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Overviews of Major Markets and Festivals The following international-market overviews are far from complete. In fact, one could easily find one or two markets and/or festivals for just about every week in the year - dealing with just about every genre. We have chosen to highlight these markets based on our own experience as participants and the opinions of our colleagues. As you begin to explore the myriad markets that are available, more and more of the smaller, niche ones will begin to surface. We urge you to look at these carefully. Which buyers, distributors and producers attend? You can request lists of past attendees from the market organizers; contact them and ask what they thought of the event. How was it organized? Who attended? Were there buyers with the ability to make deals, or just those who screen programs? How were sales overall? What other events/venues were offered to participants? We also want to warn you about the costs involved. Not only will you pay the registration and/or market stand fees, but you'll have your on-site costs as well - travel, hotel, per diem. If you have a booth, you'll also incur design costs and other on-site technical costs that can wreak havoc with your budget. In most European countries there is also the VAT (Value Added Tax). This tax can range anywhere from 10-20% of your costs and is often not figured in to the listed costs of a market. Check this out carefully. You can't avoid paying it, but there are ways to get reimbursed for the VAT in some cases - although it may take 4-6 months to receive your check. Co-ventures, co-productions and pre-sales are increasingly important aspects of international markets because these days, funding for new programming often requires partnerships. However, it is important to remember that the core business conducted at most large and small markets is finished product sales. THE MIPS: MIP-TV and
MIPCOM Summary: The MIPS - considered the grand daddies of the international markets - can be overwhelming. Each year, 10,000 to 12,000 people attend who are buying, selling, co-producing and making deals. Players include the major commercial and public service broadcasters, cable casters, satellite distributors, production houses and independent producers from all corners of the earth. If you want to sell something, there's bound to be a buyer, but don't plan to retire on what you will make on the sale. Most major buyers are booked before they arrive at Cannes; this is why it's so important to set up appointments before you leave home. But acquisitions executives from new cable networks and direct-to-satellite services, especially from the developing countries, are looking for lots of product, so bulk is always better. The MIP markets have also established a legal center, so if you do make a deal, there are communications lawyers from several different countries ready to guide you through the intricacies of an agreement. However, before you sign anything, make sure your own legal counsel checks it out. In addition to the frenzy of buying and selling, both markets offer screenings, seminars and press conferences. The market simulations moderated by Pat Ferns, executive director of the Banff Television Festival, can be especially helpful to those seeking to enter the international co-production arena. In these simulations, producers present ideas in development to three representatives of broadcast agencies in order to garner reactions. Criticism may be harsh, but the wise producer will use it constructively as he develops his proposal further. For those in the audience, it is a good opportunity to learn what others are looking for in a project, either as a partner or a buyer. MIP Market Special Niche
Screenings Summary: The MIP markets have recently been extended. Special niche screenings organized by Reed-Midem are now held directly before each of the larger Cannes markets. Producers submit programs on video cassette, which are gathered into libraries. Buyers have the opportunity to browse through the libraries and select programs for screening in a carrel. At the conclusion of each day, producers are given the list of buyers who screened their programs, complete with contact information and buyers' comments about their interest in the film. The "registration" fees simply entitle producers to submit programs. There is little or no opportunity to interact face to face with the buyers during the screening process. The greatest value of the screenings is that they provide producers who attend the follow-up market (either MIP-TV or MIPCOM) with a list of "pre-qualified" buyers who might be interested in licensing their product. MIPDOC, which features documentary and factual programs, was introduced for the first time this spring before MIP TV. Dan Markim, executive vice president for Schlessinger Media, a division of the Library Video Company, raved about it. "As a buyer, the opportunity to view tapes without interruption or sales hype was unbelievable," he says. "In two days, I viewed 150 products. At other markets, I spend the majority of time trying to figure out from a sales flyer whether a show exists or if it is in development and if they have video/TV rights. Then I spend weeks trying to get screening cassettes." MIPCOM JR has gotten similar enthusiastic support from children's program buyers. Some exhibitors worry that buyers, having come two days early, will then leave two to three days early, without looking at other projects within the targeted genres or other projects outside the niche screenings. MIPASIA targets the vast Asian market. If that is your target, it is a worthwhile effort. This is generally regarded as a "smaller" market and many of the heavy hitters from the various corners of Asia still prefer to travel to Cannes, leaving the "local" market to more junior officials who often do not have authority to make deals. MONTE CARLO TELEVISION
