Red Sox... Yankees... and The American Film Market. Trust me, it's sorta related.

I'm a passionate guy... and I mean that in the way that I get really caught up in what I believe in. When it comes to film, I've been in so many arguments about what's good, what's bad and why, that my more "mainstream" friends were almost afraid to ask my opinion on movies. I'll defend indie horror tooth and nail and I usually talk shit about big-budget, pablum for the masses, Hollywood crap. Really, I can feel adrenaline release when someone talks shit or laughs about the films that I clock so many hours watching. Now, I've come to realize that I need to let these things go and I've been a far more relaxed person of late... I mean, at the end of the day, what you like... you like. What I like... I like and if you don't like it, oh well. However, I'm also a sports fan. This is a tougher thing to be passionate about. In film, one filmmaker versus another filmmaker is totally subjective. However, in sports, one team succeeds at anothers peril. It's just the nature of sport. A winner produces a loser. So, in full disclosure, I'm a baseball fan and loyal member of Red Sox Nation. Everyone that I know, knows that. So, when the Red Sox nemesis and arch-rival, The Yankees, won the World Series a few days ago... I heard about it. A lot. And people didn't hold back. It's been a couple days and I'm finally settling down, but I'm still replying to scathing emails and posts on my Facebook wall... however, I'm going to drop it now and look forward to next season... and I do still have an NFL season to worry about in the meantime.

Anyhow, my spare time over the last few days have been dedicated to replying to friends and family that are Yankees fans. (My parents live right outside of New York) I just replied to someone a few moments ago and thought, that's it. It's over. I'm not going to retort anymore... Then, I stared at this blank post. Before just closing it up and forgetting about it, I decided to peruse some sites that I frequent and I realized that AFM is coming up. It got my mind off baseball and got me thinking. Now, for those of you that don't know about AFM, I'll cut and paste some information that I made up last year:

The American Film Market, or AFM as they like to call it, is coming up this November 4 - 11 (those are updated, 2009 dates) in Santa Monica and I thought I'd just tell you about it. It's an annual event that attracts over 8,000 industry people for eight days. Participants from over 70 countries converge in Santa Monica to buy and sell distribution rights for completed films or to gain financing for projects in various stages of production. It's not a festival, it's more like a massive tradeshow. If you attend, you'll be in the company of acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, press and an array of other people who provide services to the industry. Long and short, unbelievable networking and a wicked opportunity... however, that, of course, comes with a cost. A one day pass costs $275, a pass for the full eight days costs $895. That's a lot of money. Personally, I'd go down to Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and/or the Le Merigot Beach Hotel, where it's all held, and hang out in nearby bars and restaurants... probably bars. You're sure to get people coming in for a beer or lunch. Save the $275 and spend it on drinking. It's a no-lose proposition.

When it comes to The Red Sox, I'm always reading books, going through websites and keeping up on all the current events. (Twitter is awesome when deadlines approach, by the way) Look, I'm a fanatic. Now, I do the same thing with indie horror because, well... not only do I aspire to be a professional, I'm also a fanatic. Not only do I read up on the indie horror sites, read books on the industry and watch as much as I can, I also look forward to Monday, when I look through all the new releases that are coming out that week... I also look forward to seeing what's screening at festivals, as well as seeing what people are trying to sell. And so should you. If you're even mildly interested in screenwriting or filmmaking, you need to keep an eye on what other people are doing and what's selling. Now, what's cool about AFM is, you can look through all the films that are on the market, as well as what's screening, and read about their status. Here's a link to their online film catalogue. So, go through the AFM site and look through that catalogue, it'll give you great insight into what the market's like and what other people are up to. It's great research.

So, there you go, enjoy... and have a great weekend. We'll be back on Monday. Go Packers!

Linkapalooza - October 21, 2008: Horror Bucks The "Pricey" Trend

It's been a while since I did a Linkapalooza and looked at what's going on out there in the industry... so, here's a few things to take note of:

Priciest films the most profitable, says study on THR.com: Now, this will show you how insane Hollywood truly is. Well, in my mind, anyhow. Long and short, this article says that "animated films have the best average profitability", by contributing "an average net profit of $230.6Million". It goes on to say, after analyzing 1,000 or so films, that "the two priciest segments surveyed showed the best profitability." What are the two priciest segments? Animated and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Third, by the way, is Family. By any chance, could those be the most profitable segments because they reach the broadest audience? Animated, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Family movies are films where a couple of parents take a bunch of kids... and the kids usually like to see the movie 10 times, then buy the action figure. By the way, Sci-Fi/Fantasy isn't "AVP2", it's "Star Wars" or "Transformers". Could it be that the "priciest films" are "the most profitable" because you're throwing your money at the biggest money making segments? Also, I think it's fair to say that the bulk of those profits came from a handful of films, they're definitely not ALL profitable. Anyhow, two conclusion points here, one... it just seems to me that they're justifying spending a shit-load of money and trying to prove it to their financiers with a "study". Two, they do offer this one tidbit, which is VERY interesting from the perspective of an indie-horror filmmaker. They say there's ONE exception to the "costier-is-better premise". Horror. "Horror had the best results when produced for $10Million or less". For me, that says that horror fans don't need a glossy, polished film, they just need a good film. Remember that... when you're making your film for a fraction of $10Million... or a fraction of a fraction.

Sci Fi, RHI ink pact for five telefilms on, once again, THR.com: This link is for you Sci-Fi Original fans, I know you're out there! Just for you, it's a peak into the future! RHI Entertainment produces a lot of the Sci-Fi Originals and they've just been tapped to make 5 more. The article actually goes through all five films... Personally, I'll be looking forward to "Alien Western", where monstrous buglike machines from another world attack an Old West town in the 1890's.

The American Film Market on ifta-online.org: The American Film Market, or AFM as they like to call it, is coming up this November 5 - 12 in Santa Monica and I thought I'd just tell you about it. It's an annual event that attracts over 8,000 industry people for eight days. Participants from over 70 countries converge in Santa Monica to buy and sell distribution rights for completed films or to gain financing for projects in various stages of production. It's not a festival, it's more like a massive tradeshow. If you attend, you'll be in the company of acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, press and an array of other people who provide services to the industry. Long and short, unbelievable networking and a wicked opportunity... however, that, of course, comes with a cost. A one day pass costs $275, a pass for the full eight days costs $895. That's a lot of money. Personally, I'd go down to Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and/or the Le Merigot Beach Hotel, where it's all held, and hang out in nearby bars and restaurants... probably bars. You're sure to get people coming in for a beer or lunch. Save the $275 and spend it on drinking. It's a no-lose proposition.

In closing, I'll leave you with a couple of Fewdio Horror Shorts that I haven't mentioned yet...