Why Filmmakers Get Ripped Off By Film Distributors - Jeff Deverett
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- Опубликовано: 20 дек 2020
- Jeff Deverett is a producer, director, writer, and actor known for Full Out 2: You Got This! (2020), ism (2019), The Samuel Project (2018), Kiss & Cry (2017), Full Out (2015), King of the Camp (2008) and My Brother's Keeper (2004). Jeff's successful film and TV career began with distribution with New World Entertainment, Astral Communications, Anchor Bay Entertainment and his own company, Deverett Media Group.
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Why aren't entertainment lawyers hired to talk to classes of film school students just once before they graduate???
80% of film students won't even work in the field after graduation.
Helen Nickele wrote, “Why aren't entertainment lawyers hired to talk to classes of film school students just once before they graduate???”
This issue with film students also applies to art, photo, and journalism schools in my area. Schools are great at teaching art (and taking our tuition money!) and *massively negligent* in not providing their students with *substantive* real-life training in business and law. On the flip side, we have to remember that many art school professors are not skilled in business or law.
Nevertheless, there needs to be at least multiple courses in law (copyright, trademarks, registering copyrights, fair use, releases, contracts, etc.) and business (accounting, marketing, finding money to make films, negotiating deals, etc.) in any “art-themed” school curriculum.
Learning + understanding business and legal concepts is very much like learning a foreign language - you cannot learn it in a semester. Schools need to provide some form of business + law training nearly every semester to give their student a running chance as they begin their careers.
If your school is not proactive providing these critical skills, then you personally need to reach out to entertainment attorneys and Hollywood professional insiders and invite them to speak at your schools or at a third-party venue (libraries). I bet most entertainment attorneys would enjoy speaking to your film class for free.
With my community college’s photography, video journalism, and filmmaking programs providing students with *ZERO* legal training, I took the initiative and enrolled in evening legal studies classes (emphasizing in intellectual property/IP law) and that has made me a more astute (business) creative.
What distinguishes me from my photo/video competitors: I understand copyright and contracts really well - they don’t …and they tend to make bad deals! If I don’t understand a deal or a legal matter, I’m NOT shy, and reach out to one of the many professional photo associations or a local IP attorney for assistance.
Off-Topic: A billion dollar publisher reproduced my images without an updated license. With my IP legal training and pro bono help from a copyright litigator attorney, the publisher and I settle the copyright infringement dispute out of court + the publisher sent me a LARGE check! It REALLY helped that my images were *“timely” registered* with the US Copyright Office (USCO). Watch *JUST* the first 20-seconds of attorney Joshua Kaufman’s copyright video on why registering your creative works (films, photos, art, music, novels, etc.) with the USCO really, really count: ruclips.net/video/cBOKkrleY3Y/видео.html .It would be nice if schools would, at the very least, provide us with some copyright registration training!
*If you qualify (probably most film and creative students do), you can contact the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in your city/state to discuss your legal (business issues), either via pro bono or at reduced fees; they’re also a good source to speak to film students: **vlaa.org/get-help/other-vlas/*
Summary: *There’s a reason why it’s call show “BUSINESS!”*
You are their meal in a decade or so. If they do make that appearance it'll be merely to hand out their business cards.
The reason for this is films schools are an art school and they are too scared as a school to damage their connects with the film, distribution and corporate industries.
If they started to produce hardnose graduates the industry may turn on them or at least that is the perception.
they SHOULD. And they should make film school as tough to get into as law and medical school since showbiz is such a tough racket. You really have to WANT it.
Make sure you hire a great entertainment lawyer with experience dealing with clients in the business. Make sure to read your contracts and make it ESSENTIAL to know about the film BUSINESS and not just filmmaking. Don't let anyone control your fate as a creator.
Most productions do not have the budget for admin or legal representations. And the reason why this is the case is due to the fact that the vast majority of filmmaking is a creative art and not a business project.
When I analyse a business I can almost immediately tell if that start up business is going to fail or even if an established business is going to have problems.
I'm not Mr Show Biz 🎬 but if you make a feature film get producers, investors who are not 2 faced scumbags, $$$ a holes. I saw this first hand a few years ago; 2013. Be clear on the terms, deals, $, marketing. Dont deal with execs or wealthy people who are not concerned with making a good film or want to get streaming deals, film festivals, etc.
Wow. Awesome information
@@henryfairley7087 hahah came here to say the same thing , way to go @ajtaylor850!
This channel as a whole, and this guest especially, are TREASURES. This content is so great. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks Brian, we are doing our best. Love to see you finding value here.
My friend managed to get his movie distributed!.... By a company that did not have it in their clause to report any of the Sales of the movie. So the producer sold off the movie after 2-3 years of work, to a company that claims the film hasn't sold a single copy. Always read the fine print and don't say YES right away. Jeff's sage advice is golden
did he at least get a good advance on it or nah?
