel: (212)-975-5610 or (212)-875-5638 Fax: (212)-875-5636 Web: http://www.filmlinc.com

Edinburgh International Film Festival (Aug – May entry deadline) 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9BZ, Scotland, UK Tel: +41-0131-228-4051 Fax: +41-0131-229-5501 e-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/

London Film Festival (Nov – Aug entry deadline) South Bank, London SE1 8XT, Tel: +44(0)171-815-1322/3 Fax: +44(0)0171-633-0786 Web: http://www.lff.org.uk

San S ebastian International Film Festival (Sept – Jan entry deadline) Festival Internacional De Cine De San Sebastian, Plaza de Okendo, s/n, 20.004 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain Tel: +34-43-48-12-12 Fax: +34-43-48-12-18 e-mail: [email protected]

Cork Film Festival (Oct - July entry deadline) Murphy's 43rd Cork Film Festival, Hatfield House, Tobin Street, Cork, Ireland. Tel: +353-21-271711 Fax: +353-21-275945

Rotterdam International Film Festival (Jan/Feb - Oct entry deadline) International Film Festival Rotterdam, PO Box 21696, 3001 AR Rotterdam, The Tel: +31-10-4118080 Fax: +31-10-4135132 Web: http://www.iffrotterdam.nl

If your production is not suited to the above festivals you should consider entering some of the major festivals dedicated to short dramas. The most important of these are:

Clermont - Ferrand Short Film Festival (January - October deadline) 26 rue des Jacobins, Clermont – Ferrand 63000, France Tel: (4) 7391 6573 Fax: (4) 7392 1193 Web: www.clermont-filmfest.com/

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Oberhausen International Short Film Festival (April – February deadline) Grillostrasse 34, D-46045 Oberhausen, Germany Tel: (49) 208 825 2652 Fax: (49) 208 825 5413 Web: www.uni-duisburg.de/HRZ/IKF/home.htm

Tampere International Short Film Festival (March – January deadline) Tullikamarinaukio 2, Tampere 33100, Finland Tel: (3) 219 6149 Fax: (3) 223 0121 Web: www.tampere.fi/festival/film/f

Hamburg International Short Film Festival (May – February deadline) Friedensalle 7, Hamburg D-22765, Germany Tel: (40) 398 26122 Fax: (40) 398 26123

Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival (June – March deadline) 60 Atlantic Ave, Suite 110, Toronto Ontario M4K 1X9, Tel: (416) 535 8506 Fax: (416) 535 8342

Palm Springs Short Film Festival (July) 1700 East Tahquitz Wy, Suite 6, Palm Springs CA 92262, USA) Tel: (619) 322 2930 Fax: (619) 322 4087 Web: www.psfilmfest.org

British Short Film Festival (September - July deadline) Rm A214 BBC Centre House, 56 Wood Lane, London W12 7SB Tel: (81) 743 8000 Fax: (81) 740 8540

Uppsala Short Film Festival (October – July deadline) St. Olofsgatan 33B, Uppsala S-753 3 2, Tel: (18) 12 0025 Fax: (18) 12 1350 Web: www.algonet.se-nik/festival.htm

4.2 Special Interest Festivals

As entry into the festivals above is extremely competitive you should also consider entering festivals that have a special focus such as Gay and Lesbian Festivals, Women's Film festivals, Animation Festivals, Horror, Comedy and Youth film festivals. If your film has a particular theme or subject matter these festivals (while not as high profile as the festivals above) can sometimes offer a greater chance of selection and therefore a platform for the ongoing marketing of your production. These festivals have significant advantages in that they already have an audience and an industry that is interested in the topic or style of your film. Further they are likely to be less concerned about length and screening format.

7 4.3 International Festivals - documentary

It is possible for short documentaries to be selected in festivals that are better known for their drama selections (i.e. dedicated shorts festivals above). Generally these will be productions that make innovative or curious use of the short production form and/or have a dramatic element to them rather than the nature or factual integrity of their subject matter. However, the most likely festival exposure for non-fiction productions will come from dedicated documentary film festivals. As noted above the limitations of screening format are generally (but not always) more flexible with documentary film festivals.

