Are international ‘gurus’ doing their homework?
When questioned about the local market, visiting ‘gurus’ are often vague in their response. Why? Most of them haven’t done their homework; they’re here to talk about themselves and their places of origin, but should they do a Google search before boarding their LAX-Sydney flight?
Peter Broderick is a familiar face at SPAA Fringe, where he has spoken for – at least – the last three years.
While he always has something interesting to say, it is unclear whether Broderick does his homework by studying the Australian market and what’s been done here. The numerous case studies he covers in his presentations tend to be US or European-based.
For example, last Saturday he spoke about the crowd-funded sci-fi parody Star Wreck, created by Finnish director Samuli Torsonnen, and his current film about Moon Nazis, Iron Sky – yet he failed to mention that Australia’s New Holland Pictures has joined the project to form a German/Finnish/Australian co-production.
Is it really surprising that these international “gurus” don’t do their homework? These people are Tony Robbins-style motivational speakers for the film circuit, living on the panel/workshop/festival gravy train, treated with a deference that is not actually earned when you look at their achievements. Jon Reiss is another prime example — getting people to drink the Kool Aid about DIY distribution while he supports himself not through his film-making efforts, but through speaking engagements and selling his book. Meanwhile, organisations that should know better keep giving these people a platform where they encourage filmmakers to embrace – not to mention pour their own & their investors’ money into – unproven business practices. I won’t even call them business ‘models’, because the term ‘model’ implies some sort of system based on data & intellectual rigor, not a small clutch of anecdotal evidence gathered from a few fluke successes. We shouldn’t be asking why these people aren’t doing their homework, but why we’re paying them to come out here at all.
It’s an interesting topic….
I’ve attended many events locally and internationally and I am occasionally disappointed with a lack of basic research about the local market by some speakers.
My two co-speakers at last year’s annual SPAA Conference in Sydney, Gordon Paddison – Principal, Stradella Road & former Executive Vice President New Media, New Line Pictures (District 9, Lord of The Rings trilogy, Snakes on a Plane, Sex and the City, Austin Powers & Stephanie Bohn – Director of Worldwide Marketing, Digital Distribution Warner Bros (The Dark Knight, Sex and the City, Hangover, Harry Potter) and I made absolutely sure they knew what was happening here and that we had adequate local content and case studies.
So, I guess it’s always down to the individual speaker but I also think there is a role to play by any conference coordinator’s as they should remind / brief their international speakers to be mindful of the local market.
Why not just ask the Australian businesses to present their ideas then, and leave the international gurus at home? It’s because you invite those people here to speak about what happens in larger, more progressive and dynamic marketplaces. There- I said it.
Expecting the international guests to reflect the Australian industry back at us so we can feel like ‘We’re Important Too!’ seems just a little bit parochial, to be honest. It’s the film conference equivalent of asking international visitors ‘So what do you think Australia?’, and I cringe every time I hear that too. It still smacks of our own cultural insecurity and people really need to start getting over it.
Just because someone comes from overseas and talks about their experiences in Europe or the US doesn’t mean they have some kind of opinion about what’s happening here o trying to lord it over you- it just means they are speaking about their experience. I’d rather hear about what worked there, and then use my brain to draw the conclusions about how I can use that information in a local context, than hear about the speaker’s research on the internet about the local scene.
And really- instead of whining about it like your fragile feelings have been hurt, why didn’t Encore do the article that you speak of? It would be interesting to sum up the visitors approach and then look at what’s happening here. But all you can print is that you’re a bit put out that noone’s giving the Aussies a shout out at every turn. Encore has the means online and in print the whole year to do the kind of analysis that you complain an international speaker isn’t doing in his 15 minute presentation.
Seriously- sometimes people in this industry just need to get on with it.
Peter Broderick did very much speak about an Aussie film that followed his model to achieve success. Foodmatters.
Maybe the film makers should make a another film called Filmmatters 😉
And the Encore writer of this article should attend it …
Not more that 24 hours ago I spoke to a participant in one of these sessions in what is called TV Mini-Lab run by the SAFC and a group of Brits headed by Stephen Cleary.
A lot of their every day sessions involved drama games and finger painting…now what that has to do with TV or film making I dont know…so why do we keep inviting these guys to Australia?