SE P T E M B E R/ OC T O B E R 2 0 1 2 A F M ( C o n t i n u e d ) “Sales, especially in 2012, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year business. We’re doing sales in May, September, March — it doesn’t matter what time of the year. But I think it’s important to have some face time with your buyers. Most of our buyers probably appreciate being able to come to Santa Monica in November, when winter is setting in their parts of the world,” said Imagination’s Goebel of AFM’s timing. “I know this has been almost an annual question that’s come up from some of the members, but we’re very satisfied with where it is,” he added. of digital media and sell through,” Shapiro added. With that messiness comes uncertainty, as Breakthrough’s Cordoni noted, “I am cautious of placing our movies on platforms that cannot offer us a case study of revenues.” In addition to the aforementioned screenings, organizers have planned a number of events to keep participants busy. The AFM Conference Series will be held November 2-6 from 9:15a.m.- 12:45p.m. daily. Topics will include finance, pitching, marketing, video-ondemand and micro-budget. For the Finance Conference on November 2, CEOs, filmmakers, financiers and studio executives will discuss the state of independent film financing, emerging trends, new opportunities and where the money can be found. Participants will also predict what the future has in store. The Pitch Conference will instruct attendees on the rules of pitching, and volunteers will pitch a panel, who will give feedback on each pitch, dissecting what worked, what didn’t, and explaining why. On November 4, the Marketing Conference explores the concept that the consumer can be the most effective marketing tool. Participants will learn strategies for winning the broadest possible audience. The Video-On-Demand Conference on November 5 will examine the growing source of revenue for content providers and filmmakers. The conference will look into who is making money off video-on-demand, how they’re making money and what may happen in the future. During the November 6 MicroBudget Conference, producers and distributors will share how to make the most of budgets, explain what distributors are looking for, and show how to reach the audience. Plus, the AFM Industry Conversations, which feature interactive discussions led by Hollywood’s thought leaders, decision-makers, experts and trendsetters, will return this year. Last year’s participants included Rob Reiner, Selma Blair, Kevin Pollak, Lauren Shuler Donner and Rodrigo Guerrero Rojas. This year’s speakers will be announced this month. So, are these sales patterns being influenced by technological advances such as streaming, mobile devices and VoD? The overwhelming answer was, “yes,” but the degree of change varies domestically in the U.S. and internationally. “Those rights don’t generate as much revenue yet internationally as they do in the U.S. In the U.S., it is changing the revenue model. Internationally, it is much slower,” said Shapiro. “The growth in North America has been astronomical compared to the rest of the world…We have definitely seen a downturn in DVD sales. It hasn’t really happened yet internationally. We’re facing a DVD world that’s declining and a VoD world that is growing slowly. We’re not seeing the same revenues we were able to make with DVD yet,” Goebel explained. Opus’s DuBow added, “Eventually, digital delivery methods will dwarf DVD sales. Every year it just keeps getting bigger.” And it all seems a bit messy, as “TV broadcasters want to protect themselves against mobile, and DVD buyers also want those rights because A view from the floor (Continued From Page 16) V I D E O • A G E 18
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