MARKET Summary: This market, almost 40 years old, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity after a few down years. The 400-plus buyers who attend like the less-stressful pace. The physical layout (third floor suites in the Loews Hotel) and smaller attendance allows more time for screening and discussion. Because the screening salons are all in the hotel suites and include furniture and a TV/VCR, there are no fees for stand construction and decoration. However, hospitality costs for food and drink can add up. Although this market focuses on drama and formats (increasingly, international networks will buy the "concept" of a show and then revise it specifically for their audiences), it attracts documentaries as well. Buyers/producers also have the chance to explore co-production possibilities. In fact, deals are often initiated in Monte Carlo and culminated at MIP or MIPCOM. There is also a juried festival that runs concurrently with the market. Some distributors have started entering product in the festival to highlight their participation in the market. NATPE Summary: Historically a syndication market, NAPTE is fast becoming an international market place for all types of programs. Many people consider NATPE the other international market that's crucial to attend. The seminars are high caliber, and bring in commissioning editors, broadcasters and producers from major markets around the world. As with other markets, it's important to make your appointments before arriving. However, there does seem to be more opportunity to meet with folks on a catch-as-catch-can basis. As the market gets more popular, however, this casual atmosphere may change. Certainly, for those who are just venturing out into the international arena, this market is a more economical consideration, but don't expect miracles. As one executive from The Learning Channel noted to a group of European independent producers and distributors, "Don't come to the market expecting to hand me a script or video and expect me to make a decision on the spot. Do plan well in advance to send me all the relevant paper or video and then request a meeting during the market. If it is a project we are interested in, you can bet I will want to make an appointment to talk to you. Just don't plan to shove anything at me at the market, I'm too solidly booked and I can't remember it all." ARTS IN A NEW MATRIX Summary: An invitation-only opportunity for producers of arts documentaries. Cosponsored by the Ambassade de France, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Goethe Institute-Washington and Telefilm Canada. The goals of this intimate, three-day seminar are simple: fostering intercultural dialogue, laying the basis for arts-based documentary co-production development and opening new channels of distribution for these programs. In 1998, the organizers opened the competition to projects from countries other than those of the four original organizers. Projects must come with significant funding already in place and be true co-ventures. In addition to pitching projects, participants can look at projects from other producers and discuss what makes a successful international co-production. BANFF TELEVISION FESTIVAL Summary: The Banff Television Festival combines an international program competition with a conference attended by industry professionals from around the world. The festival features awards and prizes, including lifetime achievement awards for outstanding people in the television industry. Market simulations and more than 50 hours of workshops, panels and other meetings focus on issues that affect television programming, production and policy. The festival has been cited by many in the business as the meeting they would not miss. LONDON PROGRAMME MARKET
Summary: This preview market for UK productions is fast becoming an important one. Again, the slower pace, the ability to see programs in their entirety and the opportunity to meet with colleagues from the UK and other parts of the world all contribute to its appeal. This is not a market for sellers, but for those who seek product and want to begin to explore the co-production arena, it may be well worth the time and money. SHARING STORIES Summary: This small, intimate and important gathering of commissioning editors, producers, broadcasters, and funders is one of the best-kept secrets of all the meetings and festivals. It gives you a chance to meet others dedicated to producing good TV. One of the rules of the meeting is that once the sun goes down, no one discusses business. In the evening, you can either slink away with colleagues and break the rules - or embrace the spirit of the meeting and get to know your fellow attendees as real people. From such stuff co-productions are made. One highlight of this market: two or three commissioning editors ante up a cash prize to develop, on-site, a concept they feel will work either as a co-production or presale. They set out guidelines the first evening, and