He may be the most reasonable man on the planet. His videos have been great! Definitely a highlight!
Glad these have found you Christian!
Film courage should have been around when I made my first film :)
Thanks Satish, we began our radio show / podcast in 2009 and here on RUclips in our current format in 2012.
This is priceless information. It's called "Show BUSINESS" for a reason.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received about this industry is that it's a business first and a creative outlet second.
Like the Tyler Perry interview, you have to be willing to walk away. Whether you're buying a car or selling your movie. You'll always be better off if you're willing to walk away. They can smell desperation a hundred miles away.
Only if you have tier 2 or tier 1 credit.
Blue Rabbit What’s that
@@ActronJimmy suffice it to say that people don't always have the option of walking away from a deal. People with bad or no credit will often find only a few places willing to deal with them.
@@Dogeathotdog1 True. But you can still act like you don't need the deal.
@@ActronJimmy lol. Pretend all you want. The only ones that care less than you do would be someone who knows 99% of their customers are people who can't afford to walk away.
I like his reasonableness and honesty. He makes me happy.
His body language says he's not so sure about "getting a much better deal" with the help of a "lawyer or consultant or something", though. About the interview as a whole, extremely helpful.
Mr. Deverett is one of my favorite speakers here. Every time I see him on your show I know I'm gonna get top information. Thank you so much for this channel and for inviting these knowledgeable guests onto your program!
Great to hear! We still haven't posted what we believe will be Jeff's most helpful video. Not sure when it is coming as there is a lot left to work on with this interview. Excited to share more.
@@filmcourage Please, take your time. No need to rush. It's been a crazy year for everyone. Definitely looking forward to it, though!
Same shite has been happening to the vfx and digital artists.
They are so excited to create the magic that they are willing to work for peanuts 🥜!
Look what happened with 'life of pi' vfx company.
Instead of getting paid royal money upfront at their feet, they had to live off crumbs and then go bankrupt.
This injustice with creatives has got to stop 🛑!
I have been writing screenplays for many years with no idea about distribution. I always thought, well a studio will make my movie and sell it. How wrong I was. My first movie was an idie, but luckily the producer had a distribution deal in place with a studio. This means the studio did not finance the movie, had nothing to do with production, but would distribute it...if they liked the finished product. So the producer got a deal memo that he could show to potential investors. I was told that they could never have raised the money, little as it was, without the distribution deal in place. And the deal was only in place because the director was known in the business and had some good relations. He had his ups and downs over the years but when I met him he was trying to get back on top so got this deal to do three small horror movies. I was hired to write two of them through some connections I had with the directors producing partner. I wrote them, they shot them, they were picked up and distributed worldwide through DVD sales and streaming. And I got two writing credits.
Film Courage is essential for any filmmaker and I am a Jeff Deverett groupie-I listen to EVERYTHING that I can find by him. Thank you both for your great transparency and commitment to assisting the independent film community!
I love watching Jeff. He's always extremely helpful and entertaining.
New one coming tonight....
great video FC, you guys are turning over rocks and shining light into corners that everybody else deliberately shuns. love yuh.
Thanks Alan, Jeff gave us an extraordinary interview. The best is yet to come.
Jeff is spot on on every point. Performance guarantees are an easy way to weed out BS distributors b/c they always balk at having to meet sales targets. In fact on my last film, I ultimately fired the initial international distributor by exercising my option when sales were lackluster.
"They hate me, because I'm one of them." Could I use that quote?
I used to do a one day seminar for UCLA about how not to get ripped off by your distributor.
Another amazing interview for all artists and filmmakers! Much appreciated! ❤🔥
Trade secret lol. We've been doing this since 2018. Linda does it, many sales agents do it. This is nothing new. The market has changed. New filmmakers are much more informed now. As a matter of fact, we don't even charge a marketing fee like others do. And our terms are for six months. Two years is ridiculous. What's the point of getting your movie back after two years? It'll be worthless anyway. There's so much content now because of newly available technology that any film older than a year is extremely hard to sell unless you have Brad Pitt in it. You have to bundle it which will lower the price significantly.
uv only been up on it for 2 years and your hating on this guys video for noobs? LOL
You should ask to come on this channel for an interview.
@Blue Rabbit: Who is we? If you don't mind me asking. Your comment is great btw.
A documentary has to be made on Jeff Devereff's Life... He's just one of the Unsung Hero I know now....
Some key things he mentioned that MOST filmmakers don't have when it's time for distribution is "leverage" and "a good movie". His strategy is spot on but only effective if you have at least one of those two things -- preferably both.
That doesn't mean you should give your film away or lose money doing it. If it takes them 10 years to distribute then that's 10 wasted years of your life
Having a product that is fit for the marketplace and then being confident in that product is a starting point.
