Friends and colleagues had told me that the DOCUmart part of AIDC was quite compelling, even if you weren’t part of the main action. At this DOCUmart, 16 projects were being pitched before the panel of national and international buyers.
I walked into the big room and saw a rectangular formation of tables. On one of the rectangle’s short sides the Moderators sat. Opposite, on the other short side, sat the pitching team. On the remaining long sides, sat the buyers. Wherever the audience sat in the room, you could see the action on two large screens.
The teams came up, sat down and began their pitch, sometimes with an accompanying clip or powerpoint presentation. Those of us in the audience had a detailed folder to read from, giving an outline of the project, budget summary and team CV details. If you’ve never pitched in this kind of environment, you could not sit here and not learn something.
The creative team had a limited time to make their pitch. A bell sounded to indicate it was time to wrap up. Then the Moderator directed questions from the buyers. It took about an hour to process through four presentations. Everyone was on their mettle. The presentations would usually be story first and then the amount of budget that was being sought.
As I watched, it seemed that Buyers’ opinions came in two main categories. The desirable, “Yes, we in Brussels would be interested in a film called EVERYBODY HATES THE H.R. GUY, let’s talk after the session.” And the second type – where the pitch went awry from the point of view of the buyer.
In the sessions I was in, most teams seemed to be pitching a feature idea that could be cut down to an hour for television. A number of buyers would say they were interested in a particular project for acquisition as a finished film rather than for presale.
There were some very serious and heart-rending stories. Others were more obviously entertaining and told tales of oddball characters with a unique take on life.
At first, from an audience’s point of view, it seemed like theatre in the round. But as I sat through more pitches and saw how nervous and occasionally defensive some of the pitchers were, it began to feel more like watching a sport with several teams on the field. It’s not a great metaphor, because from the point of view of the pitching team, the buyers must feel like the Harlem Globetrotters.
Anyway, I would encourage anyone who hasn’t pitched their cherished doco idea to attend a DOCUmart session as a spectator. As I say, it’s very instructive.
The contents of this Blog are the sole opinions of the author Phil Jeng Kane, and it does not represent the views of ScreenWest or the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC).
