1 2012 American Film Market Press Report – Part 1: 11-15-2012 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts, Howard Hobson, Matthew Ables – FuTurXTV - Funk Gumbo Radio – Auggie Cavanagh - Cameraman & Still Photographer “It costs at a minimum of $20,000 a week to run a suite at AFM and I don‟t know if it is worth coming here anymore”…Veteran AFM 2012 Buyer/Seller The 2012 American Film Market might be best summed up it in the above quote. I have been covering the AFM since its peak around 2005 and 2006. Yet in the six years since then there has always been a sinking feeling that this great film event in Santa Monica was dying a slow and painful death. I would have to conclude that the birth of YouTube, Hulu and Netflix has sealed the fate of the long standing viability of even having a successful and relevant American Film Market. The millions of filmgoers, TV viewers and digital media consumers are less worried or concerned than ever before if a film opens in the U.S. first or in Scandinavia first. International territories are actually meaningless when there is a whole generation of Millennials who are used to seeing digital media content everywhere around the world and anytime they want--and here’s the kicker—whether that film/TV/media content is legal or illegally streamed is of no concern to them. The vast majority of Millennials have grown up buying digital music on iTunes, paying a monthly fee to watch films and TV shows online with Netflix or Hulu Prime and some even will patiently endure the torture of watching pre-roll commercials before seeing videos on YouTube. So the pressing question that must be asked by a press AFM veteran, like myself, is attending the American Film Market, worth the gas, time and effort to drive down to the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, park, get a press badge, go to press events/conferences, attend private screenings and walk up and down several floors of suites on the off chance to discover that small breakout indie film or foreign blockbuster no one in Hollywood has heard about yet? The only problem with the AFM scenario is that one can sit down in front of their laptop at midnight the night before the AFM opens and easily find out about every new film being sold, premiered or in pre-production at AFM. All one needs is the help of Google, Bing and a case of Red Bulls. So what has always made going to the American Film Market special to me is not just regurgitating press releases about what AFM sellers are aggressively pushing this year. The real invaluable magic at AFM comes from face to face meetings with sales agents, producers, actors, directors, writers who are all passionately focused on making you think that there feature film or documentary is the best in the world. And that is why the 2012 American Film Market maybe the beginning of AFM’s end. If the 2012 American Film Market was featured on an episode of the AMC’s The Walking Dead than I would have to say that the zombies won because it was DEAD!...DEAD!...DEAD! this year. And it is kinda surprising because last year’s AFM started off with a band because Ron Howard showed up Day 1 to hype up one of his films, Rob Reiner was doing panels for his film and there were other many lesser but notable Hollywood folks buzzing about the lobbies and Funk Gumbo Radio: http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson • @FUNKGUMBO • [email protected]• www.funkgumbo.com
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1
2012 American Film Market Press Report – Part 1:
11-15-2012 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts, Howard Hobson, Matthew Ables
– FuTurXTV - Funk Gumbo Radio – Auggie Cavanagh - Cameraman & Still Photographer
“It costs at a minimum of $20,000 a week to run a suite at AFM and I don‟t
know if it is worth coming here anymore”…Veteran AFM 2012 Buyer/Seller
The 2012 American Film Market might be best summed up it in the above quote. I have been
covering the AFM since its peak around 2005 and 2006. Yet in the six years since then there has
always been a sinking feeling that this great film event in Santa Monica was dying a slow and
painful death. I would have to conclude that the birth of YouTube, Hulu and Netflix has sealed
the fate of the long standing viability of even having a successful and relevant American Film
Market. The millions of filmgoers, TV viewers and digital media consumers are less worried or
concerned than ever before if a film opens in the U.S. first or in Scandinavia first. International
territories are actually meaningless when there is a whole generation of Millennials who are used
to seeing digital media content everywhere around the world and anytime they want--and here’s
the kicker—whether that film/TV/media content is legal or illegally streamed is of no concern to
them. The vast majority of Millennials have grown up buying digital music on iTunes, paying a
monthly fee to watch films and TV shows online with Netflix or Hulu Prime and some even will
patiently endure the torture of watching pre-roll commercials before seeing videos on YouTube.
So the pressing question that must be asked by a press AFM veteran, like myself, is attending the
American Film Market, worth the gas, time and effort to drive down to the Loews Hotel in Santa
Monica, park, get a press badge, go to press events/conferences, attend private screenings and
walk up and down several floors of suites on the off chance to discover that small breakout indie
film or foreign blockbuster no one in Hollywood has heard about yet? The only problem with the
AFM scenario is that one can sit down in front of their laptop at midnight the night before the
AFM opens and easily find out about every new film being sold, premiered or in pre-production
at AFM. All one needs is the help of Google, Bing and a case of Red Bulls. So what has always
made going to the American Film Market special to me is not just regurgitating press releases
about what AFM sellers are aggressively pushing this year. The real invaluable magic at AFM
comes from face to face meetings with sales agents, producers, actors, directors, writers who are
all passionately focused on making you think that there feature film or documentary is the best in
the world. And that is why the 2012 American Film Market maybe the beginning of AFM’s end.
If the 2012 American Film Market was featured on an episode of the AMC’s The Walking Dead
than I would have to say that the zombies won because it was DEAD!...DEAD!...DEAD! this
year. And it is kinda surprising because last year’s AFM started off with a band because Ron
Howard showed up Day 1 to hype up one of his films, Rob Reiner was doing panels for his film
and there were other many lesser but notable Hollywood folks buzzing about the lobbies and
October 31 - November 7, 2012 The business of independent motion picture production and distribution reaches its peak every year at the American Film Market (AFM), the world’s largest film market. Founded in 1981, the AFM is a pivotal destination for independent film companies and business people from all over the world. Each year, more than 8,000 industry professionals converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties. The AFM offers unique accessibility to the ever-changing global motion picture industry. Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed on both completed films and those that haven’t started shooting yet. Participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press, and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs. Films available at this year’s AFM can be found in The Film Catalogue, IFTA’s comprehensive and authoritative online source which gives up-to-the-minute details on nearly 6,000 independent motion pictures, and is regarded as the most extensive and significant online film resource for distributors and buyers around the globe. The Film Catalogue allows users to explore the database of films by a myriad of search options, including language, production status, year of completion, budget, director, cast, company, title and genre, and is available in English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin and Korean. The site operates on a year-round basis and highlights market line-ups at AFM, EFM, Filmart and Cannes. This year’s AFM highlights include: • More than 800 screenings of more than 400 films. • 30 films screened every two hours. • More than 400 production/distribution companies exhibiting. • The AFM Conference Series, a five-day conference program covering topics spanning from treatment to screen and featuring the industry’s global thought leaders, decision makers and experts, as well as intimate, interactive and informative Industry Conversations led by visionaries, trendsetters and experts. Location: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and Le Merigot Beach Hotel Future dates: 2013: November 6 - 13 2014: November 5 - 12 2015: November 4 -11 AFM Website: AmericanFilmMarket.com AFM on Facebook: Facebook.com/AmericanFilmMarket