The key documentary film festivals are:

Bombay International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (March – December deadline) 24-Dr Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg, Bombay 400 026, India Tel: (22) 386 1421 Fax: (22) 386 0308

Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films (November – September deadline) Festival Colon de Larreategui, 37-4 Dcha, Bilbao 48009, Spain Tel: (4) 424 5507 Fax: (4) 424 5624

Cinema Du R e el (March – November deadline) BPI – Centre Georges Pompidou, 19 rue Beaubourg, 75197 Paris cedex 04, France Tel: (1) 4478 4421 Fax: (1) 4478 1224

Festival Dei Popoli (November – Septemebr deadline) Via Dei Castellani 8, Firenze 50122, Italy Tel: (55) 294 353 Fax: (55) 213 698

DokumentArt (October – July deadline) Rosenstrasse 3, Neubrandenburg 17033, Germany Tel: (395) 566 6109 Fax: (395) 566 6109

Hot Docs – Canadian International Documentary Festival (March) 344 Dupont Street, Suite 206, Toronto Ontario M5R 1V9, Canada Tel: (416) 957 3977 Fax: (416) 968 9092

Wildscreen – International Wildlife Film & TV Festival (October – April deadline) 15 Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 1PB, UK Tel: (272) 73 3082 Fax: (272) 23 9416

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Sheffield International Documentary Festival (October – June deadline) The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX, UK Tel: (114) 276 5141 Fax: (114) 272 1849 Web: www.fdgroup.co.uk/neo/sidf

L eipziq – See animation festivals (below) for details.

Banff T elevision Festival (June – February deadline) 1516 Railway Ave, Canmore Alberta T0L 0M0, Canada Tel: (403) 678 9260 Fax: (403) 678 9269 Web: www.banfftvfest.com

Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival (November – August deadline) Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, Amsterdam 1017RR, Netherlands Tel: (20) 627 3329 Fax: (20) 638 5388 Web: www.dds.nl/-damocles

Marseilles International Documentary Film Festival (June – March deadline) Doc services, 3 Square Stalingrad, Marseilles 13001, France Tel: 9184 4017 Fax: 9184 3834

Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival (November – May deadline) Natural History Museum, 79th St Central Park West, New York NY 10024-5192, USA Tel: (212) 769 5305 Fax: (212) 769 5329 Web: www.amnh.org/mead

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (October – March deadline) Kitagawa Bldg 4F1, 6-42 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 162, Tel: (33) 266 9704 Fax: (33) 266 9700

4.4.1 Animation Festivals

Most animation festivals can screen film or video though (as with all festivals) it is wise to check before entering. While a large number of festivals, be they short or general feature festivals, do screen animations the wider animation industry will tend to pay most attention to animations screening in the most prestigious, dedicated animation festivals such as Annecy.

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The key animation festivals are:

Anima Mundi – International Animation Exhibition (August - April entry deadline) Rua Marques de Sao Vincente, 124 Sala 204-Gavea, Rio De Janiero, 22451-040 RJ Tel: (21) 511 3294 Fax: (21) 259 8729

Annecy International Animation Festival (May – February deadline) 5 Avenue des Iles, BP 399, Annecy 74013, France Tel: (33) 450 10 0900 Fax: (33) 45010 0970 Web: www.annecy.com

Dresden International Festival for Animation and Short Films (April – January deadline) C/- Filminitiative Dresden e.V, AlaunstraBe 62, Dresden 01099, Germany Tel: (351) 829 470 Fax: (351) 829 4719 Web: www.dresden-online.com/filmfestdd

Hiroshima Animation Film Festival (August – March deadline) 4-17 Kako-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730, Japan Tel: (82) 245 0245 Fax: (82) 245 0246 Web: www.city.hiroshima.jp

L eipzig Festival of Documentary and Animation Films (October – September deadline) Elsterstr 22-24, Leipzig 04109, Germany Tel: (41) 980 4828 Fax: (41) 980 3921 Web: www.mdr.de/dokfestival

Los Angeles International Animation Celebration (March) 2222 S Barrington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064 Tel: (213) 473 6701 Fax: (213) 444 9850

Ottawa International Animation Festival (October – July deadline) C/- Canadian Film Institute, 2 Daly Ave, Ottawa Ontario K1N 6E2, Canada Tel: (613) 232 8769 Fax: (613) 232 6315 Web: www.oiaf.ottawa.com

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (April – Novemeber deadline) Teckstr 56, Kulturpark Berg, Stuttgart D-70190, Germany Tel: (711) 262 6166 Fax: (711) 262 4980

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4.5 What to look for in a festival?

