Money-making has always been a part of Art
2023 October 16., Monday 15:41.
Prof. Paulo Leite teaches at Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa in Portugal – He specialises in screenwriting and production and has long been involved in screenwriting and film finance and film marketing in the UK. We asked him about his experiences and views during his Erasmus exchange at SZFE.
How does your course, film financing and marketing help the students to find their places in the always growing film industry?
There is a lot of noise in the market because there are lots and lots of films being produced. Digital technology has made the act of shooting a film (or any audiovisual content) more affordable and easier to use. This does not mean that filmmaking is cheap. It means that there is simply too much content in a market fighting for people’s attention. In that context, most people are worrying about the most visible parts of filmmaking: how to write a great script, what’s the best camera, how to do a certain special effect. Very few people seem to be thinking about the two most important fields today: financing and marketing. It’s in these two areas that lies the keys to all others. Considering that all subjects have their importance at some point of the process, financing and marketing will have an impact on everything. This means that film students who take some time to understand these subjects have a lot more chances to move their projects ahead.
Why do you feel it is important to teach film financing and marketing?
Without financing, there is no film. People tend to believe that in the end, some artistic brilliance will make up for the money that isn’t there. That’s a myth. It’s not true. It may have happened a few times in 120+ years of filmmaking, but those were exceptions – never the rule. In reality, it is the adequate financing that will create the conditions for artistic brilliance to appear and do its magic. It’s the same thing with marketing. People think their films will magically sell themselves. In reality, the marketing process goes hand in hand with the film’s financing. It’s not about selling the film. It’s about eliminating the effort of selling. There are millions of roadblocks between a film and its audience. Marketing provides you a map around those roadblocks.
It’s not an easy question, but do you think that commercial films are losing their artistic essence for advertising and money-making purposes?
Not at all. The money-making has always been a part of Art. The issue is that, while money has a tangible nature, Art has an intangible nature. We never know which films will pass the test of time. However, the idea that money-making destroys Art (and vice-versa) is another myth. All films are commercial unless the producer decides to lock them in a vault and never release them. That does not mean that every film should be Marvel. However, it is absurd to believe that Arthouse films are not commercial. They have different audiences, different prices and different expectations. Money-making is not Art’s enemy (and vice-versa). Ignorance about film financing and marketing is the enemy.
Why did you choose The University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest and what were your favorite experiences at our institution?
Because of the school’s prestige and track record of excellence. I believe the school has a great tradition and influence in Hungarian Cinema. In that context it is always a privilege to be able to cooperate with the school.
Other News
The First Half-Century of the Théâtre du Soleil and Two Special Guests – Book Launch in the SZFE Books Series
The SZFE Books series is once again enriched with a significant volume. Its mission is to make essential theatrical and film works available in Hungarian, works that are indispensable to contemporary artistic discourse. The newest addition is French theatre historian Béatrice Picon-Vallin’s book: Théâtre du Soleil – The First Half-Century of Ariane Mnouchkine’s Sun Theatre. The launch will take place on September 29 at the Doctoral School of SZFE.
“The Body Is Reality” – David Cronenberg in Budapest
David Cronenberg, the world-renowned Canadian director of the body-horror genre, visited the Uránia National Film Theatre as the guest of honor of the Budapest Classic Film Marathon. At the audience Q&A organized by the NFI and SZFE, viewers heard not only about the beginnings of his career and behind-the-scenes stories from his legendary films, but also about what technology and artificial intelligence mean to him.
Romeo and Juliet in the Rain – the Sopron International Theatre Workshop has concluded
In 2025, the University of Sopron once again hosted the International Theatre Workshop. On the closing day, July 8, the students presented the short stage performances inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that they had been working on during the week at six different locations in the university’s botanical garden.
International Theatre Workshop Launched in Sopron - Young Artists from Six Countries Collaborate in a Weeklong Creative Residency
The University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest (SZFE), in collaboration with the National Theatre of Hungary and the University of Sopron, proudly presents the second edition of the International Theatre Workshop – Sopron 2025, taking place from 1 to 9 July on the picturesque campus of the University of Sopron. The initiative gathers jung actors and directors from Hungary and abroad, alongside distinguished educators and theatre professionals, for a week of intensive artistic collaboration. The official opening ceremony was held on 2 July at the Ligneum Event House.
Students of SZFE at the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival is the world’s most famous and prestigious film festival, held every year in the second half of May in Cannes. The main venue for the screening of films competing for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, is the Festival and Congress Palace (Palais des Festivals et des Congrès) on the Croisette. This year, 25 students from the SZFE traveled to the festival; we spoke with two of them, first-year television production student Kata Hegedüs and second-year student Eszter Simon, about their experiences.
The stage awaits! – new masterclasses at the SZFE
The University of Theatre and Film Arts will launch three 12-week masterclasses in February 2025: movement, voice training and a combined movement-voice training masterclass. The training coordinator for the movement masterclass is Vidáné Szent-Ivány Kinga, associate professor and winner of the Gyula Harangozó Prize, while the voice training coordinator is Borbála Keszei, assistant professor and winner of the Liszt Ferenc Prize.
Budapest among the best student cities in Europe
Based on a survey by The Campus Advisor, Daily News Hungary published the European university ranking, in which Budapest ranked 4th. The analysis is based over 17,000 authentic ratings by students and reflecting the real experiences of those with first hand knowledge.
Unique concepts - King Lear as a film or a stage play unique concepts
On a fortuitous day, December 13th, all eight of our Erasmus students presented their examination projects from their product design course under the guidance of Professor Éva Szendrényi. The focal point of their project work was the adaptation of the first scene of King Lear, either as a film or a stage play, applying the students’ unique concepts. The adaptations ranged from contemporary themes – a drag queen show, a modern USA Wall Street business narrative – to a fantasy tale. The presentations combined freehand drawings and photos. It was fascinating to observe how the students conveyed the characters’ features and dynamics through costumes, exploring how textures and colours could represent the nuances of the characters’ roles and the social distances within the narrative. Each presentation showed how the space, costumes, colours, and lighting design work in a play or film, expressing our students’ creativity and skills.
