Hi. I have been given the dubious honor of coordinating a film festival.

I work for a movie theater in Connecticut dedicated to showing independent American and foreign films. We are a four screen theater with a total of 430 seats and have been in business since 1993. Although we show 35mm on a daily basis, we have full digital projection capabilities.

Here's where you come in. Please tell me what makes a great film festival. What categories are you interested in? Besides cash, what sort of prizes float your boat? Are you interested in forums and seminars about the industry? Would you travel to southern New England in early December? Snow happens, although usually not that early. Do you use "withoutabox" for your submissions? Any objections to mixing professionals with non-professionals? Are most of your films on DVD and VHS?

So tell me what you think. I'm listening. I'm taking notes. We're looking at early December, 2005, which is only 15 months away!!!

Do you use "withoutabox" for your submissions?

Clarification for those that may not know, Without A Box (http://www.withoutabox.com/) is a website that handles digital submissions and uploads for various film-fests and websites.

They have a set of tools for Filmmakers, as well as a different side for Fests seeking content.

Looks like their website has had a big makeover recently, too.

:cool:

Mr P. was in a similar boat a few months ago, doing a fest. He should have some ideas!

Here's where you come in. Please tell me what makes a great film festival.
1. Make the filmmaker feel special. Go the extra mile to give the royal treatment.
2. Promote the festival AND the films. The last thing you want is an empty theater and hundreds of upset filmmakers. Filmmakers don't have the resources to do their own promotion, but if they do, it will only add to what the festival does.
3. Get industry people there. Nothing wrong with a mom and pop festival in a small town, as long as you can get buyers and distributors to attend.
4. Make sure filmmakers don't have to pay for any of the other screenings. They should always get a VIP pass, and that should include at least one guest, and all the parties, etc.


That's all for now. Good luck!

Hi Carol, welcome to the forum

As a UK filmmaker, with a film about to be ready for distribution I'm currently interested in festivals.

I guess in order to justify the expense of attending I'd have to see a business value in it, even though New England is one of my favorite places in the whole world.

At this stage, the amount of exposure that the festival could create for the film would be my primary concern. So I guess it's about the level of journalistic interest you could generate and at what level. Part of that is about the quality of films that you attract.

Beyond that it's about providing a well run event, having a communal area where filmmakers can network, making sure that all the films are well presented etc. One of things that I've liked at other festivals is a video-tech (a suite of TV hooked up to DVD and VHS players, where people can watch films from the festival, at times that suit them and also films that you didn't have space to screen, but you thought deserved an audience). This is particularly useful if you've got buyers or industry people there, especially if you keep a log of who sees the films, that the filmmaker can refer too.

Good luck

Adding some thoughts, but not necessarily answering any of the questions posed. More from the angle of a person that goes to showings, than submitting to.

I make crap, and don't try the fest-circuits. (Love the timed comps, though)

Fests where they have Q/A sessions with the actual filmmakers afterwards are great. Usually doesn't happen unless a rep happens to be somewhat local, or the fest itself is huge enough to warrant a rep to be there.

Have staff about with detailed information. Peeps can show up looking to see a specific flick mixed in with a variety of other shorts, for example. I've been to fests where staff have breakdowns of what short film is playing in which block and when, and others where they have a simple list of start times for a generic block.

I don't care how much you charge me for http://www.stevenrichards.com/images/smiley_pop.gif as long as you can fill it halfway, layer on the butter, fill to brim and repeat the butter. (Yes, I'll die young for that)

Have your website ready with decent driving directions. Lycos & Yahoo have made that process really simple.

If possible, make some kind of arrangement with other local businesses. I've no idea what the size of your town is, but even a small one should be able to have some community-based businesses on site. I really dig the small-kind carnival atmosphere that some places get. (I'm also a ham at heart, so absorb with caution)

______

Sounds like you might have a ready base of people to come, I might add. Four screens, and to quote... "dedicated to showing independent American and foreign films." I think you'll do okay with that kind of demographic already included. :)

What categories are you interested in?
It would be interesting to do a day or two based solely on budget. Under $5,000. $5,000 to $15,000. $15,000 to $30,000.
Besides cash, what sort of prizes float your boat?
I'm not interested in cash prizes.

