Essential Market Research for Filmmakers
Essential Market Research for Filmmakers
📚Production Solutions: Avoid Disaster and Find Your Audience
I’m not a big fan of cliches but this one fits the theme of this blog:
Look before you leap!
Based on our many years of production and entertainment industry career consulting, Julie and I often shake our heads when clients share the questionable or wonky ideas they have for new films and shows. We’re diplomatic when asked for an honest opinion about a project that someone plans to spend their time, money and energy producing, even when we truly believe it’s a non-starter.
To avoid financial and emotional disaster, we ask our clients to do the same kind of competitive analysis that a smart entrepreneur would do if they were launching a new business or extending an existing product line.
It may seem daunting, but doing your homework is worth the time, especially if you are writing, producing or directing an independent film or theater project. The competition is beyond fierce. For example, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival received 15,855 submissions, including 4,061 feature-length films, 10,978 short films and 545 episodic projects. Out of those thousands of projects, the Festival screened only 110 feature-length films from 37 countries, including works from 45 first-time filmmakers.
If a new project is in the works for next year, please read on for some practical and affordable suggestions on how to do a deep dive into market research. Before you do the research, ask yourself “who is my audience?" Who will want to watch my film or show?” If you don’t have a clear answer, you may be on the wrong path.
How to Research Your Competition:
Read the trades at least twice a week. There is a plethora of free industry information out there via news alerts– including promotions, firings, hirings, festival awards and distribution deals. Subscribe for free to alerts from Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. If they get in your way (because sometimes there are 50+ alerts each day), send them to your promotions tab or a separate email address. I like to scroll through them quickly once or twice a day.
Attend as many film festivals as you can. Read the program to see what made the cut. There are literally thousands of festivals—you can find one near you on Film Freeway. (New Yorkers! The New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center runs from September 27th to October 14th. The Gotham Week Project Market and Expo runs from September 30th to October 4th in Brooklyn and Manhattan.) Volunteering to work at a film festival is a great way to meet people and catch up on all the news and industry gossip, and track what’s finding an audience.
Listen to industry podcasts and interview shows. Some popular ones are: Crew Call, The Business and I Don’t Make This Stuff Up. Watching shows like Access Hollywood and other shows on E! are also informative if you are working on a more commercial project.
Join an industry organization and attend both virtual and in-person events. Volunteer to serve on a committee to make good connections and learn what types of content are selling.
I’m an active member of the Producers Guild of America and the international committee where I’ve made some excellent contacts. The PGA hosts in person film screenings and educational events in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.Julie and I are heading to Las Vegas for the American Film Market in November. We are looking forward to making new contacts. It’s worth the trip, especially since Julie is shooting an indie feature this month and I’m looking for contacts for the American version of my Remarkable Women television show. AFM is a major market conference with networking events, screenings, a Location Expo and workshops. (In 2017, I met my Finnish production partner at AFM in Los Angeles. Co-producing my series with her Finnish company enabled us to apply to Creative Europe for development funding for the EU version of the series).
It may sound daunting, but put together an informal focus group of people you know who aren’t in the entertainment business. In person or online, present a short version of your pitch or screen your teaser. Ask them if they would want to watch the film or show. Encourage them to share honest feedback either during the meeting or via a response form passed out and collected before they leave or log off.
Look up similar films to yours on IMDbPro to learn how they did at the box office (although this info is less and less available). A professional membership is costly, but worth the money. Or ask a friend who has a Pro account to help you out with this research.
Doing at least a few of the things listed above should help you avoid investing your time, energy and money in a project that will never find an audience. Successful people do not operate in a vacuum, especially when there is so much free information out there to explore.
