Who sells well overseas?

[James Steven Beverly]

I've been looking for a comprehensive list of actor's (to include actresses) who foreign market audiences go to the movies to see, specifically fading A-listers with enormous talent and/or appeal in said markets (i.e. Matt Dillion, Dennis Quaid), A-listers who like to do an indie film from time to time (Bruce Willis, Natalie Portman) and B-listers with a strong following in key international markets (can't think of anyone off the top of my head and this is probably the most important list for my current situation) I've been compiling lists of people to approach who might be right in a given role, many of whom are sure to be on these lists, but for packaging purposes, I have no idea where they stand in terms of the foreign market saleability when presenting them to investors and distributors which directly affects my presentation, as well as my salary negotiation, strategies. Help me get this information so I can hire some of ya all! B)

Edited December 10, 2012 by James Steven Beverly

[Guest]

Well good luck with this one, if producers had those answers we'd all hire those actors!!

 

You have yet to experience the joy of sitting at AFM and hearing a buyer say...."oh well that actor has no value in my territory." They ALWAYS say this no matter who you cast. It's a fools game really.

 

The only time it counts for sure is when a foreigner buyer is putting up a distribution advance contingent on a certain actor. Even then you want to ensure you have have 3-4 choices as back ups.

 

R,

[Freya Black]

to do an indie film from time to time (Bruce Willis, Natalie Portman) and B-listers with a strong following in key international markets (can't think of anyone off the top of my head and this is probably the most important list for my current situation) I've

 

Which key international markets do you have in mind?

 

I think for most European destinations, the list of top A list actors would be the same or at least very similar to the states.

You could get hold of former a list actors perhaps?

 

I think Richard is right that people will say these people aren't in or whatever but they will still have very strong name recognition which may make your film more successful in the long run.

 

You could try posting a list of names and I could tell you the ones I recognise.

[James Steven Beverly]

Well that certainly is encouraging, ain't it. It does however explain why I've had so much trouble finding these lists on-line, nobody really knows. I suppose I could check with the distributors I've met over the last 2 years and see what they have to say. I also met this really nice casting director with years of experience who actually suggested what we should pay our talent given the budget. I should also get in touch with her.

 

Freya, I don't know if it's a good idea to post the list on the board as there could be problems if I did that. I'm always leery of legal situations when it comes to the film industry. What you COULD do is post action stars and fading action stars (Both male and female, Race unimportant) who are willing to work in low end action pictures and can act that put asses in the seats in the UK. NO DOUBT who ever you name, I probably have on the list BUT you might come up with someone I didn't think of because often times as "star" in the US doesn't mean a star overseas and some midstream actor here might be huge internationally. B)

Edited December 10, 2012 by James Steven Beverly

[Freya Black]

.

Freya, I don't know if it's a good idea to post the list on the board as there could be problems if I did that. I'm always leery of legal situations when it comes to the film industry. What you COULD do is post action stars and fading action stars (Both male and

 

You already have a list? I just kind of meant a list of random people and I could tell you which ones I had heard of but...

 

female, Race unimportant) who are willing to work in low end action pictures and can act that put asses in the seats in the UK. NO DOUBT who ever you name, I probably have on the list BUT you might come up with someone I didn't think of because often times as "star" in the US doesn't mean a star overseas and some midstream actor here might be huge internationally. B)

 

I don't think that's true. I think here in Europe, the people who are big name stars are probably the same people who are big name stars in the states.

 

However I can name some names.

 

If I had a budget one of the first people I would try and grab would be Harrison Ford who is a completely amazing actor who is having a hard time right now. However he is slated to be in the new star wars movie (who wouldn't want him in that!) so this situation may change but... and in the same vein I hear that Syl Stallone is also trying to get hold of Wesley Snipes for a new low budget action movie because (can't remember it's name it's a sequel to the one he just did tho, so I'm sure you can find out) he is getting out of prison soon.

 

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are also both very recognisable names for obvious reasons.

 

Another recognisable name would be Vin Diesel. He appears in a lot of lower budget action movies.

 

There are probably a lot of other people I can't think of right now, but I'm sure all of these people are famous names in the states too right?

