10
Important Factors to Consider When Applying to Festivals
Excerpt
from The
Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 3rd Edition
by
Chris Gore
As
the filmmaker (writer, director, producer, or combination of the
three), your job is to act as the ambassador of your film. When
you travel to a festival, you represent everyone who worked on the
movie and the movie itself. Make no mistake, selecting the festivals
to submit your film to is an important decision. You will be throwing
away vast amounts of time and money if you do not consider these
ten important factors before submitting to any festival. In order
of importance, they are:
1.
Prestige. Submitting your film to
a prestige festival will give your movie its best chance to be sold
to a distributor, receive loads of press coverage, get your next
film deal, and (cross your fingers) launch your brilliant career
as a filmmaker. Also, just getting accepted into a prestige festival
can make a great quote on a DVD sleeve something as simple as Official
Selection Sundance Film Festival.I'll bet you've noticed that on
more than a few films. Prestige counts for a lot. Being accepted
into one of the Top Ten festivals is an honor, so keep that in mind.
2.
Distributors. Is the fest considered
a "discovery" film festival - one that distributors attend?
If the ultimate goal is to sell your film, this must be of paramount
concern to you. Make sure to ask the festival staff which acquisitions
executives will be attending.
3.
Reviews and press coverage. Getting
exposure in newspapers like the Los Angeles Times , the
New York Times , magazines like Entertainment Weekly
, Premiere , American Cinematographer, Filmmaker
, web outlets like FilmThreat.com and IndieWire, and trades
like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety is another
important factor to consider. Your chances of being covered and/or
reviewed by these outlets increases when they actually attend the
festival. But it's also your job to be sure that they see a screening
of your film. Ask the festival office to provide a list of the journalists
attending the festival. If the festival has only attracted local
press, it may not be worth your time. Unless, of course, that local
press is in one of the Top Ten markets in the US.
4.
Prizes and awards. From sizable cash
awards to film equipment to lab deals, prizes should play a role
in your decision to submit. The winner of the Grand Prize for Dramatic
Feature at the Heartland Film Festival gets $50,000 „ that's a damn
good prize! Cash awards are always a nice dividend. Be sure to research
the prizes awarded and take them into consideration when submitting.
Inquire about audience awards, judges awards, and so on. Any type
of award that your film receives only serves to increase its overall
value. While it's an honor to receive a jury award, audience awards
hold a lot of clout since they are the true gauge for whether moviegoers
respond to your film. Winning an audience award will get you attention
and increase the interest of other people (hopefully, well-funded
people), who will now want to see your film.
5.
Location. Could this film festival
be a well-earned holiday as well as a chance to schmooze with the
bigshots of the movie world? If it's a choice between the Hawaii
Film Festival and a festival in Ohio, the choice is clear. Surf's
up! Hawaii!
6.
Perks. How does the festival treat
you? Is the flight paid for? Are you put up for free? For example,
The Florida Film Festival treats filmmakers like royalty, even offering
passes to Disneyland and Universal Studios Theme Park while the
filmmakers are in town. Be sure to inquire about paid expenses and
other perks. Travel costs can add up fast, so research what expenses
festivals will cover. Almost all festivals cover lodging, fewer
cover airfare, and a small few will give filmmakers per diem. Get
the facts before you submit.
7.
Application fee. Festival application
fees can be really steep. Upwards of $50 for some. At that price,
enter twenty fests and you've spent a $1,000 bucks. With over 1,000
festivals worldwide, those application fees can add up fast. You
could end up spending enough in application fees to finance your
next film!
Be
sure to ask if a festival is willing to waive the fee. It's always
worth a try, and some of them will actually be willing to do it.
If your film has no chance of being accepted anyway, why bother
writing the check and submitting the film? Do your homework. Don't
submit your talky twentysomething, ansgt-ridden, Kevin Smith-like,
Clerks wannabe to the Asian Children's Film Festival.
8.
Research and Recommendations. I've
included lists of festivals that excel in specific categories, but
you should do your own research and contact other filmmakers who
have either attended or had their films shown at that particular
festival, if at all possible.
9.
Contacts. It's vitally important
to make useful contacts for investors in future films, distributors,
acquisitions executives, agents, lawyers, and especially other filmmakers
who can help you along in your career. Or simply to make friends
in the industry. You never know how these contacts can pay off later.
For many, a festival can be an opportunity to meet their heroes
in a social setting. I know a filmmaker who attended a small film
festival for one reason only „ Martin Scorsese was going to be there
and he wanted to meet him. Nothing is more fun than slugging down
beers and talking film until all hours of the night with a longtime
film hero. You'd be shocked at what John Waters will tell you when
he's feelin' loose at a party. (God, I love that guy.)
And,
if you decide to go the route of self-distribution, making contacts
should be a major factor in your submission plan. You'll need to
find others in the industry willing to champion your film.
10.
Fun. Yes, fun. If it's going to be
miserable, why bother? Working the festival circuit, plugging a
film day in and day out, can be grueling after the fiftieth post-screening
question and answer session. Select festivals in places you'd like
to visit – that way, if the festival is a bore, at least you'll
have the opportunity to explore a new city. Ohio may not have a
beach, but there are some great bars and even better people.
Basically,
you need to think of your film as an investment. The value of your
film (and yourself as a filmmaker) increases as you receive good
press, awards of any kind, and acceptance into prestigeous film
festivals.
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