I'm just entering the post-Cannes slump (managed to keep it off for a few days this time!) so I figured I'd type up some of my take-aways from this year's festival. Apart from unreliable accommodation, train strikes and a bomb scare at Nice Airport, it went pretty well. The following points may be of interest:
1) WndrCo is forking out a whopping $125k per minute for short form content with premium talent attached (and I would assume demonstrable high production values).
2) Hulu is set to take on Netflix by launching in overseas territories as a direct competitor by the end of this year.
3) AFM is launching a VoD service for exhibitors targeted towards buyers to save time and money at the market by running alongside it's screenings. At the moment the guide price will be circa $400 per film, which is a bug saving compared to traditional screenings.
4) The first few days of the Marche du Film are for buying and selling through existing contacts. The second week is now the best week for capitalising on fresh contacts.
5) The Cannes Short Film Corner now only operates during the second week of the Festival (the same space being occupied by the VR Corner during the first week), and short film festival passes are only valid then.
6) Pre-sale driven international films are in decline (but I think we'd all noticed that anyway).
7) 4K filming is now the bar, especially if you want to attract a distributor like Netflix.
8) Blockchain technology is here to stay, however government regulation is a good five years away.
9) The Short Film Corner is a great place to engage with new, up and coming talent.
10) Le Petit Majestic wasn't as busy as in previous years, so there were less people to network with of an evening.
11) Less advertising dollars were spent on the promotional billboards along La Croisette.
12) Solo: A Star Wars Story was a better film than I thought!
How did it go for everyone else who went? What were the main trends that people noticed emerging from the market? And who managed to come away without blisters? :)
Personally I feel like I could do with a holiday after that week...but there's work to be done between now and AFM... :-o
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Forgot to tell you my middle name is Athena. I guess that naming me after one Goddess was not enough for my Greek Father :).
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Thank you Adeel Arshad !
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Thank you for watching Diana Becronis Martwick and for the kind feedback! I read your bio - what an adventure, and congrats on following what you wanted!