In kind donations of services would be of great help to independent movie makers like me: 40 hours of sound mixing - 18 days of equipment rental - two hours (with paid lunch) with a producers rep.
Are you interested in forums and seminars about the industry?
For me, not so much. I'd rather spend four hours watching movies than sitting in seminars.
Would you travel to southern New England in early December?
Not as a film goer.
As a film maker whose film was being shown: If there was going to be a Q&A session I might consider it. If there were reps from production and distribution companies attending.

And if my guest and I were given all access passes to screenings. (indietalk's number four)

I attended a festival two years ago with the director (I was writer and DP) for a Q&A session.
We paid for transportation and lodging - understandable.
We paid for food - understandable.
But then the festival staff made us buy tickets to see other movies.
That really hurt the experience - we just couldn't afford to see three of four movies a day so we sat in the hotel or wandered around town.
Do you use "withoutabox" for your submissions?
I haven't - yet. But I look at the site often and plan to use it in January when my movie is ready for festivals.
Any objections to mixing professionals with non-professionals?
None. In fact, the ability to meet people more experienced and to help people less experienced is the great part of a festival.
Are most of your films on DVD and VHS?
Yes. Film is just too expensive.

Alright. A little recapitulation on some of the recommendations

TREAT THE FILMMAKER RIGHT:
1. Promote their films as well as the festival
2. Keep a log of who sees the films so the filmmaker can refer to this later
3. Provide an area where filmmakers can network with media and industry representatives
4. Provide an all access pass for the filmmaker and a guest

My thoughts and comments based on these recommendations:
1. When I promote a film how dependent am I on a quality press kit ?
2. Keeping a log is brilliant. Does it function as a comment sheet as well as a contact sheet?
3. Yikes a hospitality suite as well! I thought the networking would take place at the parties.
4. It would be really tacky to charge the filmmakers to attend the events. Afterall, without the
filmmakers there would be no festival. However, how do I avoid the situation of comping 13
of your "closest friends"?

A question for Directorik. If I did have a category of competittion based on dollars spent, how would I ensure the accuracy of the budget reported. Afterall, even I have been known to misrepresent my age and true hair color :rolleyes:

Alright. A little recapitulation on some of the recommendations


My thoughts and comments based on these recommendations:
1. When I promote a film how dependent am I on a quality press kit ?


The best way to promote the festival and the films at the same time is to place a full schedule with times and films in the major local papers, and papers that artists read. Then, to promote films that you think need attention, that is what you should have a press kit for. Contact media outlets and try to get some press on the festival, and then you can talk about the festival and the great films that are lined up. To promote the festival you can do many more things, including advertisements in magazines and newspapers, on TV and radio (you can arrange for a ticket giveaway), flyers around town, etc.

1. When I promote a film how dependent am I on a quality press kit ?
2. Keeping a log is brilliant. Does it function as a comment sheet as well as a contact sheet?
3. Yikes a hospitality suite as well! I thought the networking would take place at the parties.


1) Yes, I think you have to depend on the quality of the press kit and with that in mind, if you know what you need, you could outline it on the festival website and on any entry form.

2) I've never seen the log done as a comment sheet at a video tech, but it sounds like an interesting idea

3) You don't need a hospitality suite, just a coffee bar or a social area. To help with the networking, you provide two things in this area, a photoboard with a passport photo of the attendees and who they are, so that people can identify who to talk to, and a set of pigeon holes, one for each letter of the alphabet, where people can drop off and collect messages.

Hope this helps

4. It would be really tacky to charge the filmmakers to attend the events. Afterall, without the
filmmakers there would be no festival. However, how do I avoid the situation of comping 13
of your "closest friends"?
It would seem reasonable to comp the director and a guest - the producer and a guest - the writer (they are very often the forgotten member of the team) and a guest - even a couple of actors and a guest. But that does get into a LOT of comps...

To avoid abuse the rules would have to be very clear. The festival organizers would have to decide how many passes could be allotted to a particular production team. It won't be easy, and someone will always feel slighted. That's human nature.

Maybe allotted by distance traveled?

For a local festival (in my case Los Angeles) I wouldn't expect an all access pass for everyone who worked on my movie plus their friends - or even free passes to the screening of our movie. But if I and my producer and my DP and an actor or two flew from L.A. to Connecticut maybe something could be worked out.

