1. Got a script? Got a marketable package? Identify the elements that constitute your package and be able to pitch it in a brief period of time. I.e., is it more than just a script: Is there a director? Is there an actor? Is there any equity involved? What is your package? You don't need a trailer; you don't need a book; you just need a script and a five-minute pitch.
2. November 1, 2006: Go to Loews Santa Monica for AFM opening day and pick up all the magazines on offer. Read them to understand the kinds of product being brought or bought at the marketplace. Not every film is right for every company; each coy has different specialties and different skill sets, based on factors like budget, language, or genre. Of the 400 companies at the AFM, it's unlikely that any film would suit any more than 25 or 30. Put together your list.
3. Break your list into two parts: List One - companies based in the city you live in; List Two - companies based somewhere else.
4. Spend the next three days using the free badge to see the AFM public previews. See the films coming from around the world and go to some of the seminars. The Pitch Me! session on the Saturday provides a how-to on the art of pitching your feature film. Get feedback on the pitch you perfected in Step #1! At the Locations Expo, you'll see about a dozen film commissions discussing in detail the benefits and incentives of shooting in their area of the world. Once you understand how those 12 work, it's important to realize there are 10 times as many around the world. So once you understand how 10 work, you'll know how 100 work and you'll know where the best place is to go hunting when you want to shoot your film.
5. You've now spent the first half of AFM scoping out who it is you might want to meet with, seeing film and going to seminars (and maybe hanging out in the lobby). On Sunday morning, walk into the AFM early and buy a half-market badge (you'll save about 60% of the cost of the full AFM pass!). Now be the stealth participant, walk through the offices of all of the companies to confirm what you read in Step #2, to make sure the list you put together makes sense. For the companies you want to meet with, ask directly for the person who does acquisitions. If you walk in and say, "I'm a producer. Who can I meet with about my film?" you'll be met with an unsatisfactory response, but if you know exactly who you want to meet with and ask for fifteen minutes on their calendar for Monday or Tuesday, you're much more likely to get a favorable response. (For those companies located in the city in which you live, use the AFM as an even better learning experience about the company. Contact them the week after AFM and set up a meeting in their office. Better to have 45 minutes with them in their own office than to have 15 minutes with them at the AFM, right?)
6. When the day is done, take the journey shuttle to the AFI Fest and be inspired!