 

Check out this:

 

http://www.sushigirlmovie.com/appetizer/

 

They keep sending me snippets from the movie which just makes me turn a green colour and makes smoke come out of my ears! ;) Amazing cast. I don't even have plans to make a movie in that style but would love to work with those actors! *sigh*

 

love

 

Freya

[Jesus Sifuentes]

Hey Steve. Stacy Parks from Film Courage recently post her list on her website http://www.filmspecific.com/public/department206.cfm "...But Which Actors?" - A Guide To Researching Marketable Talent For Packaging Films. I renew my $25.00 monthly membership around ever 3-5 months so I don't have the list myself but the stuff I've gotten from that site is worth the price.

 

Also Stacy recommends contacting foreign sales agents who will tell you flat out if who you have in mind has finicial weight in the foreign market.

[James Steven Beverly]

You already have a list? I just kind of meant a list of random people and I could tell you which ones I had heard of but...

 

 

 

I don't think that's true. I think here in Europe, the people who are big name stars are probably the same people who are big name stars in the states.

 

However I can name some names.

 

If I had a budget one of the first people I would try and grab would be Harrison Ford who is a completely amazing actor who is having a hard time right now. However he is slated to be in the new star wars movie (who wouldn't want him in that!) so this situation may change but... and in the same vein I hear that Syl Stallone is also trying to get hold of Wesley Snipes for a new low budget action movie because (can't remember it's name it's a sequel to the one he just did tho, so I'm sure you can find out) he is getting out of prison soon.

 

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are also both very recognisable names for obvious reasons.

 

Another recognisable name would be Vin Diesel. He appears in a lot of lower budget action movies.

 

There are probably a lot of other people I can't think of right now, but I'm sure all of these people are famous names in the states too right?

 

Check out this:

 

http://www.sushigirl....com/appetizer/

 

They keep sending me snippets from the movie which just makes me turn a green colour and makes smoke come out of my ears! ;) Amazing cast. I don't even have plans to make a movie in that style but would love to work with those actors! *sigh*

 

love

 

Freya

 

You already have a list? I just kind of meant a list of random people and I could tell you which ones I had heard of but...

 

I have a list of actors and actresses that are very familiar to American audiences that have working in low budget pictures relitively recently and I believe would be willing to do a picture in the 1mil to 5mil budget range . Some are former A-listers that are past their prime or have screwed up royally and are trying to rebuild their careers but still have the qualities and acting brilliance that made them stars in the first place. Some are B-listers with a large, loyal following and a lot of talent. Some are up and comers that will break out in the next year or two. Some are just REALLY good actors that I think I can help get noticed in the kind of role they haven't played before. I've gotten some prices for a few of them that I have know you know but with some there came the caveat He's...."difficult" (not the actually phase used). I can actually understand, having been one of the top grossing actors in the world at one time, now relegated to B-movie status. It's gotta be tough. I'm willing to deal with this guy because I have seen almost ALL of his work and he is a genius! I'm hoping the role will appeal to him enough to WANT to be in it, not just because it's a paycheck. There are a few like this on my list. The women were picked because there in an arc in the female lead that requires a talented actress to play it.Though the female and male leads are virtually equals by the end of the picture, if pressed, I would have to say it is the female lead that is the hero, so she has to be good.

 

 

I don't think that's true. I think here in Europe, the people who are big name stars are probably the same people who are big name stars in the states.

 

However I can name some names.

 

If I had a budget one of the first people I would try and grab would be Harrison Ford who is a completely amazing actor who is having a hard time right now. However he is slated to be in the new star wars movie (who wouldn't want him in that!) so this situation may change but... and in the same vein I hear that Syl Stallone is also trying to get hold of Wesley Snipes for a new low budget action movie because (can't remember it's name it's a sequel to the one he just did tho, so I'm sure you can find out) he is getting out of prison soon.

 

Well, maybe not so much for the UK, but the Continent, yeah, it is true. The French embrace some actors we don't nessacerily give two hoots about. Asia, whole different ballgame. Eastern Europe also different. It's a lesson I am learning. Snipes is on the list but I have a relationship with another black actor that I want to approach first. He works so much though, I doubt if he'll be available. The one thing that does bug me is that whole "Black actors kill the foreign market" myth. Will Smith was (may still be, I'm not sure) No.1 in the world. I hate that kind of thinking and will not be boxed in by such bigoted bullshite. I will cast according to quality not color. I usually also write at least one interesting role for an older woman. There are SSSOOO many great older actresses out there being under utilized. These women have a name, a following and talent backed up by years of expereince. What a waste not to use them because they don't look like they did when they were 22. Stupidity, sheer stupidity. OK, I'm off my soapbox now.