Yikes! Planning a festival is hard work!
A question for Directorik. If I did have a category of competittion based on dollars spent, how would I ensure the accuracy of the budget reported. Afterall, even I have been known to misrepresent my age and true hair color.
This, too would be difficult.

In competition it would sure be nice to have a $20,000 show competing against a $20,000 show rather than against a $90,000 show.

In general, noncompetitive screenings, it would just be nice to (for example) have a 10PM screening every night of movies made for under $10,000 or $15,000.

No way really to insure the actual budget, I suppose. Occasionally, even us movie makers tell the truth.

Hi guys. I have a few more questions for you.

Would you submit your film to a festival during their call for entries if you hadn't first been solicited by someone from the festival?

What happens if you commit to a festival and your film finds a distributor before the festival occurs?

Zensteve... does it have to be REAL butter? :)

What happens if you commit to a festival and your film finds a distributor before the festival occurs?

Depends on if you want to show films with distribution or not. You will also need to keep tabs on premiere status if you have premiere requirements.

Would you submit your film to a festival during their call for entries if you hadn't first been solicited by someone from the festival?

You're not going to having films magically fall into your lap, without getting the word out about the fest.

Depends on what you mean by soliciting, I guess. Calling people up directly and asking for their film? Not really practical.

There are many boards (similar to this one, but infinitely inferior I should add :cool: ) that have places to post in and spread the word. This board has the "Call For Entries" forum specifically for that. People looking for upcoming fests will head there first, every time.

Links to the official website, a bit of blurb about it and some basic details (including how much $$ to submit) are some of the bits that should be in each post. Multiply that by hundreds of boards (all of which are really lame, compared to this one :cool: ) and you are potentially soliciting tens of thousands of filmmakers and indie-viewers.

Whether or not they choose to submit is a different story. Price for some peeps, location for some peeps, reputation for some peeps, odds of getting an award for some peeps, having a film that fits a genre you're looking for, lots of variables.

_______

Short answer... Yes. I would not wait for a personal phonecall from the fest before deciding to submit, if the fest looked good.

(and also assuming I could actually make something half-way decent)

Depends on if you want to show films with distribution or not. You will also need to keep tabs on premiere status if you have premiere requirements.

If the film is in distribution and I show it at my festival, am I financially obligated to the distributor?

Good evening. We're still in the process of designing the festival. Hmmm... I have a feeling that this design process will be ongoing until an hour before the festival starts. Can I run some potential names by you?

" The Mad Hatter Film Festival." Why? Years ago our community was linked to the hatting industry.
There were numerous hat factories in our town as well as the sorrounding area. Thus, "Mad Hatter"
is a link to our past as well a funky kind of literary name.

"The Suburban Film Festival" Why? We're 1hour 20minutes from NYC. We're in the burbs and not
ashamed of it.

" The Bedroom Community Film Festival" Why? See above and I think the word "bedroom" is kind
of sexy.

"The Housatonic Valley Film Festival" Yawn. Why? Well that's where we're located.

So, what's in a name? And what about these names? I greatfully welcome your comments. :)

"The Housatonic Valley Film Festival" Yawn

Yes. Yawn. Too many places with "<insert town here> Film Fest". :sleep:

" The Bedroom Community Film Festival" Why? See above and I think the word "bedroom" is kind
of sexy.

Hmmm... Not sure what you see in that. I'd go with "Dangling At The End Of A 40-Foot Bungee Cord, While A Swiss Alpine Goatherder Wearing A Batman Mask Yodels The Lyrics To 'Ave Maria' Film Festival", though.

Now that is sexy. http://www.stevenrichards.com/images/smiley_creepy.gif

" The Mad Hatter Film Festival." Why? Years ago our community was linked to the hatting industry.
There were numerous hat factories in our town as well as the sorrounding area. Thus, "Mad Hatter"
is a link to our past as well a funky kind of literary name.

Now, there we go!

Good call trying to work some local history into it. Not only do you have a potential name, but a theme to use as well.

:)

Carol, I just finished my first movie (in September) and am just sending off to film festivals. But to answer two of your questions, Withoutabox is very important to me. It's one place to go and find most festivals, and submit without re doing everything.