4.5.1 Profile, the better known the festival the greater the cache from a selection. The high profile festivals will have representatives from other festivals, broadcasters, sales agents etc. As a result you may get other festival invitations and sales opportunities. It follows however that the more prestigious the festival the more competitive the selection process.

4.5.2 Markets, a number of festivals (such as Tampere and Clermont Ferrand) have markets attached where buyers, festival representatives etc can view tapes of all entries (not just those films selected). This provides another means by which your film can be seen. Festivals that have markets attached have an added value for the film entrant. These markets are often set up apart from the festival like a convention, they attract industry, festival programmers, buyers, sellers, producers and the media. There are only a few of these festivals but they have earned a high reputation. Most festival programmers of short film festivals will attend one of these festivals with the intention of selecting films.

5. THE MARKETING BUDGET

5.1 Materials – Festivals

Materials are required to enter and screen productions at festivals. Not every production requires the same materials- it largely depends on the marketing strategy for the film and on its perceived market potential. However there are basic materials (and associated costs) that any production will require in order to undertake a festival campaign. These basic materials are:

Screening Materials: Any screening opportunity will require the availability of screening materials. Depending on the production (and the opportunity) these may be release prints, SP betacams, digital betacams and even VHS dubs.

VHS Dubs: The great majority of festivals, broadcasters, exhibitors and distributors will preview your production on VHS. It is rare that any materials you submit in the first instance will be returned. Unless specifically requested you will only need PAL dubs as most festivals have multi-system players (that is you are unlikely to need NTSC or SECAM tapes). The number of tapes you will need will depend on the number of festivals etc that you are intending to enter.

Stills: Be careful here as these can be expensive and are rarely returned. If your resources are tight you should look for a small selection of strong B/W images as a priority and a small selection of colour transparencies if your budget permits. You will find that there is a far greater demand for B/W stills. You will need at least one still to accompany each festival entry so economy is important. Go for images that are reflective of the project but are not too detailed as quite often the images are reduced (e.g. for printing in catalogues) and therefore minute detail can be lost. You should also have a still of the director.

11 Festival Entry Fees and Freight: Festival entry fees are generally not exorbitant (although most North American festivals have entry fees and these can be quite high depending on the prevailing exchange rate). Freight costs can be a significant burden. It is preferable to overestimate these costs so that they can be reallocated should the demand be less than expected. This budget item is one that you will be expending over a period of time (12-18 months).

Office expenses: You will need an allocation to cover costs incurred in your marketing campaign (postage, phone, fax etc).

Post production script: These are a necessary requirement for festivals in non- English speaking territories and as a delivery item to sales agents, distributors and broadcasters.

Brochure / video slick: Be extremely careful here. While a flashy brochure looks good, you do not get much value for it. A one sheet that can double as a video cover (A4 size is good for this) is more than sufficient. The items above are of far greater priority. An alternative to a brochure is a postcard. Posters are not a necessity.

Press kit: A press kit should contain the following information: • long (1-2 paragraphs) and short (1-2 lines) synopses • Technical information • bio of key creatives • Director’s statement (this is a statement by the director indicating their motivation for the film, the issues involved etc) • Financing information • critical / press reviews • details of awards, festival selections and sales.

The press kit should come to no more than 3 - 5 pages and should be in a form that can be easily faxed and photocopied.

Overall your budget should be flexible so that you can exploit opportunities as they arise and reallocate as necessary.

5.2 Materials – Commercial

Any deal you make for the commercial exploitation of your film will require the delivery of certain items and associated costs. If you engage a sales agent to represent the film internationally this will be a one off cost as they should cash flow the production of materials to service individual sales. These delivery materials may include (depending on the nature of the deal):

Rights clearances in respect to cast, music, stock footage, archival material, etc.

