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Interview with
Alexia Melocchi
I began working in the film industry in
1985 as an exclusive representative for 11 international film distributors. On
their behalf, I would look for and acquire films and television programming
available for cinema, television and home video distribution in their country.
Within a year I had bought more than 100 films, including some major hits such
as Rambo, Basic Instinct, Platoon, etc. Because of great relationships with
producers during that time, I was asked to represent their films for the entire
world and thus I opened my own worldwide distribution company/sales agency in
1988. I successfully ran this company until 1994, selling more than 28
films around the world to profit as well as arranging financing/co-production
possibilities for my clients. In 1994 I went to Europe for four years to produce
for European television and I opened my own Management Company, THE HOLLYWOOD
CONNECTION, which represented celebrities from Spain, Italy, England, Greece
(actors, models, directors, writers, producers). In 1998 I returned to the
States, where I opened LITTLE STUDIO FILMS INC. with the intention of transferring
my management activities, while also operating as a producer/executive producer
for projects given to me by my clients who are now writers, directors,
producers/production company from around the world. Intelligent thrillers, solid dramas (that
would attract name actors to it), and action films with sequel and franchise
potential. Definitely not. Unproduced writers should
focus on very well written material that will attract A list talent, and that
will have original ideas targeting a WIDE AUDIENCE or could gather awards
and critical acclaim. Also, an unproduced writer should remember that 70% of the
distribution market is international, therefore he/she should extensively
research those global markets to make sure his/her script is a movie that
anybody in the world could relate to and/or want to see. A manager builds the career of the writer.
A manager is manager, best friend, therapist, advisor, publicist, marketing
strategist all in one. A manager usually sees and recognized the talent
for what it has POTENTIAL TO BECOME and thinks long term and down the road. An agent
will usually take on a client for the money and recognition it has already
earned as a writer versus the potential of money and recognition it could earn. Knowledge of the business, personal rapport, and Connections, Connections, Connections. Many times writers focus only on the top management
companies (in size and known clientele) not realizing they often would get lost
in the shuffle, IF THEY EVER GOT SIGNED, and that they would not be a priority
for those managers unless they have already had scripts produced that made big box
office earnings. Also they should look for a manager who is connected
internationally as well, because there are many international producers out
there searching desperately for good scripts. A good manager would also be
thinking outside of the box, meaning they would try to make the script stronger
and more appealing by packaging it with other elements such as co
production ventures, talent attachments, or legitimate producers. I will not consider horror or teenage comedies. I will not consider "artsy" and obscure material that only a handful of people would be interested in. I will consider sweeping dramas,
intelligent thrillers, romantic comedies, period pieces, some unique action
adventure material, family movies , anything intelligently written and with
ORIGINAL ideas. If the pitch/premise is great and the story needs work, we will
help the writer get it to the point where the story is as great as the
pitch/premise. A GREAT AND HUMBLE WRITER. A writer who is
educated (good knowledge of the English language and script structure) and is
informed of the industry and its proceedings. When I say HUMBLE I mean the
writer should not think start with the position that his script is the best in
the world and that everybody would buy it for millions of dollars. There are
300,000 scripts that circulate in Hollywood on any given year. The odds are not
in the writer's favor. His only security is the quality of material, and the
connections of his representation. Just to get the script in the door and into
the hands of decision makers is a great thing. That's what the writer should be
happy for. Everything else is timing, market needs, reputation of the writers'
work. Also, writers should be pro-active and stay informed on industry trends
and its players. The film world outside Hollywood is even
more picky. If you watch British films, most of them are produced because of the
script, not because of the talent. International producers are more
sophisticated that way. READ THE TRADES. It is a vital tool and
the trades are the Bible for the writers. They can see box office trends,
companies that are in business, emerging producers, how deals are made, etc. Absolutely! Often a script of a specific
genre will not be read because it has a woman's signature on it. I have at times
submitted action scripts written by women and they were passed on and then
resubmitted with an alias-- a man's name-- and then they had great coverage.
However, I feel that in the representation world women managers/agents tend to
be more caring for their clients (it's the Mother Goose syndrome) and have more
sensitivity for quality material. Please do not send unsolicited scripts! Please do not send long e-mail pitches. A writer should query to us via e-mail or mail to our management department with a short introduction of who they are, the script they want to submit, where the project has been and if it has received feedback and if he/she has references from industry people, that's great. We don't care for coverage it received unless it is from top agents or production companies because we have to cover the script again in house keeping in mind the GLOBAL needs and not just the script by itself. Our email for submissions is marketing@littlestudiofilms.com or management@littlestudiofilms.com. Anything else you'd like to add? I also suggest to some writers with exceptional materials to take matters into their own hands and become producers on their scripts (the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon way), if they have some financial resources to do so. This way they make more money, have more creative control and do not have to be at the mercy of the studios' development hell. We do assist writers at times in this endeavor; however in that case, and for our assistance in getting the project packaged/prepared/marketed, we do receive some upfront compensation to cover our basic expenses as well as executive producer involvement. Writers can ask for the Producer's Submisssion Package to be sent to them by our Production Department at Production@littlestudiofilms.com. We also offer ON A RARE OCCASION
consulting services for the writer by evaluating the script on marketability,
talent and distribution appeal and targeting a list companies the writer can
submit material to as well as educating the writer on how the industry works and
expenses, people and companies and activities to avoid. But
that's not our main line of business and we prefer to offer those services only
to our already represented clients or to an aggressive writer with a business
mind. |
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Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007
Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
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Alexia Melocchi is
the president of production and management of Little Studio Films, Inc. With 14
years of experience in the industry, she has built strong relationships with
actors, directors, writers, producers, agents, distributors and financiers and
is currently representing top writers, producers and directors around the world.
Because of her ties with international producers and distributors, she continues
to act as a producer representative for several companies both in the USA and
overseas. As the President of Sales at AXELIA INTERNATIONAL, she successfully
sold 24 films worldwide and developed expertise in pre- sales, international
licensing, project acquisitions, contract negotiations, marketing strategies,
and packaging films with business plans, talent and production partners.
