WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM AFM?

Takeaways from the American Film Market ’24

Earlier this month, Las Vegas played host to the fabled American Film Market. This is the annual marketplace where distribution deals are made, foreign sales are negotiated, packages are packaged, and buyers and sellers from all over the world converge to schmooze and hopefully make new relationships.

Now that the dust has settled, we have a few observations that we think may be prove helpful.

Some of you might sigh, “But I’m not a producer… or a buyer… or a distributor… or a sales agent…” Yes, but as creatives, we tend to forget that this is a business. A hard and difficult business. Breaking in is akin to bashing your head against a locked door while swimming upstream. With piranhas nipping at your manacled feet. Don’t make it harder on yourself than you have to. And many of us–unwittingly–do just that by following our muse into completely uncommercial terrain.

You may think your talent, your fantastic writing, your hard work, your commitment to your craft and your great attitude is enough to get the interest of a producer, agent, or manager who will open doors for you. And, yes, it should be.

Alas… not so much.

Every producer, agent, and manager needs material they can sell. Right here and right now. Unfortunately, the days of a manager taking on a promising client and molding them into a success are kinda over. The economy doesn’t support that anymore. Nowadays, most industry representatives only want to read material that they know exactly how to sell — and to whom. Big, risky swings are hard to justify when one is trying to keep the lights on.

So, what were the big genres this year?

HORROR AND ACTION

Some of you will now moan, “But I don’t write that. I don’t even like those genres.” What can you do? Read on.

So let’s say you don’t like horror because you think it’s stupid and you can’t stand the sight of blood? Great! Bring something new to the horror table. It’ll make you stand out. Yes, the Terrifier-like blood, guts, and gore fests will always be there. But horror has matured. We now also have fully developed characters, strong themes, and even the possibility of major awards. (Yes, Demi Moore seems to be in the running for The Substance.)

And if the sight of even a drop of blood is too much for you, how about a psychological horror? A hybrid-horror? A thriller? A horror comedy? (Side note: the last one can be a bit more difficult at times–but, hey, Ready or Not is gearing up for a sequel right now.) Remember, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was scary as hell, and it had one single drop of blood in the whole movie. 

The same goes for action. Yup, it was huge in the ’80s and early ’90s, and you could often sell a semi-competent action spec as for low six figures without breaking a sweat. Then action went away and stayed gone for a long time. (The notable exceptions being superhero action and action/drama.) But now we’re back to popcorn action. Where is the next Fast? The next Die Hard? That’s what people are looking for right now.

So, action isn’t your thing either? That’s okay. If you can bring something new to the table, you’re golden. The good old-fashioned “the same, but different” applies here, too. It’s a genre ready for modernization, while still being recognizable as  popcorn action. “But I really only want to write sci-fi,” you may say. Okay, what about Lethal Weapon on the international space station? Think about what YOU do best – your likes, your skillsets – and how these can be applied to other genres. What unique ingredient can you bring to the table here?

Because THAT is what will make you stand out.

Of course, there are also mash-ups you should stay away from: period action, period horror, period anything. Yes, we know that’s difficult to hear for some of you. Look, I’m a history nerd myself. I understand. The best advice here? Find another outlet for your stories set in the past. One of the best ones is a novel. And, plus points, this also creates valued IP. Your period screenplay may be a nonstarter. But if there’s a successful (and that is the key word) novel behind it, the picture changes.

IP is all.

What if you just want to do straight-up drama? Sure, okay — then how about writing one you can shoot yourself? That means very limited locations and characters to keep the costs down. A feature might even be too much to contemplate. What about a short that can be expanded? Hey, it worked wonders for Whiplash. Many successful features started as a short. They act as proof of concept, and if they garner some love on the festival circuit, that’s key. Third-party validation can make the difference.

Finally, we’re not telling you to only write these two genres. We’re just telling you that’s what’s in demand. A great piece of writing will (almost) always get attention. It just gets harder to get that attention when people won’t read your script just because they don’t think they can sell it. And face it, agents and managers are salespeople.

Bottom line: yeah, the ever-shrinking bull’s-eye is frustrating. But the savvy writer stays aware of the business trends and pivots as necessary. Be a student of the biz and use that knowledge to your advantage.

Go get ’em.