American Film Market Sets Conference Topics

Topics ranging from film finance, pitching, marketing, video on demand and micro-budget filmmaking are set for the American Film Market, taking place October 31 - November 7 in Santa Monica. AFM attendees from over 70 countries will take part in the AFM Conference Series, which takes place 9:15 - 12:45 daily from November 2 - 6. The AFM Conference Series launched in 2011 and sold out in its first year with more than 700 attendees at each event. "AFM is attended by industry leaders from more than 70 countries so the AFM Conference Series has a tremendous pool of experts and innovators to draw from." said Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance and managing director of the AFM. "This makes the AFM Conference Series unique and invaluable." Details on the events follow:

The 2012 AFM Conference Series follows with information provided by AFM:

Finance Conference, Friday, November 2

Leading CEOs, filmmakers, financiers and studio executives converge to explore the state of independent film financing, emerging trends, where the money is, new opportunities and incentives, and what the future holds.

Pitch Conference, Saturday, November 3

A good pitch can get a bad film made and a bad pitch can leave a terrific project languishing on the shelf. Pitching is part art (it’s creative), part science (needs to follow a tight script) and part salesmanship.  Conference attendees will first learn the essential rules and tools of pitching from the experts. Then, volunteers from the audience (you?) will pitch a panel of Hollywood decision makers. They will give unvarnished feedback on each pitch – saying what worked, what didn’t, and why. Warning: This session is not for the weak.

Marketing Conference, Sunday, November 4

Connecting with and engaging the audience in authentic, creative ways is critical.  Word-of-mouth and friend recommendations can make or break the box office results.  The gurus behind the most successful and innovative new media marketing campaigns discuss reinventing the marketing wheel, explore how the consumer can be the most effective marketing tool and reveal how to win over the broadest possible audience.

Video-On-Demand Conference, Monday, November 5

Video-On-Demand is a growing revenue stream for filmmakers and content providers.  Like the excitement of a gold rush, many hope for a future when all films are available worldwide and every film finds an audience.  Producers, distributors and platforms will come together to disclose who is making money, how they are doing it and what the future holds – separating fact from fiction.

Micro-Budget Conference, Tuesday, November 6

New and unconventional financing, marketing and distribution resources are proving very successful for Micro-Budget films.  Producers and distributors will reveal how to find the money, making the most of budgets, what distributors are looking for, reaching your audience and how these new tools are redefining the film business. 

The 2012 AFM Conference Series will be held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel (101 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica).  For additional information, visit their website.