70% Gospel for Foreign Sales Estimates
by Jeff Steele (www.filmclosings.com/NOTE: Film Closings Inc. will review only projects over $3m, and Magnet will only consider projects over $10m, but please no unsolicited materials.)
PRODUCER: Hey Jeff, I’ve got an awesome $10m sci-fi project.
JEFF STEELE: How much is foreign?
PRODUCER: $6m, but it’s really more of a domestic play anyway.
JEFF STEELE: Yeah well, they all seem to be domestic plays when they're made for the wrong price.
PRODUCER: What!? Really!? Explain.
In the beginning, there were foreign sale estimates, and they were good…
These estimates are such a fundamental truth of goodness that it’s worth bolding: 70% of your budget should be covered by the gross-take-value (gtv) of your foreign sales estimates. And if you don’t, your film budget will be adjusted downward. And, you can’t fool me, I know what your thinking, “Jeff, don’t worry, I’ll just shop around for a sales agent that will give me my magical numbers.” Problem is your magicians won’t be able to deliver. So, to be smart about it! I prefer to recommend 75%-80% (gtv), due to the steep discounting lenders apply to presale contracts today. But 70% should be all film projects’ gospel. Why? Because, to mitigate your domestic risk to an acceptable one, you’ll need :
1. Elevated foreign values
and
2. Tax credit benefits and pre-sales
Don’t delude yourself, the domestic market is saturated with product right now (I’m sure you’ve heard of the $20m direct-to-videos) — the less reliance on the United States the better.
The 70% gospel has spoken; the gospel is good.
4 comments:
Another good one!
Is it correct to assume that you're going off the high foreign estimates (not middle or low) when determining gross-take-value?
@razor films. It's just the opposite actually, you want to go off the low foreign estimate. High and Middle are meaningless. I asked Jeff Steele for you off his blog at filmclosings.com.
Yes, always work from the lowest as they may be all you will ever see -- if that. Good luck!
Post a Comment