Video master (1" PAL master, SP Betacam or Digital Betacam)

Release prints

12 Music and Effects track

Errors and Omissions Insurance plus associated legal fees

Post-production script

Music-cue sheet (available from APRA)

Certificate of Origin (available from the marketing services unit of the AFC)

Stills (b & w plus colour transparencies)

Key artwork (for use in the printing of promotional material)

6. COMMERCIAL MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

6.1 Commercial market overview

The most likely form of commercial exhibition of a short production is television. Video and DVD exhibition is growing as is on-line exhibition but at this stage does not offer the same audience or revenue figures. Cinema or theatrical exhibition does occur and is certainly worth pursuing for 35mm films under 15 min in length that have achieved good festival response.

Short films may be sold by direct negotiation between producers and television stations or distributors, or through sales agents. Broadcasters, distributors and sales agents looking to acquire short films will generally source these films from sales agents or at festivals where they can view a number of short films at one screening, gauge audience reaction and assess their commercial potential.

Producers may approach television stations and distributors directly. This may be a good way of experiencing first-hand how a program is received by buyers in different countries. However this can be time consuming and costly.

The most common procedure for licensing rights to a television station or distributor is where the producer will contact the buyer to find out if she or he is interested in previewing the program, and if so, a preview video will be sent. Should the buyer wish to acquire the program then the buyer will issue a contract.

The international non-theatrical (i.e. education) market for Australian short documentary films is strongest in English-speaking territories such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Non-theatrical distributors in these territories generally specialise in particular types of films (health, anthropology, science, women, Third World, and so on) and so issue-oriented films tend to perform best in this market.

13 6.2 Television

TV sales for short dramas, experimental and animation tend to fall into three categories: • One-off half hour dramas • Filler material - shorter duration (less than 10 minutes) • Dedicated shorts program - e.g. Eat Carpet

TV sales for short documentaries will be as above but generally documentary programming around the world tends to be regular broadcast slots for specific types of documentary. This means that a documentary which deals with themes that are reflected in particular slots (e.g. natural history / wildlife, biography, arts, social issues) will have greater commercial potential.

Most short productions are sold as filler material screened in conjunction with another program to fill out a 30 or 60 minute broadcast slot.

Censorship will be of issue and broadcasters are unlikely to program material that needs too much editing.

Most broadcasters will require the exclusive right to broadcast a production in a territory. It is unusual to find pay/subscriber sales and free to air sales in the one territory. Prices paid can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

6.2.1 Broadcasters of short productions

Australia ABC Tel: (02) 9333 1500 Fax: (02) 9333 5305

SBS Tel: (02) 9430 2828 Fax: (02) 9430 3700 Web: http://www.sbs.com.au

XYZ Entertainment (programs short films for Foxtel pay TV channels) Tel: (02) 9200 1999 Fax: (02) 9200 1099

Showtime / Encore (Foxtel pay TV movie channel) C/- The Premium Movie Partnership Tel (02) 9776 2525 Fax: (02) 9660 5746

Belgium Canal + Chaussee de Louvain 656, 1030 Brussels Tel: 32 2 730 0358, Fax: 32 2 730 0365

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Canada Knowledge Network 4355 Mathissi Place, Burnaby BC V5G 4 S8 Tel: 1-604-431 3000, Fax: 1-604-431 33 33

TV Ontario PO Box 200-Station Q, Toronto Ontario M4T 2TI50 Tel: 1-416-484 2600, Fax: 1-416-484 6285

France Arte/La Sept Avenue Theophile Gautier, Paris 75016 Tel: 33-1-44 14 77 77, Fax: 33-1-44 14 77 00

Canal + 85/89 quai Andre Citroen, 75015 Paris Cedex 15 Tel: 33-1-44 25 11 80, Fax: 33-1-44 25 7374

Germany, Austria & S witzerland Arte/ZDF Postfach 4040, ZDF strasse, D-55100 Mainz, Tel: 49-6131-70 24 79, Fax: 49-6131-70 65 09

Television Suisse Romands 20 Ansermeg, Ernerst, 1211 Genève 8, Switzerland Tel: 41-22-708 9911, Fax: 41-22-320 48136

ZDF Postfach 4040, 55100 Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany Tel: 49-6131-70 25 2050, Fax: 49-6131-70 2052

Italy Telepiu Via Piranesi 46, 20137 Milan, Italy Tel: 39 2 700 271, Fax: 39 2 700 27386

Netherlands Nederlandse Omroep Stichting P.O. Box 26 444, 1202 JJ Hilversum Tel: 31-35-677 2649, Fax: 31-35-624 2023

