What we guarantee
Four commitments, written into the agreement rather than onto a page.
Most of this business runs on assurance rather than obligation. These are the things we will put in writing, and the conditions attached to them — stated up front, because a guarantee with conditions you discover later isn't one.
What we guarantee
The Score Movement Guarantee
Test screenings are only worth what you do with them. So: run the first screening, implement the changes we agree after it, and if the second screening doesn't show improvement in Excellent and Definitely recommend, the second screening is free.
The conditions are the point, not the small print. This works when you act on the findings. If you don't, we can't stand behind it — and we'll tell you that before you book, not after.
The Vault
No score, no comment, no verbatim, no report ever leaves this office without your written instruction. That is in the agreement, not just on this page.
Phones are collected and secured for the duration of every in-cinema screening. Every participant signs a non-disclosure agreement. No title, cast or synopsis is disclosed in recruitment beyond genre. The venue and date are never publicised.
The report belongs to you. You decide whether a buyer ever sees a number.
No fee to be considered
We don't charge to read, watch or consider your film, and we never will. If any sales agency asks you to pay to be looked at, that's your answer.
We reply either way within 2 working days.
Five places, and no way out
We take five films a year and we don't release a place once it's taken. If you're looking for an exit clause before you've started, we're the wrong agency — and we'd rather say that now than take the place from someone who wants it.
What we don't guarantee
A sale. No honest sales agent can promise one. What we can promise is that the film goes to buyers with evidence attached rather than hope, and that you see every offer including the ones we advise you to refuse.
A price. Anyone naming a figure before an audience has seen the film is guessing. The whole point of testing twice is to replace that guess with something a buyer can argue with.
That you'll like the results. A test screening can tell you something you didn't want to hear. That is the risk, and it is the reason the process is worth paying for.
The calendar decides, not us
Buyers acquire in compressed windows around the markets. Working backwards from those windows is the only honest way to plan a sale.
Our cutoff is eight weeks before a market opens. That is what it takes to validate the audience, screen, recut, retest and build the campaign without rushing any part of it. For American Film Market (AFM) in November 2026, that means we need the film by September 2026. After that the next window is Ventana Sur in December 2026 — which is not a delay of a few weeks, it's a delay of a season.
| Market | Opens | We need the film by |
|---|---|---|
| American Film Market (AFM), Las Vegas | November 2026 | September 2026 |
| Ventana Sur, Buenos Aires | December 2026 | October 2026 |
| Sundance, Park City | January 2027 | November 2026 |
| European Film Market (EFM), Berlin | February 2027 | December 2026 |
| Hong Kong FILMART, Hong Kong | March 2027 | January 2027 |
| Marché du Film, Cannes | May 2027 | March 2027 |
| Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto | September 2027 | July 2027 |
Exact market dates shift from year to year, so we work in months here. Once you're talking to us we'll fix the day against that year's published dates.