Then understanding what sort of good deal you want to get is a primary outcome. If you do not understand what the deals/contracts mean to your project it is going to be difficult to actually understand the outcome.
Some projects end up being that 200 million dollar success story at the box office but they still make a loss as a production.
This video is so informative, on multiple levels. It answered a lot of questions I've had over the years too. The hidden side of these distribution deals. Thank you Jeff Deverett and Film Courage, for bringing this to light.
Every filmmaker needs to learn sales and negotiation.
Yes, if you want to make $ and have a CAREER as a film maker, dir. I know directors who only had 1 feature. 1! Why they did not push to get investors, studio & distribution who were supportive, honest is what hurts them.
Film courage might be the single best channel for filmmakers ever created.
I would pay money for this one. Ron Howard is a national treasure.
It's almost like you'd have to specialize in contract law.
basically, this is really stressvoll.
No you do not need contract law specialism but you need to understand the basics of business so that you are not overwhelmed by terminology or methodology.
Most people do not even understand basic statistics never mind their applications within business.
Most people would not even understand the basic concept 30% of 0 equals zero.
I was emailed by some random pop up online film festival to show my film on their website. The kicker was they still wanted me to pay them to have it on their website and they’d make the money. I’m sorry but you came to me. I flat refused.
I had no idea. I helped a young film maker make a distributable film and he took it to Gravitas and signed a bad deal. Lesson learned. When I make a film (soon) I will call Jeff before production.
Yeah gravitas got me too…🤦🏽
My first watch of this channel. Is the interviewer 'the channel'? Her questions are so on-point & exactly what newbs would want to ask & have answered.
A solid subscription hereby commenced! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Very educational video. Great to learn new information.
This is a great Interview with a lot of valuable information
Get a good entertainment attorney.
Greetings from Chile. Excellent interviews. Congrats. Love the Film Courage team whomever you are. Jeff should be teaching at some university. I would save up to assist to that course. Thank you Jeff for your knowledge.
Aww men! I can't say enough of how much I just learnt from this video. I'm currently shooting my first film and all that was shared in this video is a real gem. At least now I've a fair idea of what to expect and how to approach distributors. Thanks @filmcourage and Jeff Deverett
Thanks, love to hear it. Great to see you are out there shooting your movie. Keep an eye out for an upcoming video with Jeff entitled, "Why No One Wants To Invest In Your Movie." Anyone who has enjoyed our clips with Jeff so far has to check out that clip.
@@filmcourage Definitely looking forward to it. Thanks for the heads up
@@pasmac625
If you are producing your first film you need to accept that it is an experiment and that you need to test that experiment.
Good info here from Jeff. :). Luckily, I went from production, to 3 years in theatrical distribution, then back to production. It's been amazingly helpful.
"unless you are totally desperate" = 90% of indie filmmakers.
What did you learn from this video?
It tells me that first time filmmakers should go through the pain and hardship of their first feature film with a budget under $100K. It's not a lot to lose and lessons can be learned without too much financial fallout.
So long as the filmmaker didn't use their own money...
This is so true ...omg I hope I get to consult w Jeff Deverette. When you get to meet w pple you are excited ,but out of your league when they start crunching numbers.
Oh my God! Where do I begin, first of all there’s a lot to learn from this video whether you’re an experienced filmmaker or an unexperienced filmmaker The information given here is just too valuable. I will probably watch this video over and over and over until it becomes second nature to me. But here’s what I learned about this video I just realize just now that I don’t care if I ever make money with any of my films or videos! I do it because I’m a junkie addicted to filmmaking and writing. Whether or not I succeed I don’t care. I just want to write and film. It’s by the stroke of luck, I make any money out of any of my films , then God bless
Man, that's a great attitude! I just subscribed to your channel. If you keep going with that work ethic I know you're gonna be successful 🎬
The problem is that too many films are not good productions. And only the best of the best will make it and many will fall by the side.
The key is to make as many short films as you can but always have an ideal in mind of what you are trying to achieve as your final goal in terms of production. So what sort of films do you at some point want to be capable of producing.
Too many people have their own fantasy idea of what they want to produce but have no real understanding of the marketplace.
There needs to be an understanding that you are asking ordinary people to shell out their hard earned "dollars".
@@noteem5726wow thank you so very much !
@@bighands69 I absolutely agree with you! when I write script, I write it with the audience in mind, what would get them excited and how can I drive them to the theaters. if you read my scripts at Guillermopabon.com I think that you would agree. Now I'm addicted to filming, whether I'm successful or not, but videos like these are essential tools for individuals in this industry because you never know. I love learning about what to write, how to write it, how to shoot it, what you need and how to bring it to a level that would bring you attention. now if anyone looks at "ASSASSINS" on my youtube channel, yes I will be the first to say that that's a crappy film, from the audio to the colors and maybe the acting. but I was determined to finish this film only because I couldn't find anyone to film with me so I did it on my own, and OMG did I learned a lot! But if you look at the others like "INTERFICIENTE" you can see the growth and potential that I now have acquired through the years. and that education comes from videos from Film Courage !!!!
