Recent content by Lucas

I think one of the biggest reasons production keeps moving outside the U.S. is simple: other countries stopped treating filmmaking only as entertainment and started treating it as infrastructure. Places like Hungary, the UK, Canada or Australia didn’t just build tax incentives they built...

What I think many people still underestimate is that this is no longer just a temporary cost-saving phase for studios. The global production ecosystem itself is being rebuilt. In many cases, Europe has become far more financially predictable than parts of the US, especially when producers look...

AI isn’t a shortcut anymore, it’s a commitment. The moment you touch voice, likeness, or performance replication, you’re not using a tool, you’re entering a contract system. That’s where most indie projects get it wrong. Tools like ElevenLabs or Runway lower the barrier to entry, but they...

One thing that doesn’t get talked about enough in pitch deck discussions is that you’re not just pitching an idea — you’re aligning with an existing ecosystem. A strong deck doesn’t only answer “what is this?”, but also: “who already knows how to handle this kind of project?” That’s where a...

A common mistake in development is assuming that broader ideas create broader success. In reality, unclear positioning is often what limits a project the most. A well-defined micro-genre doesn’t restrict a film it gives it direction. It helps align tone, pacing, and creative decisions early, and...

Interesting take, Admin. I think we’re witnessing the "Death of the Middleman Market." The reason Toronto (TIFF) is gaining such ground isn't just about the location; it's about the timing. TIFF sits at the perfect intersection of the fall awards season and the end-of-year budget cycles. If...

Really appreciate all the perspectives here this is exactly the kind of nuance I was hoping to surface. What’s interesting is that we’re all circling around the same core idea from different angles: control vs commitment. Big studio films optimize for control. Every decision is reversible...

I think this is where culture and market logic really start to intersect. These stories were ignored for decades, and now they’re being rediscovered in a context where they also have clear commercial value. That doesn’t necessarily invalidate them if anything, it might be the only reason they’re...

Calling Netflix a (trap) feels a bit too simplistic especially from a production standpoint. I get where that sentiment comes from especially if you're thinking about longevity and cultural impact but it ignores the fact that Netflix is solving a completely different problem than traditional or...

EFM 2026 felt extremely competitive this year, especially for smaller producers trying to secure meaningful meetings. I’m interested to hear how others approached it – was it more about pre-arranged meetings, or did on-site networking still work? Did anyone manage to secure real deals or...

That’s a really good point about focusing on fewer, but more meaningful meetings. I completely agree that it’s much more about quality than quantity now. I’m still building my network, but from what I’ve seen so far, a mixed approach seems to work best a few larger sales companies for broader...

Marché du Film remains one of the best places to get a real feel for where the international market is moving, not only through formal meetings, but also through the conversations around them. In my experience, Cannes is not just about immediate deals it is also about understanding buyer...

I think this is a very accurate view of how networking really works in the US film industry, especially for independent filmmakers, producers, sales agents, and distribution professionals trying to build long-term industry relationships. In film, the strongest professional connections usually do...

Reading your points, I think one big shift for indie filmmakers is realizing that distribution isn’t a single moment anymore it’s a long process. For years we treated it like a finish line: finish the film, send it to festivals, hope for a deal, and move on. But the films that seem to survive...

I’m also curious to see how many companies from different regions will attend this year. In the past I’ve had both very good and unfortunately some negative experiences as well. For example, with some South Korean companies of course, respect to the exceptions the payment discipline hasn’t...