Filmmaking > Festivals & Markets
Getting the Most out of Festivals
One of the rolls of a film maker is to gain acceptance and prestige at film festivals and markets. In psychological terms, it is a good idea for film makers to visualize the festival or market experience for a positive, self fulfilling prophecy. What does this mean? First of all, festivals and markets are generally one and the same; many buyers attend festivals. Also, if you gain prestige at a festival, you have improved your access to the market. How well a film does at the box office is certainly important to your future. But if you’re a relatively new participant, getting critical praise is of the utmost importance.
Enter every film festival in the world. I’ve completed three features that had success with international (BBC) and domestic (HBO) markets. But it was later when I started to figure this strange business out. While I was working in Holland for a Dutch film company, I took on the job to help distribute a feature. I entered it into approximately 168 film festivals worldwide, and was accepted in twelve of them. That may not sound like much but that was two more festivals than any other Dutch films that year.
I used the same method I learned to do with help from such organizations as the Independent Feature Project (IFP). For example, when you have a screening at a festival, it is most critical that you fill the audience for all the showings, even packing the aisles. How do you do this? First of all, ask the festival for their mailing list. If they won’t give it to you, search for the arts & culture mailing list for that city on the Internet. Then have a friend with artistic talent make a postcard promoting the film. Mail out 2000 cards if the theater is 200 seats. If it is a market, fax and mail press kits and a trailer or teaser for the film to all the buyers at least two months in advance of the screening (cost-about $2000). Also send buyers a personal message to try to arrange a meeting. Expect a ten percent success rate. This is called, “market success.” If film makers can attend, also mail them invitations. You goal is to have a packed audience. Nothing is worse for your screening than an empty house. Most film makers do little else than stuff attendee’s festival mail boxes with one-sheets.
When you go to a festival or market, remember, it is a life and death situation. Whose life and death? Yours. Period. Welcome to the world of film making! If you're successful at the festival and market scene, you’ll be asked what your next project is, so be prepared to answer. So, from pre-production to post-production, remember, you’re going to be competing for extremely hard-to-get attention at very lucrative markets. Make the best of it!