WHY DO SO MANY FILMMAKERS SHOOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT ?

I have this morning received in the post a letter, sent first class, and containing an expensively produced and printed flyer from two filmmakers.

This beautifully designed sales sheet contains lots of relevant information and great reviews. The accompanying letter is not so well presented but the content is well written and catches the reader’s attention which is all good.

Sending a letter is a smart move. Most distributors look at all letters these days as they are rare, whereas we are all swamped with emails and so many get lost. I receive over 4-500 per day. LIONSGATE and eOne must get several thousand each and every day. 

However.

Yes, there is a however,  this one is addressed Dear Guerrilla Films. This is not only spelt incorrectly but they have not spent the time to find out my name. This would have taken, at the most five minutes to discover.

What this tells me is that they have blitzed the same letter and details to every single UK distributor and possibly sales agent. 

Now all of us know that filmmakers go to everyone but we all like to carry on with the illusion that we have been sought out because we are special. We are, as surprising as it may seem, human. To put this letter into context of one private life; it’s like being asked to be someone’s date at the May Ball but then finding out that they have also asked 83 other people at the same time.

I am not taking on any film's for distribution now unless I am involved in the production, Alex Gibney's ZERO DAYS and Edwina Forkin/ Len Collin's SANCTUARY aside, something most sales agents know yet even I am still offered several hundred films a year to consider for distribution. One senior UK distributor told me recently that his company is offered well over 100 new films per week from around the world. That's over 5,000 per annum. 

Over the years I have discussed with other distributors approaches filmmakers make. I have passed on this information over the years in books, talks, panels and this blog but still the same mistakes are made over and over again. Every in sales and distribution deluged by requests to consider films. In Cannes one year I was with a group chatting about how we select and reject films. No1 on the top of the list for a swift rejection was the communication that said Dear Sir/ Madam or Dear Guerilla Films.

If the filmmakers who wrote to me today had written -

Dear David, or better still as they don’t me, Dear Mr Wilkinson,

We loved what Guerilla Films did with xx, especially the poster or something. This is very similar to our film xxx and therefore we were wondering if you would kindly consider taking a look at this at your earliest convenience to see if it is something you would like to handle......or something like that. I would have at least been flattered into watching the film. 

Filmmakers spend years and years and years developing, raising the finance, producing and editing their films but then in this case they shoot themselves in the foot by NOT doing a simple five minutes’ worth of research. 

I am afraid this is a mistake made over and over again. 

It’s a buyer’s market. No one actually needs another film. You really need to stand out in every way. The letter sent to me today I am afraid will be binned. 

Sometimes some filmmakers really are their own worst ememies.