Moderator: Paul Fraser, Blaze Digital Cinema Works
This four-part session examines the business aspects of what goes into getting a giant screen film made, with plenty of time for Q&A.
Part 1: The GS Film Economic Model
Paul Fraser of Blaze Digital Cinema Works will present the current economic realities of financing a giant screen film and its potential return on investment, highlighting the need for (and potential amounts of) non-equity funds, high penetration of GS screens, and ancillary revenues.
Part 2: Quantifying What the Audience Wants
What are audiences looking for in giant screen film content? And how does this compare to giant screen theater programmers’ preferences? In this segment, Paul Fraser provides a brief review of the GSCA Audience Research Survey results and the GSCA Theater Programming Survey.
Part 3: Potential Film Funding Sources
A brief overview of National Science Foundation programs from Valentine Kass, the IMAX Documentary Film Fund from Di Roberts, and the Giant Dome Theater Consortium from Robin Doty (Museum of Science, Boston).
Part 4: The Real World of GS Film Financing
Panelists: Stephen Amezdroz, December Media; Jonathan Barker, SK Films; Pascal Vuong, N3D LAND Films
Producers Stephen Amezdroz (Hidden Universe), Jonathan Barker (Flight of the Butterflies and Amazon), and Pascal Vuong (D-Day: Normandy 1944) discuss how they got financing for their films and how those films achieved stakeholders’ expectations. Our panelists will share financing structures (e.g. equity vs. sponsorships/grants vs. tax credits, etc.) and production budgets/returns; describe how to involve theatres in the development process; and explain their approach to choosing a distributor if not self-distributing.