Making The Most Out Of Your Film Festival Experience
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” — W. Clement Stone
Have you ever considered entering the film festival circuit but don’t feel prepared? We’ve all been there! Here are a few simple tips to make the most of your opportunity.
Plan which festivals you want to submit to
Do your research. Not all festivals will be worth your time, effort, or money. Some may be too genre-specific, some may require too expensive travel time, some festivals are only online. There are thousands of festivals across the world, but you don’t need to submit to all of them. Focus on the ones that fit your expectations for your film.
When you get into a festival, are you going to go?
This can be a tough decision to make. Figure out which festivals you want to prioritize travel for. Realistically, you can’t attend every festival you get into. Budget accordingly for travel, hotel, food and fun! These all add up quickly!
Bring promotional material with you
You want people to remember you and your film, so create promotional materials to stand out. You could bring posters, t-shirts, postcards, stickers, water bottles or any number of small but memorable pieces of merchandise.
Attend the Red Carpet
Scary or exciting?! Everyone is nervous whether they look like it or not. Practice some poses in the mirror a few days before you attend so you aren’t having to come up with something on the spot. A bit of a cheat to getting a great red carpet photo is group shots. Make sure everyone’s looking at the same camera!
Communication is key
The best film festivals are great at communicating with the filmmakers, so make sure you return the favor. The least you can do is make sure to respond promptly, even if you don’t know what you want to say yet or don’t have time for a thought-out email. Even letting the festival know you’ve seen their email and will get back to them will go a long way.
Support your fellow filmmakers
This isn’t the “Me, Me, Me” show! Attend other screenings, make an effort to socialize at mixers, ask questions at panels. These events are setup so you and other likeminded filmmakers can meet and hopefully spark a collaborative bond. I’ve met tonnes of wonderful actors, animators and writers that we’ve been able to hire and work together, all because of film festivals
Promote your screening ahead of time
Create a social media presence for your film! You want to make sure it’s easy for people to find out about your screening. Reach out to your friends and family and see if they want to join you! Encourage fellow filmmakers to attend your screening. It is your responsibility to fill your screening. It can help to purchase a few extras so you can offer them to industry friends or cold call a distributor who free of charge. The more people who attend, the better!
For some expert level tips…
If you’re in a shorts block, connect with the other filmmakers. We’ve reached out in the past to our fellow block members and assembled a trailer featuring everyone’s films to promote the screening and get to know each other better.
Considering hiring someone to handle your film’s PR? That’s the million dollar question. Or maybe it’s a $5000 question. If you don’t have the money to hire a PR firm, you can write your own press releases, reach out to reporters or columnists, or do your own social media promotion.
For more tips, check out the latest episode of our podcast, Make It Till You Make It! This week we chatted with Leslee Scallon, co-founder of the film festival Dances With Films about what it takes to pull together a beloved festival and grow a filmmaking community. No egos, plenty of respect, and a love of cinema. In a world where everyone is chasing their filmmaking dreams, Leslee Scallon and the team at Dances With Films have created a home for films to play and thrive.
