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From the "People" Archives: Buyer Profile: Dylan Leiner, Sony Pictures Classics
Dylan Leiner BACKGROUND: 32 years old, born in London and raised in Los Angeles. Attended Wesleyan University. First job was working with music supervisors Becky Mancuso Winding and Tim Sexton. Previously worked for Jim Henson Productions and Ed Zwick/Marshall Herzkovitz on "My So-Called Life". MOST IMPORTANT FILM FESTIVALS: The value of film festivals is not primarily in the acquisitions arena. While we have acquired films...and attend all the major festivals to see new movies, festivals for Sony Pictures Classics are more valuable as places at which to unveil a picture for the world to see. A picture's reputation and life are fragile and having an opportunity to properly frame a film for critics, journalists, exhibitors, opinion makers and audiences is crucial. This process often begins at a film festival. FAVORITE FILMS OF THE LAST THREE YEARS: "Talk to Her," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Mulholland Drive," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Pollock," "About Schmidt." RECENT FILMS INVOLVED WITH ACQUIRING: I am involved with all of the films that are acquired by SPC. The structure of the company and the nature of the environment at SPC is unique to the industry. You won't find any one person claiming credit for any particular picture. [EDITORS NOTE: Recent Sony Pictures Classics films include: "Winged Migration," "Laurel Canyon," "Talk to Her," "The Cuckoo," "A Man Without a Past," "Spider," and "Respiro."] TYPES OF FILMS COMPANY LOOKS FOR: We have always been and remain a director-driven company. When deciding to get involved with a picture at the script stage, we rate the creative components as follows: 1) director, 2) screenplay, 3) key crew (dp, editor, production designer, 4) cast. The only type of pictures that we are not interested in are outright slasher films or pictures that require a release of 800 or more screens on opening weekend. HOW TO GET THE ATTENTION OF BUYERS: Emerging filmmakers should focus on writing scripts and making films for an audience. Filmmakers should have done research on the people and companies that they are approaching. They should study what films specific distributors have released and determine where their film fits best. They should also speak with other filmmakers about their experiences in distribution at the different companies. Filmmakers are often very open to sharing their experiences. WRONG WAY TO GET ATTENTION: Calling daily and making us feel guilty most often causes us to want to respond quickly, but the results are usually not favorable. GENERAL THOUGHTS: Acquisitions is a year-round process. We are buying films throughout the calendar year, not just at festivals. The ceiling for the success of specialized English-language and foreign-language films has never been higher, but the films that don't work can be a bust. | |
