The Inaccessible Blog

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 6)

OK - so my fears were realised at last nights screening.  A good turnout but no buyers attended. Some European festivals whom unfortunately we will probably have to decline as they are before Rome. I will check in with three specific buyers who said they would come but didn't.  Also present were 3 journos Times lady, Guardian, and Screen International.  Not sure now if that helps as I think everything probably hinges on getting Edinburgh right and likewise UK. Onwards and upwards. Christopher Young Producer

http://www.seachd.com

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 5)

21st May 2007

Well the deal is now formally signed with Soda Pictures - over a very pleasant and very British cup of tea at the Grand Hotel, Edward Fletcher and I signed the Deal Memo.  So for the next 8 years the film in the UK and Eire belongs to Soda.

Another full day of meetings, but none have diminished my fear of a low turnout of buyers tonight.  In most cases buyers ask me for a screener and once again the importance of a competitive Festival screening with all the frills becomes clear.

Lots of good feedback out of Scotland on Sunday piece may help.

Stand by for 2200 tonight.

All will become clear tomorrow.

Or not - from past experience we may well get no immediate response.

What's great is that we can now  get stuck in to working on UK release.  Our first priority is to find a suitable Gaelic speaker as intern for Soda to spearhead PR on the film.  And start on the UK campaign.

More tomorrow.

Christopher Young
Producer

http://www.seachd.com

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 4)

20th May 2007

Today has been more like hard work.  No films until 23:00 when I went to Cannes festival 60 birthday film with 3 min pieces from 35 directors floor show with 33 of them there from Abbas Kirostami to Coen brothers with eveyone you can think of in between - all produced by Gilles Jacob.

This was followed by the RomeFilmFest party.  Judging by that we are in for a lot of fun in October.

Back in the real world I tramped round the Market meeting with potential sales agents and inviting them to screening tomorrow.  In fact, even the friendly and interested ones tell me that in Cannes they don't have time to attend viewings as they are too busy having meetings.

This makes me remember taking the Drambuie pipe band to Seville to record music for Festival and the pipe major telling me well into his cups that for him it was really not so much a musical rather a social thing.  This was clear from the fact that the band had started drinking from the minute they arrived and had been plastered most of the time they were here.  Which appeared to have no ill effect on their piping as they played like angels.  Embarassingly, hugely better than their sober Spanish counterparts.

Anyway, I think for the real film business professional Cannes is what you might call a social experience in very pleasant surroundings.

Ed Fletcher at Soda Pictures and I have now agreed the deal for UK in detail and we spent time finalising all this ahead of the press release which went out late Friday!

Good pieces about UK deal in Herald and Scotland on Sunday today and I will formally sign with Ed tomorrow.  It really is a great deal and Soda have such a good reputation that I am already getting excellent feedback

So as of yesterday (press release), today (meeting), tomorrow (signature) -  we have properly sold our first territory and it is arguably the most important one since it is our home territory.

According to my plan we are now ready to have meaningful contact with world sales companies.  I don't rule out doing individual deals on specific territories but ideally we will discover someone out there who has more expertise in international sales than Seachd's producer.

That has to be our next goal.

So half way in and 2 significant steps forward.

A UK release in the autumn.

A launchpad for the rest of Europe at Rome in October.

Roll on Toronto - let's hope they come tonight!

Christopher Young
Producer

http://www.seachd.com

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 3)

19th May 2007

Well, we now have our UK and Irish cinema distribution in place.  This is momentous news, of course - which I'll talk a bit more about it in my next entry - but our task at Cannes is to get Seachd out to the rest of the World.

Interviews with Radio France and France 3 today.  I guess it's live.  Will be fun as I get to speak French which I always enjoy.

I am still worried that we will not get important buyers coming as the volume of other films (2000 plus) is terrifying and we have no advertising in trades or anywhere for that matter.  I am surrounded by a constant steam of adverts for other films.

This is why being part of a selection within a festival makes so much difference.  Even films in In Certain Regard are not necessarily full screenings and they too get huge coverage in the trades and courtesy of festival.  Roll on Rome!

Met with Andrew Pulver of The Guardian yesterday and he was very interested in film.  Meeting Dahlia Alberge from the The Times today.  One of my meetings yesterday I met a guy from US sales outfit who claimed to be passionately interested in 12 Century Scottish history.  We'll see if he comes!

That's the only way to get publicity if you have no money for advertising - meet the journalists directly and get them to talk about the film.

Christopher Young
Producer

http://www.seachd.com

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 2)

18th May 2007.

Major effort to get up this morning but I managed to hit the water around 8 and swam to wake up.  Then a hearty breakfast and the obligatory 20 min running walk to get to the first meeting of the day. 

Inevitably late but this mornings pain all justified by last nights Romanian film 4 months 3 weeks 2 days.
Incredibly simple shot in classical long takes all around 3 stunning performances with great supporting cast.  Directors 3rd feature.

Suspect shot on HD but looks great washed out colours perfect  evocation of 1987 Romanian regime and personal tragedy within repressive state.  Totally compelling and incredibly powerful story around young girl having a late (almost 5 months) termination of pregnancy of course illegal with all attendant troubles.  Reminiscent of Dardenne brothers l'enfant in its relentless descent into the depth of tragedy.  Inspiring at every level.

Various meetings in day but managed 3 films as well as impressive Scottish Hallam Foe, mesmerising doc on Terror Judge Verges (clients include Pol Pot, Carlos, Djarmela, Klaus Barbie, and a new Russian masterpiece from the guy who did The Return.

A hectic series of calls with Scottish press re Rome festival invitation for Seachd so look out for Herald and Scotland on Sunday.

Still not enough people coming to Seachd screening Monday so I have to do a lot tomorrow on that.

Christopher Young
Producer

http://www.seachd.com

CANNES 2007 - Producer, Christopher Young, in Cannes (Day 1)

17th May 2007.

So one year on from shooting here I am in cannes to sell Seachd.

A good first day as I met Fabia Bettini from RomeFilmFest who invites us to compete in Alice nella Citta section of Festival in October.  We will be one of 14 films selected from around the world of particular interest to children.  Jury of children decide the winner.  This is a prestigious invitation and I enjoy accepting in Italian - Rome will cover cost of Producer Director and lead boy actor to attend.  They love Seachd.

Also checked in to Festival and secured ticket for new Romanian film in competition tonight.  There are so many screenings.  I am trying to be selective.  At least one film a day but probably will try to fit in 3 if I can
Trick is to go early and late as I have meetings scheduled morning and afternoon.

The bus ride from Nice and the long walk from my hotel to the Croisette are a clear reminder of my low budget status but the joy of cannes is that when the lights go down it really is about the films and not the money.

Swimming in the sea is also a good free option so my daily regime will also include at least one swim.  Todays was especially sweet in hot sunshine breathtaking scenery not too many other swimmers.  Much warmer than Skye.

I guess the real work begins tomorrow.

Christopher Young
Producer

http://www.seachd.com