Award winning writers Rona Edwards and Monika Skerbelis teach a class called Maneuvering Film Festivals at ESE Film Workshops Online. When I asked Rona if she had any tips for first time filmmakers who are going to film festivals, she said:
“It depends on your film, it depends on your budget.
“We always say that you need to add a festival budget to the overall cost of your film and most filmmakers don't do that. It's expensive to go to festivals and if you are lucky to get accepted to the big ones - like Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Venice - then you might want to consider hiring a publicist to get the word out about your film and that's a lot more money than just attending and handing out postcards.
“For other festivals, you need to see who is behind them. Do they have industry presence? Are the jurors, for example, made up of executives, agents, managers, distributors from the entertainment industry? If so, it might behoove you to put that festival into your mix. Because what filmmakers have to understand and you can quote me on this is it is not just about promoting your film, but it is about promoting them as filmmakers, too. It is about networking. Therefore, you want to network with people who can help you reach the next level. Some smaller festivals actually have that presence.”
After researching the subject of film promotion and audience building for almost two years, I am left with an odd conclusion. One that I am reluctant to write, and it is this:
The most important thing in all this is to do everything from your heart. Not only the things you do for your project, but also the way you relate to the community of people who help you make the film and the people who you hope to reach.
Approach your promotion with the attitude that you are working to build productive relationships with people who love and care about the same things you do. Set out to build a base of what Kevin Kelly calls your true fans: an audience of people who care intensely about you and your work, and who want to support you.
I know this approach works, because I saw it in action when I worked for Concentric Media. Filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman has built an army of true fans all over the world in her 30 years of social cause filmmaking. I watched these people volunteer, show up for screenings, donate money, sweep floors, take tickets and give moral support as she worked on difficult and controversial films.
The Internet makes it possible for you to build your own audience of true fans, and it makes it possible for them to come along with you on your next project. This is huge. It is unprecedented in the history of the world. Use it to your advantage!
While writing this article I had a great idea for Matt. The next time he is hiking in bear country, he should set up a remote camera when he stops for the night. Then he should smear himself with peanut butter before climbing in the sleeping bag. The next morning he could capture on camera the mama bear ripping open his sleeping bag and going after the peanut butter...
What a YouTube video! Three million views guaranteed!
While my suggestion is obviously a joke—and a dark one at that—it has the seeds of a profound filmmaking truth: Get as close as you can to your subject as well as your eventual audience at every step along the way.
Good filmmaking!