And DVD is what my 'film' is in now. For some of the festivals I've applied for, I'll have to transfer the DVD to beta SP, which seems to be a shot in the dark for me. I can't review the tape since I don't have a beta SP deck.

The Mad Hatter isn't too bad, except people may be looking for all fantasy all the time.

As for the prize, I'd consider spending the 10 grand on plaques or statues, and treating the film makers to dinners and drinks, room and board, etc. I think most of the film makers who are in many of the festivals are doing it for the film. 10 grand won't buy much for the next movie, and only one is going to get that anyway. Throw the money at advertising is another bonus...or to get the press interested...or distributors interested in coming out.

And lastly, New England in the winter?? I'd probably come out there if I felt like your festival was going to treat my film with respect.

Best of luck!

Chris
www.thethreelittlefigs.com

Feel free to check out the trailer for my recent "masterpiece"!!

Just incase you were wondering the link to With Out A Box (http://www.withoutabox.com/) was not working. So here's there link again. Thats all I have.

Hello,

My name is George Woods. I have noticed that you have some questions about starting a film festival. I have personnally founded a couple of film fests and I would enjoy talking with you about some of the details.

My first festival has received and showcased films from budgets of five hundred dollars to a few million dollars. In the first year, I chose 18 World Premiers, including “The Collector of Bedford Street”, which went on to be an Academy Award Nominee. Various other films, along with “Vakvagany” (World Premiere) have been shown on PBS, HBO, and the Sundance channel.

You can contact me at george@newriverfilm.com.

That's an awesome offer, Mr New River Film! :cool:

I hope Carol takes you up on that, and presents a superbly great fest. :D

Thanks Zen. I emailed Mr. New River Film today. Remind me to name a buttered popcorn after you. :D

Thanks Zen. Remind me to name a buttered popcorn after you. :D
Yeah, Zen is buttery, and he does pop under extreme heat. :pop:

My http://www.stevenrichards.com/images/smiley_pop.gif is bigger than your :pop:

:lol:

I'm a film maker who has submitted to, been accepted by, and in turn attended a few festivals. Here is what I look for in a festival when submitting my work:

Is is close to home? If it's close enough to where I live and I get in, I might be able to go. I rarely attend festivals that are out of state.

Are there awards offered? Since I only have shorts so far, I'm not expecting any distribution. The most I'm hopeing for is that I might get a job out of it or that I'll get some recognition in the form of an award

Is my film the type of thing they are looking for? There are so many films floating around out there it can get real competitive. I know I'll have a better chance sending my horror film to a horror film festival then to just a regular festival that doesn't have any preference.

Once I get into a festival, I have to decide if it's worth my going. Then I look for:

Workshops, lectures, etc. I love workshops, especially ones that will help me as a film maker. I just attended the Shocker film festival in Modesto, CA and I loved their workshops. They had a make-up guy there shareing all kinds of tips for doing FX make-up on a tight budget. They also had a writer shareing tips on writing a spec script. These were my favorites and they made the trip worth while to me.

Free admission, parties, and other opportunities to network. If I go to the effort and expense of getting myself out there, what will I get out of the expirience? Will I meet anyone that I might be able to work with in the future? Will I learn anything new? The shocker film festival also scheduled an event for every night, be it a party or dinner.

How expensive will it be for me to attend? I've come to expect free admission for myself and one other. This seems pretty standard to me. To get out to CA was expensive for me especially because I live on the opposite coast, and I never would have thought to attend if the director of the festival hadn't called me personally to tell me I was accepted. That is the first phone call I've had from a festival director and I was so impressed by the personal attention, that I got a plane ticket and went.

Being rejected from a festival is never fun, but one of the things that makes it a little easier to take is when they include the judges comments. I think the Cleveland International Film Festival did this. I really appriciated it and it helped me revaluate my work.

I love the Mad Hatter Film Festival title, you could have a themed party one night where everyone had to where a crazy hat and give prizes to the best ones. Go to local businesses and see what you can get them to donate. I once went to a lunch at a festival that was advertised as a film maker get together where a restaurant offered a reduced rate to film makers, it was a great way to meet people. I hope this helps.

Carol, I'm not sure how much time you have left before this festival, but if you're considering flyer advertising, let me know I've got some good contacts that do an amazing job printing, are cheaper than everyone else, and have a quick turnaround..

