NYWIFT Blog

Positive News for Filmmakers at the New York Film Conference

By Jane Applegate

Entertainment industry experts speaking at the first annual New York Film Conference on October 10, 2017 had some great news for attendees: It’s getting easier to sell your content directly to consumers, consumers are more open to watching films with subtitles and big digital platforms are spending billions on buying new content.

Netflix recently announced its plans to invest $6 billion—yes, billion with a ‘b’—on original content for its growing global platform.

The production talent pool is also growing every year, according to John Hadity, executive vice president of EP Financial Solutions. Hadity, who is an expert on production tax incentives, said New York City is currently home to about 45 television shows.  Hundreds of films, big and small, have also been shot here in recent years.

The experts had good news for independent content creators as well as filmmakers.

“A lot more creators are going right to consumers,” said Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo, the popular platform that allows members to easily upload and share video content. “We’re excited to see creators building real businesses.”

New tools and technology make it much easier to organize clips on your Vimeo page and track viewership—including analytics that let you see when viewers stop watching a clip. A few weeks ago, Sud said, Vimeo introduced a live streaming feature in response to popular demand. Sud said Vimeo’s top priority is ”providing seamless and affordable solutions.”

Although anyone can produce video content with a smartphone or digital camera and editing software, it’s still very tough to raise money to produce an independent film. However, soft money, deep-pocketed foreign investors and attractive tax credits all support independent film production, according to experts attending the one-day conference at the W Hotel in Union Square. About 120 people attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Light Iron (a post-production house), the law firm Hogan Lovells, Deadline.com, NYWIFT, China Film Insider, Film Fatales, BRIC, IFP and Women Independent Producers, among others.

On the negative side, Deborah Acoca, vice president of the entertainment industries group at East West Bank and other panelists, said international pre-sales—once the quickest way to finance an independent film—have significantly shrunk unless you have an A-list cast, great script and top director.

Finding a distributor or broadcast outlet is still extremely challenging, according to the experts. Despite the growing popularity of direct sales to consumers, screening a film at a film festival is still the best way to find a traditional distributor.

“There are very different reasons for premiering at a festival, but from an acquisition standpoint, we’re always looking for great content,” said Julie Dansker, vice president of sales and marketing at The Orchard.

Tom Cunha, founder and CEO of Brigade Marketing, advised attendees to not “go crazy about creating marketing” materials “because if you sell it (the film), the distributor will most likely change it all.”

Because making independent films and original content requires so much blood, sweat and tears, Rebecca Feinberg, head of development for Washington Square Films, said it’s important to ask yourself, “Why do you feel it’s important to share this story with the world?”

Washington Square founder and CEO Joshua Blum said the company, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, supports its new film projects by producing commercials. Although people love a good documentary, Blum said despite the growing market for online content, it’s still tough to finance non-fiction films.

“If you want to make big movies, you need to be in L.A,” he said. “But if you have your own vision, New York is still more creative and diverse.”

 

PUBLISHED BY

janeapplegate

janeapplegate Jane Applegate is a producer and production consultant. She teaches film finance and the business of film at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College. She’s an active member of NYWIFT, the PGA and Women Independent Producers.

View all posts by janeapplegate

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

Related Posts

How to Decide Which Screenwriting Contests to Submit To

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of screenwriting competitions out there — so how do you decide which ones are worth your time and money? As the co-founder of Moonshot Initiative, a nonprofit that works toward gender equity in film and television, NYWIFT Member Katrina Medoff has been on the other side of the application process. Her team reads hundreds of submissions a year for the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator and their newest program, the Moonshot Feature Accelerator. They know that their applicants poured their time, talents, and energy into their scripts, and that every fellowship submission means putting more time and money into your career. So it’s important to carefully consider which labs and contests to prioritize. If you’re ready to submit your feature film screenplay or TV pilot script to screenwriting competitions, here’s how to determine which labs, fellowships, and contests would be a good fit.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Val Dowd

We’re thrilled to welcome our new NYWIFT member, Val Dowd! Val is a film sales manager with a passion for highlighting underrepresented voices. Some of her career highlights thus far include doing outreach for Matthew Heineman’s documentary The First Wave and working with her team on Hulu’s The Jewel Thief. She’s very motivated by community and finding films that can open doors for people and offer fresh perspectives. Read our interview with Val to learn more about the role of a film sales manager, how she approaches selling and distributing projects, and her love for film.

READ MORE

A Celebration of Film and Exchange of Knowledge: Previewing the NY Greek Film Expo with Maria Miles

Maria C. Miles is a well-known presence at NYWIFT gatherings, having served two consecutive terms on the NYWIFT Board of Directors and now as legal counsel for the organization. Mary – as friends and fellow members know her – frequently welcomes new faces to the organization with her warmth, generous spirit, and quick wit. And now she brings her leadership and expertise to another organization near and dear to her heart. Committed to promoting diversity in the film and television industry, Miles was named President of the Board of the Hellenic Film Society USA in January 2024. Mary offered us a unique glimpse into what the organization has in store this year, including its partnership with New York Women in Film & Television.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kira Belin

Cue the music: it’s time to welcome our new NYWIFT member, Kira Belin! Kira is a New York based music editor with a career spanning film, television, contemporary art and more. She’s worked on a variety of high-profile projects including Barbie, And Just Like That…, and Los Espookys. She focuses on building an interdependent relationship between music and the story on screen. Read our full interview with Kira to learn more about her career journey and approach to film music editing.

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php