Welcome to a new level of déjà view. There have long been competing projects (on killer asteroids, volcanoes, etc.), but with an increasing reliance on reboots and new-to-you IP, an overabundance of outlets, and more mediums like audiobooks, podcasts and YouTube videos at viewers’ fingertips, audiences are experiencing more projects about the same subject than ever before.
So how can Toronto film buyers navigate these waters? How can producers get the most out of film sales in this changing marketplace? And do similar projects increase or cannibalize audiences?
The exception to every rule right now is true crime: “61% of true crime podcast listeners are also watching true crime TV shows or movies, and [half of them] are also watching it on YouTube,” says Edison Research at SSRS VP Megan Lazovick.
“A funny thing I keep noticing,” jokes one Hollywood agent, “is that they’re running out of true crimes.”
But not TIFF’s two big Mt. Everest projects: Apple Original Films’ shot-on-location drama “Tenzing” (in theaters Oct. 9) and National Geographic Documentary Films’ “Everest: The Other Side” (out Oct. 30).
For producers, Ramo entertainment lawyer Elsa Ramo says docs can present big opportunities. (She reps Boardwalk Pictures, at TIFF on Sept. 13 with the cowgirl bronco riders doc “Cheyenne”). “Those tend to get set up and go to market sooner.” And securing as many of the right rights is important. “Consumers now want a life story as a feature, a doc series, a scripted TV show and short-form content. Nobody is thinking that things are just a one-off.”
