Short Lessons in Distribution - From France

The short film market is still not robust, but it does occupy an economic niche, although the sector is steadily improving its organisational structure. With today's rapid technological changes, the distribution landscape - traditionally associated with theatrical release - is undergoing major transformations, bringing new opportunities that could consolidate the short film sector and make it a significant economic force, one that could benefit the industry as a whole. The European country where, relative to the rest of us, shorts films have struggled but prospered longest, is France.

PARAMETERS OF DISTRIBUTION

Encouraging films to circulate beyond national borders, supporting originality and diversity in short films, and increasing the number of screens and territories around the world that showcase them... all these are the aims of short film distributors, to ensure that this cinematic genre does not go unnoticed.

SHORTS IN FRANCE

Short film distribution first emerged in France in 1985, when shorts were incorporated into television programming. This budding market lacked structure though, so buyers then had no access to specialists in the industry with whom to liaise. Soon a number of specialists sprang up to fill the gap; The Short Film Department, Regie TV-Cable, all dedicated to short film distribution. By the end of the 1990s, an explosion of cable and satellite channels spurred on the creation of new independent distribution companies, such as Premium Films and Talantis Films. With increasing technological advances and the emergence of new media outlets and distribution territories, new operators, likes One Plus One and La Luna Productions, appeared on the scene, acting as intermediaries for film producers and handling their film sales, particularly for the international market.

MAJOR SHORTS MARKETS

The major buyers of short films today are television channels. In France, short films are slowly but surely making their mark on TV program schedules. Terrestrial channels – apart from TF1 and M6 - offer their own specialized programs: Court Circuit on Arte, Histoires Courtes on France 2, and Libre Court on France 3. Short film programs also feature on Canal +, TPs, CineCinema, Comedies!, and 13eme Rue, among other channels.

The short film market outside of France is seen now to be already well-developed in certain geographic areas, where shorts are aired on many channels, such as ARTV/ONF in Canada, KQED in the USA, Channel 4 and SBS in the UK, RTP in Portugal, ZDF/3SAT in Germany, Universal and Raisat in Italy, and TV Man Union in Japan.

PROSPECTS IMPROVING

Prospecting efforts by distributor have led China, India and the countries of Central Europe and the Middle East to start and show interest in acquiring shorts. French distributors feel concerted cultural initiatives aimed at building strong and stable relations with these countries could, in the long term, result in a general strengthening of the short film market.. Purchase prices in this sector remain nonetheless extremely variable. Estimates from one distributor suggest the average fee paid in France per minute is E27 but there are huge disparities. Fees can reach as much as E450 for terrestrial channels, and vary between E30 and E120 for cable TV, or hit as low as E10 per minute on average for local channels. These fluctuations are reflected in the international market, and are compounded by geographic variations. Thus, Regie TV-Cable estimates that the per minute fee in 2004 was E30 for the European Union (outside France), E5 for Eastern Europe, E106 for Japan, E120 for the United States, E28 for Canada, and E11 for the Middle East.

IMPROVED LIFE EXPECTATION

The lifespan of a short film is no longer restricted to theatrical release and television broadcast. The DVD market, in particular, plays an ever-increasing role in the distribution of shorts, which now feature in compilations and even individual editions. The latter option is, however, still rare: to be financially viable, a single edition must achieve 5,000 sales. As for compilations, the bottom line is around 3,000 copies sold in order to ensure a profit for rights holders. And copyright owners only receive a small percentage of the publisher’s gains, which can explain why short film distributors always approach this market with caution.

INTERNET & VOD

The Internet provides an extra opportunity for the distribution and promotion of shorts. The Video On Demand (VOD) service attracts wide interest from distributors, since it conforms to an economic system of film rights licensing in which a percentage fee, determined according to the number of viewings of a film, is paid to rights holders.

Regie TV-Cable's Helene Masingue feels VOD offers new hope to short films. There is no shortage of raw material and restrictions, like running time, genre, and so on, imposed by television channels do not apply to this service. On top of this, the service requires both viewer and distributor to play an active role, with the distributor responsible for devising the programme to create audience appeal.

VIDEO ON THE MOVE

Mobile phones, too offer a new outlet for the exposure of short films. Here films that do not meet television selection requirements can get a chance of distribution. Some distributors believe cellphones could open up the market to a far more diverse range of subjects less constrained by current standards of content and duration. This new technology though, is only in its earliest stages, and needs a lot of thought put into finding the best economic model for the market.

THE ORANGE WORLD

The service provider Orange, who launched its first-ever short film competition for cellphones in February this year, announced a new strategy to promote French short film-making. ‘‘It’s possible to create a highly specific market here,’’ explains Jean-Noel Tronc, Director of Strategy and Brand Development at Orange France. As well as making a commitment to competition being an ongoing event, the company’s strategy is built around the launch of the first programme devoted to short films on its mobile video portal, Orange World Video. The film purchase price announced for Orange World is E50 per minute for 3 months’ exclusive rights. Orange has chosen Premium Films to handle film selections and negotiations with copyright owners.

Each distribution company builds its own identity through its catalogue. Regie TV-Cable, for instance, works to consolidate its client base through raising awareness of short films among audiovisual attaches; Premium Films has established relations with cellular phone operators, TNT, and Internet operators.

ROLE OF THE DISTRIBUTOR

Serving the needs of producers, distributors handle the sale of films for all media outlets in all territories worldwide. They establishing licenses or contracts effective for a period of 1 to 5 years, and taking a commission of between 20% and 35%, they negotiate film sales in the interest of rights holders, while drawing on their understanding of the aesthetic criteria, technical requirements, and editorial line of their buyers. They adapt and personalise their proposals so that films are distribute in a consistent manner and in appropriate economic conditions. Because, even if sales prices remain very low, the time has come to step aside from previous perceptions that saw short films as a free commodity. Acting in this way, distributors support the market as much as they participate in its expansion.

FRENCH INCENTIVES

To make it possible for French distributors to travel to the major foreign international film markets, Unifrance’s Short Film Commission has established a travel fund, from which distributors can benefit two or three times each year. Also, to optimise international short film sales, a complementary grant offers distributors assistance for video-submitting of their catalogue films. All distributors can benefit from these incentives provided they meet certain criteria set by the Commission: to have been operating for at least three years, to have a catalogue of at least 50 film titles, and to represent at least 10 production companies.