Film Festival Marketing Musts
There’s plenty to get excited about when you’re headed to a film festival, and there are plenty of ways to ensure you’ve checked every box on the Festival Marketing Musts checklist in this article. Covering these bases is the best way to get local audiences interested in your film and keep them in the loop for its future success, too.
When to start marketing your film? Now.
Wherever you are in the production or release of your film, you should already be marketing it. Build your audience now so when you announce that first screening, they’re all clamoring to buy tickets. After all, making a film is only half the battle. The other half is finding people who want to see it.
Five Reasons Your Press Release Sucks
Press Kit Essentials: What Should - and Shouldn't - Be In This Crucial Piece
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #37: Seattle Intl Film Festival Programmer J. Brad Wilke
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #36: Crowdfunding Strategy with No Budget Film School Creator Mark Stolaroff
Veteran filmmaker, teacher, and fundraiser Mark Stolaroff takes a pause in the middle of the Kickstarter campaign for his new film “DriverX” to reflect on his filmmaking career and the psychology of asking friends and strangers for money. Mark is the creator of the "No Budget Film School” seminars and a role model to many indie filmmakers.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #35: It's a Trap! "Festival rights" & the music in your film.
What You Should Know About "Festival Rights" and the Music in Your Indie Film
When licensing music for their projects, sometimes filmmakers will ask whether it's advisable to purchase only the "festival rights." Sometimes it's possible to save money on music licensing by obtaining permission to use a song in a film limited to play at festivals. It sounds great, but it is it a good idea?
6 Reasons Your Film May Be Hitting a Brick Wall at Festivals
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #34: Career Crowdfunding for Filmmakers
Jen West and James Martin are partners in life, partners in filmmaking (they alternate between directing and producing on each film), and partners in a string of successful crowdfunding projects.
Now they face a new challenge -- distributing their most recent completed film online and on the festival circuit while raising funds for their first feature-length film.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #33: Filmmaker Career Building at Film Festivals
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #32: What Should I Look for on a Film Festival's Website?
How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made (1939)
"Birth of a Nation" breaks sales records for Sundance and festivals worldwide
From the Hollywood Reporter: The Sundance audience gave the slave-rebellion drama an extended standing ovation, which was followed by mostly enthusiastic reviews. By the next morning, Fox Searchlight had plunked down a jaw-dropping $17.5 million for worldwide rights to the film, the biggest sale in the fest’s history. It also marks the largest sum ever paid for a finished movie at any festival, including Cannes, Berlin and Toronto.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #31: A Hustler's Guide to Film Festivals
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #30: Negotiating With Film Festivals
Sometimes filmmakers face the classic "bird in the hand" problem. Case in point: my friend Amy's short film "Pickle" was accepted by one festival, but her "dream date" festival is still on the fence. That's a problem, because showing at the first festival to extend an offer might lessen the dream festival's interest. Should she go ahead with the sure thing, or wait for her dream festival to make up its mind?
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #29: Richard Gale, Director of “The Horribly Slow Murderer with the extremely inefficient weapon
This episode I'm joined by Richard Gale, creator of the short film "The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon," which is on its way to becoming a feature film thanks to a healthy festival run and a rabid YouTube fan base. Learn how Gale turned festival success into a cottage industry and a budget for a feature-length horror comedy.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #28 - How can I pick the right festivals for my film?
One of the most frequent questions I get from filmmakers is: how can I narrow the field of thousands of film fests to pick the right festivals for my film? This short podcast covers some basic steps to help you winnow those large lists down in a hurry by examining your film before you examine the festivals.
Film Trooper Podcast Episode 92
In his Film Trooper podcast, Scott McMahon chronicles his journey as an actor and emerging filmmaker. Episode 92 features an interview with yours truly.
