‘What are you going to do now you have finished university?’
‘How will you find a way into the film industry?’
These questions remain at the top of the frequently asked questions list for a recent film graduate such as myself. My name is Jasmine, and I am a Producer in Marketing and Distribution (PMD) for Idle Wrath Films. Having recently completed my Masters in Film Studies at The University of Sydney, I am excited to be helping Suzanne and Jason turn their dreams of completing a fully budgeted short film into a reality.
I met Suzanne on a cold winter’s night in Sydney CBD. She had been rushing from a day of filming the crowd funding video for ‘Fairy Fort’ and I had been hurrying from handing in a paper on American cinema. Her enthusiasm and passion for filmmaking was contagious. I was immediately eager to take on the roles she was describing and excited by the concept of her film. I have always been interested in the mixture of fantasy and reality and the way it allows our imaginations to take over. Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of peak hour workers, shoppers and travellers, Suzanne gave me a run down of her plans for ‘Fairy Fort’- marketing, social media, shooting location, the script, and my role as a PMD.
What is a PMD?
Now, the title ‘PMD’ was previously an unfamiliar one to me, so I’m assuming it needs a bit of explaining. A PMD is important for the distribution of independent film. The PMD designs the marketing and distribution plan for a film, develops the campaign image and encourages audience engagement and sales. They work closely with the producer (Suzanne) and the rest of the team (a bunch of talented people) to develop a film’s brand, organise marketing materials and take care of social media and publicity. So throughout June and July I have been assisting with the crowd funding campaign and writing press releases on the cast. It’s a lot of fun and highly rewarding- Suzanne has even cooked for us! I am now proud to answer all those post-uni questions with a description of my role with Idle Wrath Films.
We have two other PMDs working on the project- Gia and Rovana. Stay tuned for their stories!
In the meantime, check out our campaign here - http://igg.me/at/fairyfort
Jasmine
