2.Main Content
Training
BOOT CAMP CANNES 2007
Will you be part of the crowd at in Cannes this year?
Tuesday 15 May from 10am-1pm
at The Script Factory, Central London
Attending Cannes can give access to a wealth of resources that can inspire and equip filmmakers to advance their projects and their careers. It can also be an ego crushing experience. This seminar is designed with the objective of assisting filmmakers attending the Cannes Film Festival to recognise the opportunities that the event provides and to capitalise on them. Led by Cannes veteran and former head of Miramax Films Australia, Victoria Treole, it aims to provide the information and advice that will assist filmmakers to maximise the benefit of their attendance.
The seminar is structured to address the needs of 3 categories of filmmaker:
• Emerging - ie with short film experience - filmmakers with a future who are attending the festival for professional development
• Producers with developed feature projects seeking pre-sales ie filmmakers who have worked in short, documentary and/or tv drama but without significant feature experience who are attending the festival to source finance for a developed feature project
• Producers with filmed projects (in post or completed) looking for sales agents and sales
Each participant will receive a Boot Camp Cannes 2007 Guide giving practical information on doing business and staying alive for 2 weeks on the Cote d’Azure.
Cannes practicalities: who are all these people, what are they doing here, should I be meeting with them?
This session covers the essential practical information on accreditation, festival and market structure and operational tips.
The introduction explains why most normal people cry at least once during their first festival, identifies the basic currency of the festival and outlines the practicalities of watching movies, meeting the right people and knowing what to say when you do
Materials and strategy or how to give yourself the best chance of securing the right company for your project
Whether you have a developed feature screenplay or a completed movie for which you are attempting to secure a sales agent or sales it is critical that you are well prepared for the festival. Which materials are necessary and which are not? Should you send materials out before the festival or take them with you? Should you try and set meetings up with acquisitions executives before the festival or plan on bumping into them at a bar or a party?
With every sales agent and distributor you are competing against the best projects from the UK and the rest of the world. How can you identify the most appropriate company to represent your project AND how can you gain the attention of its executives in order to have a chance of securing a sales or distribution deal.
What are the materials required and the strategic approach needed for producers seeking pre-sales or seeking to sell a completed project and what needs to be done before getting on the plane to Nice.
How to capitalise on 2 weeks with 30,000 global film industry professionals staying within a 2 sq kilometre area
Cannes is about movies and meetings. It’s easy to meet people but it’s important to meet with the appropriate people from reputable companies likely to be interested in your project. How do you identify the companies that may be interested in your project and which people within these companies are the right ones to target? How do you implement your strategy and deliver your pitch? The unspoken protocols of presenting your project whether as a pitch, as a trailer or as an invitation to a market screening.
How does the world of independent acquisitions work and how can participants give themselves the best opportunity of beginning to develop working relationships with other filmmakers, sales agents, acquisitions executives and production executives from round the globe. Whilst specific to Cannes we will provide an understanding of the context within which industry professionals evaluate projects whether from Scarborough, West Norwood or Sydney.
Marketing Feedback Sessions
In addition to Boot Camp Cannes, a limited number of 30 minute 1-1 sessions are available on Tuesday 15 May, from 2–6pm, to provide commercially focussed feedback on marketing materials and festival strategy. If you’d like a 1-1 session you need to submit the following materials to us by 4 May:
• 1-2 page prose treatment of the story
• a project history, concise
• filmographies of the creative team
• selected other promotional material including websites
Participants in the marketing feedback sessions will also receive a copy of the Boot Camp Cannes Guidebook for 2007
Boot Camp Cannes / Marketing Feedback Session Tutor
Boot Camp Cannes is the brainchild of Cannes veteran and former head of Miramax Films Australia, Victoria Treole.
FEES:
Boot Camp Cannes - £50 (incl.VAT)
(Script Factory Member price - £45)
1-1 Marketing Feedback Sessions - £30 (incl.VAT)
(Script Factory Member price - £27)
To secure your place email jeni@scriptfactory.co.uk or call 020 7323 1414 - and to find out about Script Factory Membership, click here.