I have really enjoyed reading through your site. I have not commented before, but this post hit close to home and I am proof that what you say is true.

I wrote, produced and directed my first feature, The Significant Other, which is a super micro budget rom com with no big name talent. According to most, this should have been the kiss of death, but it was picked up by Imageworks Entertainment and is actually doing pretty well. It should release Xmas 2011.

It received several other offers for distribution and the general feed back was that the story and the production value was solid and the movie was commercially appealing on a very wide basis.

Based on this experience, I encourage other indie producers to really focus on the story, the production value and the actual talent (rather than the name) that they cast and make a good movie rather than a bad movie with a big name star. So good to hear you reinforce this.

Shalene

I thought about this comment thread for a while, ran it through my experience filter and realized, much to my chagrin, that BrianMathewKowalchuck (hate to see his LAST name) was right, it is the marketing that’s most important. But here’s the thing; in my limited experience, the buyers don’t want to see YOUR concept of the marketing platform, they want to see something that THEY can market. You’re not going to be selling the movie in their market and they believe that they know their market better than you possibly could, you stupid American.

And since buyers tend to be pretty unimaginative, sadly, the thing they can market usually turns out to be the star. As a writer, I can say without hesitation that they don’t give a rat’s ass about the quality of the script – half the time they don’t even need to know what the story is, as long as it’s in what they consider to be a hot genre. But the attachments are everything. And by attachments, I mean actors. And it doesn’t have to be an A-lister either. For some reason, Woody Harrelson (a good actor, no doubt, but c’mon) is money in Europe.

I want the script to be more important, but it just hasn’t been, so far. Maybe – and I wouldn’t doubt this for a minute – Jeff hangs with a much more sophisticated breed of buyer than I’ve been exposed to. I hope so, mainly because I hope they exist, but so far, that vaunted, sophisticated European taste hasn’t really shown up; in looking at American movies, they seem to assume the worst, and just plan to market them to the lowest common denominator of their audience.

I am thinking (aloud) really hard as to why I go see the films I do… It has to first be the marketing. I see the trailer and the commercials, the posters, the ads on facebook… these things introduce me to the films. Without this marketing, or compelling marketing I wouldn’t be made aware of the film.

For me at least, then I want to see a great story. So what’s the story? Is the plot going to original, creative, show great despair/ triumph… How is the hero going to deal in the new world, what are the rules of this strange new place.

Then it may be a tie between “director” and “actor”. So hard for me really say. I want to say director – but then again I do want to see a star I recognize dealing in the elements the story provides. No – its director/ producer. It has to be. The visual story telling, the production value, the performances by no name actors and stars alike.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by vdovault: RT @FilmClosings: Star Power Is Anything But.: http://wp.me/pMHgy-5H...

I really respect your help and willingness to open the conversation so CLARITY and Insight can be shared and better understood…Wisdom is a valuable gift and when the details of this business are shared…it is sincerely helpful…and Valuable…
and priceless…:)

It would be great to work with you on a project or many…:)

Sincerely
Sirtony

In smaller, niche markets, Name Talent will help make the deal, of course. Especially in foreign sales. But I’m pretty sure foreign sales are driven by genres, once you get past the studio tentpoles. (Jeff would probably know more about this.)

The script doesn’t become truly entertaining until the production values are added. Acting Performances and Cinematography are the primary production values.

Again, for me, a script is written for the screen. In other words, it should be written to play better off the page. So I think producers should be careful in assessing a script simply by the words on the pages.
Particularly if they want their film(s) to generate serious revenue.

The Other Two: Director and Producer, are also major considerations, perhaps even equal to the Triumverate Three. However, the Other Two can’t be included in the Triumverate because of the definition of the term, which allows only three.

Given a choice of the three in the original Triumverate, and ALSO the Other Two, I would take the Marketing Platform.

Because a great Marketing Platform gives your film the true primary element/attachment necessary for financial success.

This opinion, of course, is based on the supposition that a film’s value is measured by it’s financial success. If financial success is not the measure, then it doesn’t matter what the components are.

I think you need both a compelling marketable story AND star power meaning a genre actor in their known genre. You must have the good script, but after that is established the next question is going to be “So, who’s in it?”

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