Also I can help you with the designs, if needed. ;)

I'd just post the info here, but I don't want to offend anyone by effectively 'advertising' someones business.

Hi Guys

Still working on the film festival in Connecticut. Whew, there has been so much to learn! Our "Call for Entries" will be announced in a few weeks.

I'd like to give filmmakers the chance to sell copies of their DVD at the festival. Obviously if you are still looking for a distribution contract this is not viable. However, if you are no longer pursuing that option, then why not?

Has anyone had any experience selling copies of their films at festivals? Does this make sense (and some dollars for you)?

Anyone...anyone?

" The Mad Hatter Film Festival." Why? Years ago our community was linked to the hatting industry.
There were numerous hat factories in our town as well as the sorrounding area. Thus, "Mad Hatter"
is a link to our past as well a funky kind of literary name.
I really like that one!

Hi Guys

Still working on the film festival in Connecticut. Whew, there has been so much to learn! Our "Call for Entries" will be announced in a few weeks.

I'd like to give filmmakers the chance to sell copies of their DVD at the festival. Obviously if you are still looking for a distribution contract this is not viable. However, if you are no longer pursuing that option, then why not?

Has anyone had any experience selling copies of their films at festivals? Does this make sense (and some dollars for you)?

Anyone...anyone?
A better idea would be to include a film market. Some festivals have markets, some do not. Basically, you give the filmmaker a table, and you can rent tables to filmmakers that are not in the festival. The filmmakers set up their presentations, which may or may not include a video display with his/her film running, promotional material, literature, etc. To make it a worthy market it is up to the festival to get distributors to attend.

Hi. I have been given the dubious honor of coordinating a film festival.

I work for a movie theater in Connecticut dedicated to showing independent American and foreign films. We are a four screen theater with a total of 430 seats and have been in business since 1993. Although we show 35mm on a daily basis, we have full digital projection capabilities.

Here's where you come in. Please tell me what makes a great film festival. What categories are you interested in? Besides cash, what sort of prizes float your boat? Are you interested in forums and seminars about the industry? Would you travel to southern New England in early December? Snow happens, although usually not that early. Do you use "withoutabox" for your submissions? Any objections to mixing professionals with non-professionals? Are most of your films on DVD and VHS?

So tell me what you think. I'm listening. I'm taking notes. We're looking at early December, 2005, which is only 15 months away!!!

Will you have all 4 screens for 3 days? If it is less than this, you need to focus on genres, as there won 't be enough space for dramas, comedies, horror, animation, and documentaries.

Are you planning for a certain mix of features and shorts?

Are you targeting a minimum proportion of Film vs. Video?

Will there be some established anchor films (e.g. a prize winner from Cannes, Berlin, Milan, Venice. Toronto, Woodstock, AFI, IFC, Sundance?). You probably won't have to pay the distributor much for showing the work at your festival.

How many qualified reviewers for the official selection process? Be realistic about how many films each reviewer can score, and make sure that each film has at least 3 reviewers as you cannot break a lot of ties.

How do you qualify the reviewers and the jury for a genre? What role will they play throughout?

Be sure to run a thorough sound check and log the parameters for showing each film at its optimal level. Every film has a correct level which is different from every other film. Make sure that films with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound are decoded correctly. If the DVD player doesn't have a digital optical audio cable to the projection audio, then you must get one AND make sure that the projectionist has tested this setup correctly for each surround sound film. Too many festivals fall flat here. Also be sure to have backup equipment and lens cleaners for the lasers.

Promote competition for the sake of publicity. Will you have audience choice awards? Will you have an awards ceremony? Best director? Best actor? Best screenplay? Best music? Have a lot of discrete trophies. Make sure that everyone knows about it.

Can you enlist a highly qualifed film critic to serve as the master/mistress of ceremonies? This can be a tremendous draw.

Are you inviting award winning independent filmmakers, directors, producers, editors, actors, etc. to submit particiular films? One out of ten films shown should be invited.

Last but not least, attract a lot of high quality work through publicity early, often, through many channels, and follow through.

Carol im in Torrington Ct. I think just above you. Im very interested in film and trying to create my own movie right know. What is the max time for the movie. If there is anything i could do to help. Just email me fcken_A_max116@yahoo.com Maybe i can come down and help.

Good Luck

-Max