AFM SERIES – Part 2 Machinima The Reality Check by Graycon Sonata page 1
Indy Showcase Magazine
As I start this series on the American Film Market aka the AFM, I have chosen to divide this into a
several part series as all the information I cannot impart in just one entry. For this one why attend the AFM. The reason I am writing this for you my Machinima Community is for real life filmmakers and those who have the desire to have Machinima legitimized as the medium for film-making that is viable in commercial markets.
In order to clearly understand why attend you should understand what is the American Film Market. I can think of no better definition then the one from the site itself:
“Over 8,000 professionals from 70+ countries The global film industry converges in Santa Monica every November for eight days of deal-making. Hundreds of millions of dollars in production and distribution deals are sealed every year on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production."
This definition is not limited to real life films. It truly is a community that is also there for the purpose of also sharing technologies and styles of film making in all mediums. During my attendance distributors, financiers and filmmakers alike embraced and shared ideas and were open to finding out more information on Machinima and how this medium can be used to make a film. That said with an interesting point of view I will share in later entries that may either surprise you or at least get you thinking where would you like Machinima to go.
Why attend? As filmmakers and yes I am implying we are filmmakers it is the biggest opportunity to network outside local film festivals and many choose to strictly attend the AFM only and hear opinions and gain information from people outside our virtual world. There is so much to learn that will also be covered in later entries as well and I hope eye opening information that will shed light to the future of film and Machinima.
One of the greatest ways of learning is through the conference series they give as well. People in the
industry imparting information and being interactive with the attendees. Overviews of the topics are:
• Finance – Everything form current issues to global trends in finance.
• Distribution – The Infrastructure Opportunities and also what is the latest forms as well as future
delivery formats,
• Pitch – How to pitch and how to approach how to get past the gatekeepers and so much more.
• Marketing – All forms of it and what works what does as well as global consumerism habits for film consumption and future projections.
• Production – All the latest technologies and techniques being used. Also piracy, copyright etc.
• Agents/Packaging – This covers everything you want to know about how to get agents, what do they do how to approach them and what will make them want to represent you.
• Monetizing – How do you make money from what you made and what is it effective what doesn't
work.
I will cover all this and more. So now you are asking how does this correlate with the Machinima
community? See future blog to find out. Feel free to ask me. I am in-world.
Special Thank you to the Lippon Group and American Film Market for letting me report.
For more information on the project in SL or any RL projects please feel free to contact Graycon Sonata.
[email protected]
Also listen to Graycon talk about this subject on the Spotlight Radio show
Max Proctor 
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