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Smaller films having a tougher time: Potential

I, don GiovanniMark Spratt, founder of Potential Films, believes that while mainstream film continue to perform well, ‘smaller’ independent and foreign films are increasingly having a tougher time in the marketplace.

What were your strongest performing films of the 2009/2010 financial year?

Noodle and I, Don Giovanni.

What titles didn’t necessarily meet your expectations?

Sister Smile; it failed to reach even moderate levels of business.

How experimental are Potential’s plans in terms of distribution models?

No simultaneous releases. We’re trying region by region release with Second Hand Wedding.

While 2009 registered a record box office intake, do the independents feel it?

Successful films continue to perform well – there is no difference, but ‘smaller’ independent/foreign films are having a tougher time.

What is the key to the survival of independent, niche product distributors?

Providing quality alternatives and finding and convincing their audience to see them. Anything perceived as too downbeat or reflecting the depressing sides of reality is not working at the box office, but there are always exceptions/

Have you changed the way you approach marketing, taking advantage of free social media?

We’re using it more every day.

What’s stopping Potential from distributing a local film? How often are you approached by producers seeking a distributor, and what are the main mistakes that Australian producers make when they approach a distributor?

We are approached fairly often, but too often the projects can be categorised as better suited to television and unlikely to find or sustain a theatrical audience in the contemporary market. If producers are making mistakes it is in the area of not perceiving how their film might actually fit into the eventual commercial demands of exhibitors and audiences.

Will the performance of recent local hits increase distributors’ interest in local product?

I believe so. Diversity and some excellent productions and performances recently can only turn around the general public’s perception of our films.

Do you think the $90m, three-year fund SPAA has proposed to stimulate distributor investment in mid-range features ($7-30m) would work?

Possibly.  Assistance for distributors to fund publicity and support whatever size of release is appropriate.

Is there any audience knowledge that distributors have that is no reaching local producers/writers/directors?

Only that the audience knows what it wants to shell out money for.

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