Industry Turmoil, Cannes Opportunities, & Picking Apart Projects

PLUS what levers are you pulling in times like this?

Honestly it feels like so much is going on right now - all manner of things from Cannes prep to writer strikes to production companies evaluating their business models in lieu of all this and wondering what to do next. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Can you relate?

Is there nothing but opportunity or just pure resistance all around? If you’re a non-WGA writer are your projects and meetings getting cancelled or is your phone ringing off the hook? Are completed scripts in hot demand or are reading piles already runneth over?

I’m curious to see what Cannes brings! I’m going with an open mind and glass half full optimism and ready to pounce on new market opportunities as I see them. And of course I’ll be reporting back right here with what I find out.

Which brings me to…

Cannes Deep Dives

One thing you can start doing today and is a great exercise whether you’re going to Cannes or not is to deep dive into the films that are announced in the trades and pick apart their financing plans.

I was reading through a couple announcements today and as I looked up all the financing companies listed as part of a single project, it was all debt players…. and I’m thinking, with a single pre-sale plus all debt, how on earth did they get this movie made? 🤔 I’m sure there must be some equity in there somewhere but it boggles the mind and of course the equity player isn’t listed :) For obvious reasons lol.

You can always cross-reference these projects on IMDB and glean even more info. Search for interviews and podcasts with the filmmakers. I recently did this and came away with all kinds of intel on a specific project I was picking apart because the director was super transparent about how he put the financing together and who the players were. I was able to act on some of that intel for one of my own projects and gained a new financing contact this way.

So it pays to spend time in research mode! Question everything. Ask for clarification where you can, or start a discussion in our FS Pro community where we tackle deep dives and ‘pick-aparts’ I more detail.

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Levers

What levers are you pulling to build value in your projects and move them forward during a time of great turmoil in our business?

A couple of big value-adds I’m working on…. always cast of course as it’s probably the biggest lever and happens to be in my wheelhouse, but second to that is focusing on specific audiences and communities of fans…. whatever you do, don’t underestimate the power of fandom in all its forms! And then leverage that for building value down the line in the life cycle of your film.

I’d love to hear what levers you're focusing on? Hit me up in the comments below.

That’s it for today - have a wonderful day ahead and I’ll speak to you again soon.

To your success,

Stacey

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