 

 

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are also both very recognisable names for obvious reasons.

 

Another recognisable name would be Vin Diesel. He appears in a lot of lower budget action movies.

 

There are probably a lot of other people I can't think of right now, but I'm sure all of these people are famous names in the states too right?

 

Well I'm glad to hear Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are still working in small films that bring in audeances in the UK. Their careers seem to mbe pretty dead here. Carrie had...."problems" which she has since seemed to overcome. Her writing has flourished though. I saw her one woman show on HBO I think a few months ago and she was brilliant, VERY FUNNY! Last thing I saw Mark Hamill on was an episode of Just Shoot Me, which was a few years ago. I should put him on the list though. At least give him a chance to read. I'll take a look at IMDB Pro and see what he's been doing lately. I goota say, he wouldn't be my first choise fopr this particular role as is has a more Spaggetti Western quality to the character but he did play a bit of a bad ass in Return of the Jedi. Maybe he could pull it off. Vin Diesel WWWAAAAYYYY too expensive. I did look up Harrison Ford thinking after Cowboys and Aleins, his price might have come down. He's workin' his ASS off. I could make a call but there is NO WAY he would come on board for the kind of money we could offer.

 

Check out this:

 

http://www.sushigirl....com/appetizer/

 

They keep sending me snippets from the movie which just makes me turn a green colour and makes smoke come out of my ears! ;) Amazing cast. I don't even have plans to make a movie in that style but would love to work with those actors! *sigh*

 

love

 

Freya

 

Thanks for the link, Freya. I'll check it out.

[James Steven Beverly]

Hey Steve. Stacy Parks from Film Courage recently post her list on her website http://www.filmspeci...partment206.cfm "...But Which Actors?" - A Guide To Researching Marketable Talent For Packaging Films. I renew my $25.00 monthly membership around ever 3-5 months so I don't have the list myself but the stuff I've gotten from that site is worth the price.

 

Also Stacy recommends contacting foreign sales agents who will tell you flat out if who you have in mind has finicial weight in the foreign market.

Hey Steve. Stacy Parks from Film Courage recently post her list on her website http://www.filmspeci...partment206.cfm "...But Which Actors?" - A Guide To Researching Marketable Talent For Packaging Films. I renew my $25.00 monthly membership around ever 3-5 months so I don't have the list myself but the stuff I've gotten from that site is worth the price.

 

Also Stacy recommends contacting foreign sales agents who will tell you flat out if who you have in mind has finicial weight in the foreign market.

 

Yeah, I checked out Film Spec a couple of years ago. It's OK. I guess I'm just kinda more a hands on guy. I like to do my own research and learn by doing. I think that's why I like going to AFM so much. it's fun to make deals.

Edited December 12, 2012 by James Steven Beverly

[Freya Black]

 

Well, maybe not so much for the UK, but the Continent, yeah, it is true. The French embrace some actors we don't nessacerily give two hoots about.

 

...but aren't those French actors? I mean there are also popular English actors that mean little in the states but that is a different thing.

 

Asia, whole different ballgame. Eastern Europe also different.

 

Yes all of these and more are VERY different.

 

Well I'm glad to hear Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are still working in small films that bring in audeances in the UK. Their careers seem to mbe pretty dead here. Carrie had...."problems" which she has since seemed to overcome. Her writing has

 

I didn't say they worked in small films that bought in audiences! I was just saying that they would have big name recognition. Small films that bring in audiences are a completely different thing and I'm not sure how much info about those would help you. They are their own tiny local thing.

 

flourished though. I saw her one woman show on HBO I think a few months ago and she was brilliant, VERY FUNNY! Last thing I saw Mark Hamill on was an episode of Just Shoot Me, which was a few years ago. I should put him on the list though. At least give him a chance to read. I'll take a look at IMDB Pro and see what he's been doing lately. I goota say, he wouldn't be my first choise fopr this particular role as is has a more Spaggetti Western quality to the character but he did play a bit of a bad ass in

 

I think Mark Hamill has mostly been famous for playing "the joker" most recently. He hasn't been doing so much, but that's the point surely????