VPRO-TV Postbus 11, 1200 Jc Hilversum Tel: 31-35-671 2911, Fax: 31-35-671 2254

Poland Canal + Kawalerii 5, 00-468 Warsaw, Tel: 48 22 657 0905 / 0836, Fax: 48 22 657 0730 / 0789

Scandinavia Danmarks Radio TV TV Centre, DK 2860 Soborg, Tel: 45-35 20 30 40, Fax: 45-35 20 39 39

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Yleisradio OY YLE Radio TV Centre, Radiokatu 5 00240, Helsinki, Finland Tel: 358- 9 14801, Fax: 358-9 1480 5148

NRK Bjoernstjerne Bjoernsons Pl 1, 0340 Oslo 3, Norway Tel: 47-23 04 7000, Fax: 47-23 04 7705

Sveriges Television Oxenstiernsgatan 26, 105 10 Stockholm, Sweden Tel: 46-8-784 0000, Fax: 46-8-784 1500

Asia Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Farrer Road, PO Box 60, Singapore 9128 Tel: 65-256 0401, Fax: 65-253 8808

Star TV 8th floor, One Harbourfront, 18 Tak Fung Street Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: 852-2621 7994, Fax: 852-2621 7995

Spain Canal + Gran Via 32, Tercera Planta, Madrid 28013 Tel: 34-1-396 5686, Fax: 34-1-396 5924

Multicanal C/- Saturno, 1 Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28224 Tel: 34-91-714 1080, Fax: 34-91-351 5884

Television Espanola SA Edficio Prado de Rey, 28223 Madrid, Spain Tel: 34 1 581 7970, Fax: 34 1 581 7757

United Kingdom BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 8QT Tel: 44-181-743 8000, Fax: 44-181-749 7520

Channel Four Television 124 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2TX Tel: 44-171-396 4444, Fax: 44-171-306 8363

United States of America Arts and Entertainment Network 235 East 45th Street, New York NY 10017 Tel: 1-212-210 1400, Fax: 1-212-210 9755

Discovery Channel 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda MD 20814 Tel: 1-301-986 0444, Fax: 1-301-986 4824 (Documentaries)

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Showtime Networks Inc 1633 Broadway, New York NY 10019 Tel: 1 212 708 1600, Fax: 1 212 708 1212

6.3 Sales agents and Distributors

Depending on the filmmaker’s circumstances (e.g. time and resources to maintain a marketing campaign) they may prefer to engage a distributor or sales agent to represent their production. The benefit of having a Sales agent represent the production is that they have sales contacts in many countries and regularly attend film and television markets and monitor trends in the international marketplace. They also have the ability to package programs to enhance sales possibilities and the facilities to service and monitor sales. Sales agents will usually cashflow the production of materials to service individual sales and recoup these from the proceeds of those sales. A sales agent usually charges a commission and expenses on all returns from the territories it represents.

A distributor works in a similar way however while a sales agent sells into a number of territories, a distributor sells within a particular territory.

6.3.1 A selection of Sales agents and Distributors for short productions.

Sales agents

AtomFilms 815 Western, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98104 Tel: 206.264.2735 fax: 206.264.2742 Email: [email protected]

Morphe Art Pictures Apdo. De Correos 96.032 08080 Barcelona Spain Web: www. morphe.com/index

Apollo Cinema Corporation 6357 Orange Street, Los Angeles CA 90048, USA Tel: 1 213 939 1122, Fax: 1 213 939 1133 Contact: Carol Crowe

Big Film Shorts 3727 W.Magnolia Blvd, Suite 189, Burbank CA 91510, USA Tel: 1 888 464 4211, Email: [email protected] Contact: David Russell

Cinenova 113 Roman Road, London E2 0QN, UK Tel: 44-181-981 6828, Fax: 44-181-983 4441, E-mail: [email protected] (Women’s films)

17 Distributors

Dangerous To Know 20 Offley Road, Kennington Oval, London SW9 OL5, UK Tel: 44-171-255 1955, Fax: 44-171-793 848 E-mail: [email protected] (Gay & Lesbian programs)

First Run Features 153 Waverly Place, New York NY 10004, USA Tel: 1-212-243 0600, Fax: 1-212-989 7649 Contact: Seymour Wishman

