Insights on market at DVinfo.net

Lucio Terra · April 21st, 2006, 09:30 AM

Hello to you all. I`ve registered to DVinfo a few days ago and am really impressed at the huge amount of valuable info around here. Thanks to you all.

I must say I`ve found some great information on equipment and shooting experiences, however I`ve seen little on market issues...

I am currently planning to start some serious work in wildlife. I have done some amateur work with lower end cameras, and loved it, but always felt upset at not having the professional means. Now I may have a shot, and I`m on the process of deciding whether the whole project is financially viable.

It requires some initial $10.000 on equipment investment, and I must tell you, that is a lot of money for me right now. Local and national TV in my country pay very little money and as sole buyers are no way near covering costs. Therefore I`m eager to get some international market insight and know the commercial possibilities abroad.

Leaving the big ones (BBC, NatGeo, Discovery) out of the equation initially (just being realistic) I have no idea which other way outs I have. So it would be great if those of you who have experience selling to intermediate - smaller networks or others, to comment on it.

Any hints will be appreciated, cheers

Meryem Ersoz · April 21st, 2006, 09:43 AM

welcome, lucio. this link should probably have been included in the wildlife forum. might be worth a look...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64157

also, there are several pros in the biz who post in the wildlife forum, and they're very helpful folks. i recommend figuring out their names and doing a member search to read their old threads, which are full of info about their career paths and experiences. it's like being able to shadow a professional.

Chris Hurd · April 21st, 2006, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

this link should probably have been included in the wildlife forum.

Your wish is my command. Done.

Lucio Terra · April 22nd, 2006, 02:25 PM

thanks meryem for your reply

I`ve checked out the link... some useful info...

I will try to explain my intentions so that you can understand my situation and comment on it... I am planning on doing a 6 programme series on uruguayan wildlife. The main advantage of producing here is that while we`ve got excellent human capital, salaries, production services and other running cost are like three times lower than in the US or Europe. Only equipment is the same fixed cost. Moreover, access to national TV for a quality series like the one I`m planning is not that difficult if the job is well done. That would give me some track record to take the programmes elsewhere, a necessary step as national TV is no way near even covering costs. And my question in the previous post was which were my different commercial possibilities. The first step would be to present my work in documentary festivals where I can get in touch with networks. Which intermediate rate festivals are out there for this kind of product? How much could I get for a good 30 min programme from an intermediate network? would I need a sales agent of contacts are more P2P in the documentary industry?

my big problem is that I`m far (literally) from the market and that makes it difficult to plan the business.

cheers to all, hope you can help me

April 21st, 2006, 09:30 AM	#1
Lucio Terra Tourist Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montevideo, Uruguay Posts: 2	Insights on market Hello to you all. I`ve registered to DVinfo a few days ago and am really impressed at the huge amount of valuable info around here. Thanks to you all. I must say I`ve found some great information on equipment and shooting experiences, however I`ve seen little on market issues... I am currently planning to start some serious work in wildlife. I have done some amateur work with lower end cameras, and loved it, but always felt upset at not having the professional means. Now I may have a shot, and I`m on the process of deciding whether the whole project is financially viable. It requires some initial $10.000 on equipment investment, and I must tell you, that is a lot of money for me right now. Local and national TV in my country pay very little money and as sole buyers are no way near covering costs. Therefore I`m eager to get some international market insight and know the commercial possibilities abroad. Leaving the big ones (BBC, NatGeo, Discovery) out of the equation initially (just being realistic) I have no idea which other way outs I have. So it would be great if those of you who have experience selling to intermediate - smaller networks or others, to comment on it. Any hints will be appreciated, cheers

April 21st, 2006, 09:43 AM	#2
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	welcome, lucio. this link should probably have been included in the wildlife forum. might be worth a look... http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64157 also, there are several pros in the biz who post in the wildlife forum, and they're very helpful folks. i recommend figuring out their names and doing a member search to read their old threads, which are full of info about their career paths and experiences. it's like being able to shadow a professional.

April 22nd, 2006, 02:25 PM	#4
Lucio Terra Tourist Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montevideo, Uruguay Posts: 2	thanks meryem for your reply I`ve checked out the link... some useful info... I will try to explain my intentions so that you can understand my situation and comment on it... I am planning on doing a 6 programme series on uruguayan wildlife. The main advantage of producing here is that while we`ve got excellent human capital, salaries, production services and other running cost are like three times lower than in the US or Europe. Only equipment is the same fixed cost. Moreover, access to national TV for a quality series like the one I`m planning is not that difficult if the job is well done. That would give me some track record to take the programmes elsewhere, a necessary step as national TV is no way near even covering costs. And my question in the previous post was which were my different commercial possibilities. The first step would be to present my work in documentary festivals where I can get in touch with networks. Which intermediate rate festivals are out there for this kind of product? How much could I get for a good 30 min programme from an intermediate network? would I need a sales agent of contacts are more P2P in the documentary industry? my big problem is that I`m far (literally) from the market and that makes it difficult to plan the business. cheers to all, hope you can help me