 

Return of the Jedi. Maybe he could pull it off. Vin Diesel WWWAAAAYYYY too expensive. I did look up Harrison Ford thinking after Cowboys and Aleins, his price might have come down. He's workin' his ASS off. I could make a call but there is NO WAY he would come on board for the kind of money we could offer.

 

He is an amazing actor. I'm sure he could still do incredible things but I'm sure he would be looking for the right part by which I mean script more than financially.

 

Thanks for the link, Freya. I'll check it out.

 

You should definitely check it out, if only as an example of a film that does the kind of thing you are talking about in terms of acting talent.

 

Richard may be right tho, that this may not lead to sales with distributors. It does get the attention of people who might watch the films tho. I think you should just cast for who would be really good in the part!

 

love

 

Freya

[Guest]

Look at the world wide success of Slumdog Millionaire, it had all those famous white American actors in it.

 

I would challenge you to find a single American that can name the guy who plays Bilbo in the new Hobbit movie. And what was the budget on that movie?

 

BTW, any name actor with value in the US and overseas will be minimum 100K per week, plus union fringes of 15%.

 

R,

[James Steven Beverly]

Well worth it if they bring in the audiences and can help secure a limited theatrical release. That's actually a bit lower than I figured they'd be. I do agree that unknowns can and have make very successful pictures but why swim upstream? The first thing a distributor is going to ask is "Who's in it?" Yes, if it's good, it might find an audience, but I don't like "Ifs" I intend on giving myself the best possible chance of success. AND there is another thing. I've directed pretty much everything else, but I've never directed a narrative feature. I have the arrogance to believe I'll be great at it. Even so it never hurts to surround ones self with brilliance....just in case they happen to know something I might not. :D

 

I have insisted my fellow producers and I procure the best quality people the budget will allow. So far they've agreed to give me pretty much everything I've asked for with the exception of what I believe to be the minimum budget we'll need to shoot this properly. They've found a significant portion of it but are still not there yet, I'm working to resolve the situation. The only other disagreement has come from format. I'm pushing for film shot in 'scope for artistic reasons. They're pushing for digital, which makes sense given the budget BUT I still firmly believe, film can be shot as cheaply as digital if the shoot is thoroughly planned out and time and money is not wasted. I did make it clear though, if we do end up shooting digitally, we will be shooting on the Alexa and not on a RED (I HATE those god damned things). They don't seem to have a problem with that. They're even considering buying a pair as they want this to be an on going relationship. I still wanting that 2:35 aspect ratio. I don't know if that will be a problem for the Alexa or not. I very much doubt it but you never know. I'll have to do the research and find out. B)

[James Steven Beverly]

...but aren't those French actors? I mean there are also popular English actors that mean little in the states but that is a different thing.

 

 

 

Yes all of these and more are VERY different.

 

 

 

I didn't say they worked in small films that bought in audiences! I was just saying that they would have big name recognition. Small films that bring in audiences are a completely different thing and I'm not sure how much info about those would help you. They are their own tiny local thing.

 

 

 

I think Mark Hamill has mostly been famous for playing "the joker" most recently. He hasn't been doing so much, but that's the point surely????

 

 

 

He is an amazing actor. I'm sure he could still do incredible things but I'm sure he would be looking for the right part by which I mean script more than financially.

 

 

 

You should definitely check it out, if only as an example of a film that does the kind of thing you are talking about in terms of acting talent.

 

Richard may be right tho, that this may not lead to sales with distributors. It does get the attention of people who might watch the films tho. I think you should just cast for who would be really good in the part!

 

love

 

Freya

...but aren't those French actors? I mean there are also popular English actors that mean little in the states but that is a different thing.

 

 

 

Yes all of these and more are VERY different.

 

 

 

I didn't say they worked in small films that bought in audiences! I was just saying that they would have big name recognition. Small films that bring in audiences are a completely different thing and I'm not sure how much info about those would help you. They are their own tiny local thing.

