As Executive Vice President of Acquisitions & Production at Sony Pictures Classics, Dylan Leiner is the guy we all want to love our film.
First of all, his title alone includes the one word that would make an indie filmmaker swoon “acquisitions” (Read: he can buy your movie.)
And Dylan knows a lot about movies. He started in the business 15 years ago as an assistant at SPC, and methodically moved himself up the ranks by proving he was savvy and diligent in studying the craft and business of movie making, all while turning his expertise into an ability to pick genuine top notch movies. Dylan’s that unique combination of part facts-and-figures machine and part genuine film buff.
Leiner continues to be held to the highest standards as he works under two of the best guys in the business, Tom Bernard and Michael Barker (and this is not just my opinion .) SPC, founded by Bernard, Barker and Marcie Bloom has too many awards to even begin to list here.
SPC has worked with the best, and have produced, picked up and distributed films that are essential viewing if you love movies (My SPC favorites: Dogtown and Z-Boys, Crouching Tiger, Capote, Triplets of Bellville, Kung-Fu Hustle and Persepolis).
The real kicker about Sony Pictures Classics? They are genuinely really fun, smart, honest and down to earth people that just so happen to love movies and be really great at what they do.
Why am I going on about Dylan and SPC?
Here's why -Dylan Leiner has graciously agreed to answer your burning independent filmmaker questions.
Simply respond to the comments section of this blog post with your questions for him and this Friday, Dylan will give us his honest answers.
Consider this a private interview with the industry’s best…
Comments
Rachel Getting Married / acquisition process
I really loved RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. What is SPC's general acquisition process and, as an example, how was RACHEL GETTING MARRIED discovered and brought into the SPC fold?
Also, what advice do you have for a film to get noticed?
Finally, what venues get most of your attention (e.g., Sundance) and are there lesser-known venues that an indie filmmaker should consider?
What a track record.
I'm impressed the fantastic titles and didn't know they were involved in so many great films. To what do they attribute this success? What criteria do they use when selecting films?
What an opportunity
Are there any glaring errors, technologically or otherwise that stop you dead in your tracks when you're watching a film and considering it for aquisition that lets you know right then and there you don't want it?
In other words, someone already asked what to do to get your film noticed, what should we NOT do?
Also, just out of curiousity, have you ever wanted a film and then changed your mind when meeting the filmmakers in person? (Not that you have to name names, but we're always told it's all about networking. I'd be curious to see if that has ever gone south...)
Is two a crowd?
I am currently working with a producer that has one production company interested in funding one half of the budget for my low budget feature film.
Is it preferable to be the only company developing a film or because of the economy are you more willing to join forces with another company to produce a film?
I'm not asking you personally if you'd be interested in my film, just from a generic standpoint. This presents quite a conundrum for an independent producer seeking financing only to find out they need to find more than one financier outside the realm of the first company.
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