When I finally get my movie made, I want this guy to help me get it out there. It's gonna be a great movie too. You're guaranteed to cry through half of it, or I don't even want your money.
Very helpful, thanks!
O. My. Goddess!!! This information for free???? This doesn’t make sense. This is gold!!!! Thanks film courage and Jeff. Distribution company’s nightmare video😂😂
Glad it is helpful!
I can see filmmakers being eager to accept a deal even if it's a bad one. If you have union actors on board your project those residuals payments for actors kick in after a certain time period. You have to get it sold.
Making my second film now (short), this is phenomenal info!
The knowledge Jeff is providing is pure gold.
The number of Indy filmmakers making movies for $800k and getting offers for $200k MG is exceeeeedingly low. It was not, as he said, a “good” example.
Incredible content. Thank you!
Great word. Thank you
what a guy. i love it
with performance thresholds, what would be a good equation to figure these out? or more so some form of a rule or rules to apply it by. but i reckon this all probably shifts with your renown, the distributor’s renown, whether the film is good or great, and other similar factors.
I would say for any film producers/directors they should make as many short films as possible to learn their craft. Only quality productions that have commercial viability will succeed.
This guy is good! 👍
Valuable information, thanks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
Well what will a good look and sound like?
Great info and advice!
Jeff is a really good negociator !!
same for first time authors, publishers will take advantage of any eager authors.
this man is a legend.
Every indie filmmaker should watch this. This for posting this!
what do you all think about Deverett's advice of seeking to raise as much $ for marketing as for production in a post covid market (with the movie theater business largely scuttled) ?? Where will the $ shift? or WILL it shift? Novice in film distribution so take it easy on me if its a dumb question ;)
There are fewer than 10 distributors in LA that could put up a $200, 000.00 advance and actually pay it.
Which ones?
There are not that many indie films with a budget of 2 million out there. Films that have that sort of budget tend to have financing that comes with backup.
Raise as much money for marketing as for production. Got it. Thanks.
I'm trying to contact this guy he seems very knowledgeable
Good stuff
Thank you
Wow.... He inspires me
Good job Film Courage!
Tremendously interesting.
Mother of pearl... Gold
Cheers Loran!
Will Netflix will short films?
This guy does a heck a job selling himself. Amazing reciprocity pitch going on here for the uninformed.
10:50 is the sell, ‘I gave you all this free information but… its hard to do, so call me’.
This guy is gold !..
These Rock!
What a GREAT guy! :D
Beautiful.
Thanks for watching! Our full interview with Jeff goes up this Saturday at 5pm PST.
Jeff is the coolest.
this is a really good video.
12:30
this guy is awesome
U rock Jeff 🎸
What's the number???
Better Call Jeff.
9:17 our film is good because.....
One mistake, never split the difference.
He says “call me”, bro what’s your number 😭
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
It is exactly what I was looking for... 👌 Film distributors are not "evil" but they will take advantage of our ignorance 🙄... Hm...🙂 They know how to manipulate our emotions...🎬🥸
I ❤️this channel :)
THE BEST.
Corporations are greedy.
And artists can be unrealistic as well.
This was so good
Glad this one found you Joe!
@@filmcourage yes! I am learning so much from all your great content! I produced my first full feature right right before the Corona hit here and we are in post but I am lost now! 🤦🏿♂️🤦🏿♂️🧘🏿😊
Congrats on producing your first film right before shutdowns. We know a few filmmakers who were just lucky enough to have shot their films at that time. Definitely better to be in post now than wishing you had shot your movie. We know post can be grueling. You may relate to this video if you haven't seen it yet - ruclips.net/video/uT7-CnuF0wQ/видео.html Have to keep pushing forward.
@@filmcourage thank and I am watching it now!!
I will call you, Jeff I need help
The only way that any of these techniques will work is if the film is good and commercial. 95% of films are not good and not salable. And filmmakers know that.
He did allude to the film being good and commercial. He is not saying that a turd can be sold as a diamond with lots of polishing.
💎💎💎
This is some eye opening 💩
I will look for you in the future. I HAVE A STATEMENT I HAVE TO MAKE TO THE WORLD!
Very helpful. We are about to take the world by storm with my Co-Director Dana. 2022. #Halfchancettg
Brutal!!!🤣😂🤣👍🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
I like this guy.
Seems like he's had to cut his teeth.
Easier said than done
If any of it were easy everyone would be rich :)