Masterclass with Sue Maslin

Wide Angle Tasmania is pleased to host a masterclass with Sue Maslin - one of Australia’s most successful screen producers. Her latest feature, The Dressmaker(2015), grossed more than $20m and became one of Australia’s biggest box office smash hits. Other feature credits include Road to Nhill, Japanese Story, winner of 2003 AFI Award for Best Film, Dominick Dunne: After the Party and Hunt Angels, winner of the 2006 AFI Award for Best Feature Documentary Film. Sue is Adjunct Professor at RMIT’s School of Media & Communication and a recognised industry leader. Sue was the inaugural recipient of the Jill Robb Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Victorian Screen Industry and currently serves as President of the Natalie Miller Fellowship reflecting her ongoing commitment to gender diversity both on and off screen.

What will be covered?

Creative Producing

Introduction to Creative Producing: at the intersection of creative/business and screen technologies
What does a producer do? What are the qualities required in order to be successful?
The role of producer in development, production, post-production and marketing
Managing risk
Producer/director relationship
Building a business

Case Study – The Show Must Go On

Development

Securing a property – Optioning and rights in relation to “true stories”.
writer/producer relationship.
Steps in the development process
Establishing chain of title.

Audience and Marketing

Understanding the market, audience and social media
Developing and monetising audience experience.
Understanding key selling points and packaging your project.
Understanding distributor and sales agent needs.

Developing finance plans that make sense

Understanding what a film should cost in relation to its ambitions and market reality.
Understanding rights and how to strategically exploit them.
Sources of finance.
Attaching distributors and sales agents.
Managing the recoupment waterfall.

Pitching and packaging

What you need to take your project to market (including getting development funding).
Understanding the world of Film Markets and Film Festivals and how to capitalise on them.
Taking a project to market, what's needed, how to judge when to attend, who to meet and how to follow up.
Pitching basics from the elevator pitch to the meeting with acquisitions executives.

Production / Post-production