Distribution: What Film Distributors Really Want

Every day, Australian distributors are contacted by local filmmakers with all kinds of ideas, styles and budgets, hoping that their projects will get picked up. Few succeed. While some elements – an engaging story with the potential to capture the attention of an audience – should be obvious, there are certain things that distribution executives want producers to know in order to make the best out of that first contact. This is their advice.

BE REALISTIC
“As a producer, you need to know what you can realistically expect deal-wise from a distributor, which rights you are giving away and who does what.

Be realistic about your project. Comparing your film to lighting-in-a-bottle successes like Slumdog Millionaire or Lantana isn’t compelling enough. A producer once pitched her project by saying “This is a tiny art house movie and you won’t make much money, but it will be amazing and your risk is low”. And we got involved.” Andrew Mackie, Transmission Films

“You need a specific target audience. The worst thing a producer can say to a distributor is ‘this film is for all people 8 to 80’”. Robert Slaviero, Hoyts Distribution