Indie filmmakers to benefit from AFM

Los Angeles, CA: The American Film Market (AFM) has set five events for its November 2-6 conference series covering topics ranging from film finance, pitching, marketing, video on demand and micro-budget filmmaking. The AFM for 2012 is taking place from October 31 - November 7 in Santa Monica, California.

AFM attendees from over 70 countries will take part in the AFM Conference Series, which takes place from 9:15 - 12:45 daily from November 2 till 6th. AFM managing director Jonathan Wolf said the seminars are aimed to provide a wide perspective and noted that each sold out last year, with attendance averaging around 800. "We are looking forward to building on the 2011 inaugural, sold-out event by exploring topics that are most relevant to global filmmakers," Wolf said. The finance and pitch conferences were offered last year.

The pitch session will include volunteers from the audience pitching a panel of Hollywood decisionmakers, who will give unvarnished feedback on each pitch -- saying what worked, what didn't, and why. The AFM has also unveiled its newly redesigned website, http://www.Americanfilmmarket.com as registration for the market has opened.

Friday, November 2
Finance Conference

Leading CEOs, filmmakers, financiers and studio executives converge to explore the state of independent film financing, emerging trends, where the money is, new opportunities and incentives, and what the future holds.

Saturday, November 3
Pitch Conference

A good pitch can get a bad film made and a bad pitch can leave a terrific project languishing on the shelf. Pitching is part art (it's creative), part science (needs to follow a tight script) and part salesmanship. Conference attendees will first learn the essential rules and tools of pitching from the experts. Then, volunteers from the audience (you?) will pitch a panel of Hollywood decision makers. They will give unvarnished feedback on each pitch - saying what worked, what didn't, and why. Warning: This session is not for the weak.

Sunday, November 4
Marketing Conference sponsored by Mexican Film Commission

Connecting with and engaging the audience in authentic, creative ways is critical. Word-of-mouth and friend recommendations can make or break the box office results. The gurus behind the most successful and innovative new media marketing campaigns discuss reinventing the marketing wheel, explore how the consumer can be the most effective marketing tool and reveal how to win over the broadest possible audience.

Monday, November 5
Video-On-Demand Conference

Video-On-Demand is a growing revenue stream for filmmakers and content providers. Like the excitement of a gold rush, many hope for a future when all films are available worldwide and every film finds an audience. Producers, distributors and platforms will come together to disclose who is making money, how they are doing it and what the future holds - separating fact from fiction.

Tuesday, November 6
Micro-Budget Conference

New and unconventional financing, marketing and distribution resources are proving very successful for Micro-Budget films. Producers and distributors will reveal how to find the money, making the most of budgets, what distributors are looking for, reaching your audience and how these new tools are redefining the film business.