 

 

 

I think Mark Hamill has mostly been famous for playing "the joker" most recently. He hasn't been doing so much, but that's the point surely????

 

 

 

He is an amazing actor. I'm sure he could still do incredible things but I'm sure he would be looking for the right part by which I mean script more than financially.

 

 

 

You should definitely check it out, if only as an example of a film that does the kind of thing you are talking about in terms of acting talent.

 

Richard may be right tho, that this may not lead to sales with distributors. It does get the attention of people who might watch the films tho. I think you should just cast for who would be really good in the part!

 

love

 

Freya

 

Hell Freya, Half the damn movie stars in the United States are either English, Irish or Australian!! One of the guys on my list is English. I'm just hoping if we decide on him, he can do an American accent! Johnny Depp seems to be taking all the roles that require English accents. I'm also looking at casting the female lead Asian. As for the whole "Mark Hamill" thing, any information you want to give may be of some help. Local is probably not as localized as you might imagine. Hamill's been doing a lot of cartoon work for a while now. I don't watch cartoons very often so I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with that aspect of his career as I probably should be. I guess I was looking more at how American B-listers fared across the pond. Whether they were more popular there than here or worked as leading actors in English cinema where they might have been second bananas here or the old "Jerry Lewis is considered a genius in France" thing as it applies to modern overseas audiences. As for Harrison Ford, it's possible he might do a low budget film for arts sake but from the list of his credits, he hasn't made a habit of it. Vin Diesel, He's an action star. The fact that he came out or was reputed to have come out, (I can't remember which it was) might have temporarily created a week long hiccup in his career, but it sure as Hell did do any real damage. He's currently working his ass off on like 7 BIG movies for 2013. As for your last comment, I ALWAYS go with talent first but in this group, there are a LOT and I mean AAAA LLLLOOOOOTTTT of VERY talented people. I'm also restrained by availability, salary demands, chemistry within the leads and cast in general not to mention the "first time director" stigma. One advantage we do have is it will probably be shot in California within reasonable driving distance from LA (if there IS such a thing as reasonable driving distance from LA) so any star we use won't be that far away from home for the shoot. Which even though this will be a relatively short shooting schedule, is always a plus for most. That being said, everyone on the list has shown their acting chops and would be someone I would love to direct.

Edited December 13, 2012 by James Steven Beverly

[Guest]

not to mention the "first time director" stigma.

 

It's a real problem, many actors just flat out say no, when they hear it's the director's first outing. Unless the director has won a bunch of awards at major festivals with a celebrated short film, worked as a known commercials director, or done 30 hours of episodic TV.

 

The biggest challenge short film makers is going from shorts to feature length, it is a huge leap. Unfortunately you can't learn all of the required lessons in advance, you just have to accept that you are going to make a lot of mistakes and the final product may not be sellable on the first go around.

[James Steven Beverly]

Well, ladies and gentlemen (Yes I mean you, Richie....gentlemen, not ladies just so we're on the same page), WHOLE NEW BALLGAME!! After a long phone conversation with my fellow producers, I have convinced them to go with a lower budgeted action/adventure -horror film that can be done well on the budget we have available rather than scrimping (translate that to mean cutting great swaths of the script) on Blood Moon Rising. The project is called "The Hunted" (current working title) and I wrote it as a parallel, striped down version of BMR just in the event this happened. There are only 5 main characters and they get killed off one by one so talent costs will drop dramatically. Most of it takes place in the desert so our production value will come form Mother Nature. I still want to shoot on film in scope but we could live with Day for Night and go with Techna-scope if need be, use resold, re-canned and long ends stock from a reputable dealer or see what kind of deal fugi and Kodak might make on some out of date stuff. I have all the lenses and equipment. I'm not adverse to using digital on this one if push came to shove given the budget but I'd still insist n the Alexa. I just finished the second draft of the script and am very pleased. This might turn out as good as Blood Moon.

[Guest]

It better be damn good, this genre is heavily over saturated.......again.

 

R,

[James Steven Beverly]

With all due modesty, It IS damn good! B)

[Matthew W. Phillips]

Good luck James. I am in pre-production of a feature as well and I contacted a Kodak rep in San Fran and he told me that they are giving some decent discounts right now on 7230/5230 if you're interested. That's what Im going with since Id love to shoot 19 but he says that accounts for 70% of their film sales and he doesnt offer a signficiant break.

