Representation for a Director?

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  • Representation for a Director?

    Tried searching these forums but didn't have much luck.

    Was wondering how a director goes about finding representation?

    Is it similar to finding a literary agent? Sending out query letters, etc? Do you "cold call" and send out a reel to certain agencies?

    Any and all help is much appreciated.

    Thanks for you time!
    We Are Legion.

  • #2
    Re: Representation for a Director?

    Direct something that's good and generates money.
    One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

    The Fiction Story Room

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    • #3
      Re: Representation for a Director?

      Well, my short film did get some attention... to an extent. I've only submitted into 2 festivals. The one film festival I placed 4th in the US. Got some really good feedback as well. So perhaps part of the problem is that I haven't really pushed the short film out enough into festivals to really get the attention it deserves. Not really sure.

      I'm going to post the short film here if that's alright. Maybe get some feedback?

      http://vimeo.com/22631798

      This is my first short film I have ever written or directed. All was shot on a budget of 600 dollars. 2/3 of that budget was food for the cast and crew and transportation to the locations.

      This being my first piece I directed I tried to really push the envelope with production value, story, theme and budget.

      Thoughts? Is this short film quality enough to get any attention?

      Appreciate everyone's time and feedback!
      We Are Legion.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Representation for a Director?

        Pretty good for a first film IMO...but it's just a short film and it's only one. Use those to hone your craft and experiment. Its not worth an agent's time to take you on as a client based on one short film and no other credentials. For them -- if it doesn't make money then it doesn't make sense. You know, if you really want a detailed answer or at least something more concrete, you could always try calling an agent and speaking with his assistant and basically just asking them what credentials you'd need to gain their interest. You're not selling them or pitching them anything so it should be fairly painless. It's hard enough to get a producer to let you direct your first feature film once there's a real budget and name talent in place, let alone trying to compete for the attention of a reputable agent who'd be spending his time trying to sell people on why they should hire you as a director over the other countless director's out there who will have more experience than you.

        In the meantime keep doing your short films and make sure you don't dump a lot of money into them but still making them look like you did. I think you're off to a good start.
        One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

        The Fiction Story Room

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Representation for a Director?

          Thank you for taking the time to watch.

          Good advice.

          I've done a good bit of work aside from this film. But this is the only true narrative piece that I have ever completed.

          But yes, I guess I will keep pushing on. Writing my own material and making it a reality.
          We Are Legion.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Representation for a Director?

            So in everyone's opinion, what's the best way to turn some heads? Enter every festival possible?
            We Are Legion.

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            • #7
              Re: Representation for a Director?

              Originally posted by Raw_and_Vital View Post
              So in everyone's opinion, what's the best way to turn some heads? Enter every festival possible?
              By doing what I initially said -- Direct something that's good and generates money. Maybe also start looking at developing something other than a drama which is a hard sell anyway.

              You'll go broke entering every festival possible. And unless you're placing at Sundance, Cannes, Toronto film festival or maybe even Slamdance then what agents are going to hear about it anyway?
              One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

              The Fiction Story Room

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Representation for a Director?

                Originally posted by Juno Styles View Post
                By doing what I initially said -- Direct something that's good and generates money. Maybe also start looking at developing something other than a drama which is a hard sell anyway.

                IMHO forget festivals, and forget drama. it's all about viral marketing, I have only made one short (horror). Once I put it online, it got some heat, and I got signed to respectable agency. Got a distro deal. Still havn't clinched that first feature but I am working at it.

                Bottom line is GENRE, namely Sci fi & horror.

                Genre movies don't need star power, they have a huge online cult following. The biggest mistake I see new Directors make is getting precious and hiding their work away.

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                • #9
                  Re: Representation for a Director?

                  Originally posted by Matt the Cat View Post
                  IMHO forget festivals, and forget drama. it's all about viral marketing, I have only made one short (horror). Once I put it online, it got some heat, and I got signed to respectable agency. Got a distro deal. Still havn't clinched that first feature but I am working at it.

                  Bottom line is GENRE, namely Sci fi & horror.

                  Genre movies don't need star power, they have a huge online cult following. The biggest mistake I see new Directors make is getting precious and hiding their work away.
                  Good deal Matt. Out of curiosity can you explain what kind of distribution deal you got with a short film? I've never heard of that being as there's so many short films you can watch for free. Can you post the link?
                  "Making movies is a collaborative process...bend over."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Representation for a Director?

                    Out of curiosity can you explain what kind of distribution deal you got with a short film? I've never heard of that being as there's so many short films you can watch for free
                    I also hadn't heard of this until I chatted with people who had done it. I simply didn't believe it was possible. (I'm a very sceptical, glass-half empty kind of guy)

                    Here's a reprint of an old post that talks through the process in one person's experience: http://bit.ly/pYZ9IN

                    The formatting is lousy after a bad copy & paste - I just can't be arsed to fix it up.

                    Mac
                    Last edited by Mac H.; 07-27-2011, 12:25 AM.
                    New blogposts:
                    *Followup - Seeking Investors in all the wrong places
                    *Preselling your film - Learning from the Experts
                    *Getting your indie film onto iTunes
                    *Case Study - Estimating Film profits

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                    • #11
                      Re: Representation for a Director?

                      You should have a demo reel. If you want to know more read some interviews with commercial and music video directors from around the time they first got repped at an agency. The question will usually come up in the interview about how they got repped.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Representation for a Director?

                        Originally posted by AJ_FIN
                        Demo reels aren't really for directors. Usually only DP's use them. Maybe if you want to direct music videos, who knows. For features, it's usually killer short(s)+great script(s). If you want to break into commercials, you need a couple of spec spots.
                        I optioned 2 low budget features so far this year, scripts that I told the producers I wanted to direct. The first thing they asked was what I had directed, and wanted to see my demo reel. One even asked me to make changes to the demo reel before using it to show potential financiers. It's good to have one in your back pocket.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Representation for a Director?

                          I was asked for my demo reel the second I brought up directing even in a casual conversation with a rep about one of my scripts.
                          One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

                          The Fiction Story Room

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Representation for a Director?

                            Originally posted by Matt the Cat View Post
                            IMHO forget festivals, and forget drama. it's all about viral marketing, I have only made one short (horror). Once I put it online, it got some heat, and I got signed to respectable agency. Got a distro deal. Still havn't clinched that first feature but I am working at it.

                            Bottom line is GENRE, namely Sci fi & horror.

                            Genre movies don't need star power, they have a huge online cult following. The biggest mistake I see new Directors make is getting precious and hiding their work away.
                            Nice man. Did you get any advance money upfront on your distribution deal? What's the url to the short?

                            Yea, I want to do a drama...when I'm established....maybe, but right now everything I do is action, thriller or horror. Maybe I should try my hand at sci-fi because seems all the short films I hear about getting bought out from studios are sci fi or animation featuring a bunch of vfx.
                            One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

                            The Fiction Story Room

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Representation for a Director?

                              I've been tweaking my demo reel for a while now. I still think I need more variety in my short film production to show I can tackle a feature. IMO, Directors have to be careful to not make their reels look like a DP's. IMO, a Director's reel should show full scenes that somehow shows character and that your shot choices help move the story along. A DP's reel has a whole other reason for existing. To show how pretty you can make the shot look. This is why a DP's reel has a lot more quick shots.

                              Here is mine. Is it good? I don't know. I think so. But I am a delusional type of dude. I think it's still a bit long. But then again, I have seen other Director's reels that are more than 10 minutes long. Mine's 8 min.

                              http://thothscribefilms.com/directorsreel.html
                              Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

                              -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

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