Frameline Distribution 346 Ninth Street, San Francisco CA 94103, USA Tel: 1 415 703 8654 / 8655, Fax: 1 415 861 1404 Email: [email protected] (Gay & Lesbian Programs)

London Short Film Agency 25c Josephine Ave, London SW2 2JX, United Kingdom Tel: 44 181 674 4638, Fax: 44 171 580 5830

Women Make Movies Inc. 462 Broadway, New York NY 10012, Tel: 1-212-925 0606, Fax: 1-212-925 2052 (Women’s films)

6.4 Commercial agreements

NOTE: Whenever you are presented with a legal agreement you should seek independent legal advice. The following is merely a guide to selected terms and considerations and should not be regarded as a comprehensive legal overview of commercial agreements.

6.4.1 Notes on agreements

• Delivery Materials – Most buyers will take these on loan. Delivery is usually at your cost for sales agents and distributors. Broadcasters should bear freight costs both ways. • Agreement terms should be consistent with any agreements you have entered into with investors/funders etc. • Commissions – should be defined • Expenses – there should be a definition of which costs are recoupable by an agent or distributor. • Reporting – a distributor or sales agent should report regularly detailing marketing activities taken, sales made and costs incurred. The more information, the better. • Termination - the agreement should deal with termination of the agreement in the event that either party is in default or the sales agent or distributor ceases to be commercially active. Such provisions should also deal

18 with the status of materials delivered under the agreement (e.g. are they returned and at who’s cost). • Term – any sales agency or distribution agreement should have a certain term (or duration) of the agreement. Broadcaster agreements should specify the number of screenings over the period of time for which the agreement is in force. Avoid perpetual licenses. Avoid automatic renewals without your written consent and with notice of intention to renew. • The agreement should be in the form of a license for particular use over a particular time. • Editing provisions – these should be compatible with your expectations and the expectations of your investors. • The sales agent or distributor should not be able to assign their interests under the agreement without your written consent. • Provisions dealing with sub-distributors and sales agents should include a limit on the period of time for which a sub-license can be granted which should be for no longer than the original term. Sub-licenses should include the same obligations as the original license.

7 MARKETING CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT – some tips

7.1.1 Work out your festival calendar well in advance. Some festivals require world or territory premieres and knowledge of this will assist you to prioritise your target festivals.

7.1.2 If you have been successful in entering your production to more than one festival consider whether you have the materials available to support each selection. Consider the time it will take to supply screening materials to each festival. Occasionally a festival will forward screening (but not entry materials) materials to another festival on your behalf. This will save you time and money.

7.1.3 Consider how much it is going to cost you to send off your entry material to festivals. The cheapest method is standard mail but you will need to allow two weeks. If your film is selected for an overseas festival then you will need to budget the cost of sending your print there. Most festivals will pay for the return of a print. Most festivals do not return any entry materials to you.

7.1.4 If you are successful in obtaining festival selection, contact broadcasters, sales agents and distributors to let them know and ask if they are sending a representative. If not ask them if they would like to see a tape. Try and avoid sending preview tapes unannounced.

7.1.5 If approached by a sales agent or distributor don’t be afraid to query them as to the nature of the marketing they undertake. Typical questions are:

• What festivals and markets do they attend? • What type of buyer do they deal with? • What is the nature of their catalogue? How does your film fit? • What are their usual costs and commissions? • What territories do they represent or target?

19 • Do they have any other Australian productions in their catalogue? Can they give you any references?

8 OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES – a selection

Marketing Information She ets, festival guides, delivery material guides plus others Australian Film Commission Tel: (02) 9321 6444 Fax: (02) 9357 3672 Email: [email protected] Web: www.afc.gov.au

International Festivals Guide British Council Available from British Council PO Box 88 Edgecliff NSW 2027, Australia Tel: (02) 9326 2365

Internet Festival and Screen R esource Guides Screen Network Australia – www.sna.net.au The Filmfests listing – www.filmfests.com.au Documentaries – www.docos.com/marketshtml

Periodicals/Newsletters FTO news AFC News Encore

Libraries Australian Film Television and Radio School Australian Film Institute ______

This guide was written for the FTO Young Filmmakers Fund by Hugh Short.

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