First off, it turns out I am going to be doing another little world jaunt, from Tokyo to Canada, attending festivals with Gone Fishing, and running my 2 day masterclass while there. But, I had planned on running it here in the UK at the end of June, so the dates have now been pushed to June 4th / 5th at Ealing Studios. Can you believe I am running this workshop more overseas than I am at home! If you want to know more about this workshop, check here…
Last year, I took Gone Fishing to Cannes and we had a great screening in the market. I also shot a video blog and a ‘Guerrilla Guide To Cannes’ video which is part of the 2 day Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass, but I have decided to share it with the blog community now. It’s a guide to how the land lies in Cannes, for those who have never been.
One element on the masterclass is about getting professional, no matter what discipline you are in - and until you have visited Cannes to be a part of the sales experience, most film makers are simply unaware of how brutal and competitive film sales can be. You will see from some of the interviews with film students that I took, that their view of what to make next shifted quite dramatically.
We hope you enjoy the video, and as we will be having a big launch at Cannes 2010 (I can’t reveal what it will be just yet), and so we hope you this video inspires you to make the choice to come along next year – if you do, you can get two tickets for our party to kick you off!
Onwards and upwards!
Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
Chris - thanks for posting this video. Very helpful. Haven't been to Cannes yet. Is it a better market for independents than Sundance or Toronto?
Posted by: Mark Hall | May 18, 2009 at 05:14 AM
Thats what it all comes down to Nothing more than business. I loved the bit where (Chris) was walking towards the paramount room. The odds completley against you. Spielberg Lucas around somewhere. This time with possibly ten projects to hand, ready to go. Who knows, will fate step in? At least thats what I'd be thinking. Riveting real life stuff. A bit of a rollercoaster I felt. I don't think I would enjoy this in fact Im sure I'd feel like a fish out of water unless I was higher up in the heirachy. Then its different. But behind the glitz and glamour its all just a business A ruthless one at that and selling your product. The realisation that I will lose money if I made a film and would get ripped off. And yet there is within us a chance to overcome all the odds and to bring down the walls..
Posted by: Mark | May 18, 2009 at 09:13 AM