participants have two days to develop (or refine) an idea and submit it. The offering editors make the selection, and the award (usually for R&D) is given on the last day of the meeting. SUNNYSIDE OF THE DOC Summary: The Sunnyside provides a casual atmosphere in which to meet with international counterparts and get to know and understand the documentary market in other parts of the world. Jane Weiner, an American who produces in the U.S. and France, likens this market to a boutique where quality rules over quantity. "If you are interested in the full range of documentaries, this is the place to be," She says. Drinking a coffee in the warm Marseille sun, you may suddenly find yourself part of a discussion on international documentary production and marketing. The festival gives you the advantage of seeing a variety of documentaries from many different locations. You have the chance to discover what makes a documentary great in one market and less-than-great in another. ROTTERDAM MARKET FOR
EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS
Summary: The Beurs World Trade Center in the center of Rotterdam was again the setting for the second Rotterdam Market for Educational Screenings in 1998. The market is under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union and is modeled after the U.S. Educational Television Screenings, FirstView. It is the only market in Europe that focuses on educational and instructional television and video programs (preschool to adult). It offers two days of intense screenings, as well as a session on co-production, where ideas in development may be presented to educational broadcasters worldwide for co-production or presale consideration. Although the market is small by most standards, it provides a new and important service in an increasingly important niche area, education. Increasingly, broadcasters and cable casters are seeking "educational" programs and series to place in their schedules. No longer is education the purview of in-school programming. It's now a more widely defined informational approach that seeks to help audiences become better informed on specific issues: ecology, history, arts and culture, and much more. While some programs and series may meet specific curriculum needs within schools and universities, they are not limited to this more formal or targeted approach. At the Rotterdam market, you can see what works in other countries and cultures, and how you may (or may not) be able to adapt your product to meet specific approaches and styles. Initial reactions to educational programs can often be overly critical - the "it would never work in my country" syndrome. But further discussion often opens doors to exciting possibilities. Hopefully, the the audience ends up learning about a topic through the eyes of someone from another culture. If you're a producer of educational programs, the Rotterdam Market is a valuable place to explore co-production options. However, if you're serious about entering into such ventures, there is one element that you must remember: the need for flexibility. If you are committed to developing an international cooperative venture, you must be prepared to be where your potential partners will be, which often means figuring in heftier travel budget in the preplanning stages. As with any agreement, all parties want to be comfortable with their potential partners; you can't accomplish this in one meeting. FIRSTVIEW Summary: Although this conference is generally recognized as an instructional television screening, the first two and a half days of the meeting are devoted to the International Educational Co-production Seminar. For the past several years, producers from more than 18 countries have met to present educational co-venture concepts to potential partners from a variety of countries with myriad educational needs. It was not an instant success, but slowly and steadily, partners have begun to understand production and curriculum needs. The last few meetings have spawned several co-productions; "Democracy 2000", a seven-country collaboration that looks at the issue of democracy through the eyes of young people , will air in 1999. Other two-and-three country projects that began at the seminar are returning as offerings to FirstView participants. THE WORLD EDUCATION
MARKET Summary: Announced this year by the Reed-Midem Organization (developers of the MIP TV markets), this market is billed as an "annual trade show dedicated to the international business of education. [It] will be the first commercial forum for public and private sector players from all areas of education, serving learners of all ages, regardless of their location or choice of media - from educational institutions to at-home learning, from technical schools to workplace training, from books and television to the Internet." The definition of "education" is much broader than the one we recognize in the U.S. It goes beyond the traditional market, targeted to in-school television and curriculum-based telecourses, to include documentaries as well as history-based series designed for prime time. The market will offer opportunities to buy and sell product, as well as conferences on "doing business in education" and practical workshops on adapting content to reflect local needs and circumstances. While it's too soon to get precise information about the market, you may want to e-mail the organizers to get on a mailing list so you can be informed as plans progress. |