 

When do you plan to shoot?

[James Steven Beverly]

Don't know yet. I'm considering going desaturated to emphasizing the feeling of decay, death, desert heat and cold nights so maybe a pallet of pale yellows, oranges and blues. I'd like some grain so an older stock might be good. I don't want it to be too clean.

[Matthew W. Phillips]

Well, whatever route you go, good luck to you. I hope you find a way to shoot it on film, no matter what style you are going for. Alexa, although the best digital cinema camera yet, is still lacking in my book. Its flooding the market with a look that people will most likely grow tired of rather quickly. It seems every new feature is being shot on the thing now.

 

Honestly, I dont see how the Alexa is cheaper than film anyway...at $1,800/day, I would think youd have to shoot more than 10 pages a day to really see a cost savings. I found a guy who is selling 35mm short ends for 15c/ft. Im sure some might even know of cheaper.

 

Honestly, if you want to risk old stock, I see outdated stock selling for practically nothing on ebay all the time. Sounds like a cool way to get the best of everything you want.

[James Steven Beverly]

I'm gonna try to shoot resales and recans if possible. It's action so we'll probably burn though a lot of stock but there are tricks to keep costs down and salvaging otherwise unusable takes. The one great thing is after talking to my executive producer, things are looking very good. He is emphasizing his commitment to quality utilizing the best people we can get, actors and crew. We're getting close on securing the money. I'm also surprised at the support I've gotten from industry friends who are pulling out the stops to help where ever they can. Nothing is real until the money's in escrow but I'm feeling very good right now.

[Matthew W. Phillips]

Well, I wish you the best friend.

 

When you start production, please give us a production log. Would love to keep up to speed on how things go.

[George Ebersole]

I've been looking for a comprehensive list of actor's (to include actresses) who foreign market audiences go to the movies to see, specifically fading A-listers with enormous talent and/or appeal in said markets (i.e. Matt Dillion, Dennis Quaid), A-listers who like to do an indie film from time to time (Bruce Willis, Natalie Portman) and B-listers with a strong following in key international markets (can't think of anyone off the top of my head and this is probably the most important list for my current situation) I've been compiling lists of people to approach who might be right in a given role, many of whom are sure to be on these lists, but for packaging purposes, I have no idea where they stand in terms of the foreign market saleability when presenting them to investors and distributors which directly affects my presentation, as well as my salary negotiation, strategies. Help me get this information so I can hire some of ya all! B)

I'm not going to read through the entire thread, but will say this, an IMDBpro subscription would answer your question with a click of the mouse. Variety also has demographic breakdowns as well. Give those a shot.

[James Steven Beverly]

I'm not going to read through the entire thread, but will say this, an IMDBpro subscription would answer your question with a click of the mouse. Variety also has demographic breakdowns as well. Give those a shot.

I'm not going to read through the entire thread, but will say this, an IMDBpro subscription would answer your question with a click of the mouse. Variety also has demographic breakdowns as well. Give those a shot.

 

I have IMDB Pro. Didn't really see a breakdown of popularity of a given actor or actress overseas. Can you enlighten me on where to find this? I don't get Variety but (I'll check myself of course but in case I can't find it) it this anywhere on line?

[James Steven Beverly]

Well, I wish you the best friend.

 

When you start production, please give us a production log. Would love to keep up to speed on how things go.

 

I see what I can do. We gotta get the money first. :D B)

[George Ebersole]

I have IMDB Pro. Didn't really see a breakdown of popularity of a given actor or actress overseas. Can you enlighten me on where to find this? I don't get Variety but (I'll check myself of course but in case I can't find it) it this anywhere on line?

If you click on the star meter on the Pro version of whatever entry you're on, it should give you a breakdown of age and sex. The star meter give you general popularity, and it's my understanding that the top stars here in the US are the ones that get attention in foreign markets. Stars listed on films marketed globally should have different data points than those in national markets; i.e. a Bollywood star won't have the same charted data on his Pro page as say Nicole Kidman or Tom Cruise.Caveat; I let my pro subscription lapse a few years back because it wasn't helping me get gigs, so things may have changed since then.