Alexandra Canal reports on Yahoo FInance that Streaming has turned film financing ‘upside down’: ‘It’s VOD or die,’ says lawyer.
She quotes Schuyler Moore, entertainment attorney at Greenberg Glusker:
“Content is not king. Distribution is king.… If you go back 10 years, the studios had all the power, because they controlled the distribution…. Studios are on their knees. They got no clout at the table because anybody can produce. The whole world is upside down, particularly for the studios.”
His advice:
- Team up with producers known to the streamers.
- Have a realistic budget.
- Sell your film upfront (or finance the contract) to make the movie.
She quotes him:
“Most films lose money. This is a losing business, don’t do it, especially if you don’t have a pre-sale to a streamer. But if you can sell to a streamer, then you get your premium. You’re not going to get a share of the net profits. There is no back-end payment, but you’ll get a significant premium and will walk away with some cash.“
My take: it seems there’s always somebody in between my movie and my audience!