Packing For Your Spring Festival Run? Bring This With You.
by hollyherrick on March 26, 2012 in Audience Building
(A Primer For Your Festival Tour, In Three Parts.)
Tribeca, Florida, Nashville, Atlanta, Sarasota, IFFBoston, Maryland, River Run, Ashland, HotDocs, BamCinemaFest, etc etc etc…
If you made a film that’s on the US festival circuit this year, chances are that over the next two months, you’ll be headed to one of these fests. Whether or not you are getting ready for a big premiere or just packing your bags for the next stop on your tour, be sure to make the most out of this festival run—after all, your film will only hit the circuit once. The direct marketing and outreach that you are doing during your tour is the key to your word of mouth publicity, and the relationships that you make while on the circuit can be instrumental in the reach of your current film, as well as lead to future opportunities.
There are times that I am so busy before I leave for a festival that I don’t start thinking about my plans until I get on a plane. While I certainly don’t recommend this strategy for festival preparation, I know that we all find ourselves in this situation once or twice. Even if you wait until the last minute to prepare, you can still accomplish most of the suggestions below. So as you pack your bags, bookmark this list. Even if you’ve traveled the circuit before, it may refresh your memory about what to expect and how to prepare.
Part I: Who is coming to see your movie in …..* ?
(*insert name of town that you have never visited)
A festival’s best efforts sometimes can’t compete with how you as a filmmaker can sell your own movie to the public. Even if you have a publicist, you still need to think about what you are doing to raise the profile of your film in the town that you are visiting.
What you can do:
1. Get the lay of the land. If you haven’t already, talk to the festival programmers or staff and find out about who attends the festival you are headed to. Is it students, professionals, grandmothers? Is your film going to be an “easy sell” on their regular filmgoers, or are they going to have to do a lot of legwork to get the right audience in the door? Find this out now so you can strategize.
2. Materials. Posters sell tickets. Postcards with your screening times also sell tickets. Make sure the festival has a poster and that you bring additional postcards with you to hand out and leave in local establishments. The reason that materials are so ubiquitous is that when used properly, they are actually effective.
3. Find out who does publicity for the festival and reach out to them, or stop by the festival’s press office when you arrive. The festival’s publicists can give you leads on which local publications, websites and radio stations might take the most interest in your film. If they haven’t specifically pitched anything on your film, you can always reach out to those outlets directly. Remember that a festival’s publicists are in charge of handling publicity for the entire festival, so be respectful of their time.
4. Outreach. If you know that your film is potentially a difficult sell, outreach can be more important than press mentions in terms of getting audiences in the door. Do a little research about what groups exist locally that you think would want to see your movie. Seek the festival’s help with this—in other words, ask questions like this: does the town have a comic book store? A poetry group? An active MoveOn.org meet up? Call and see if there is someone you can talk to personally at local organizations or businesses, see if you can drop off postcards. This research is best done before you arrive, but you can always do outreach on the ground. Don’t be afraid to talk to people when you arrive. If the festival is giving you a handful of tickets to your film, you can offer these around town. This can be one of the best ways to get people into the theater that will be most excited to be there. Think about it: aren’t you more inclined to show up at a movie when you are friendly with the director?
Part II: Get The Most Out of Your Trip
If you are spending your time, money and energy on supporting your film in a new locale, make sure you make your trip worth your while. A little preparation can go a long way. Consider the following:
1. Bring Screeners. Consider having some screeners on hand for press and industry that you want to see your film. They might have obligations that prevent them from attending your screening.
2. Plan your trip around key festival events in addition to your screenings. Make sure you don’t miss out on the most interesting opportunities that you have as a festival filmmaker. If the festival doesn’t communicate festival highlights to you, ask some questions. Is the festival known for a key event that is not-to-miss? Are there specific events when you would have the best opportunities to mix and mingle with other filmmakers and industry attendees?
3. Read the festival’s welcome letter. I’m a festival programmer. I know that most filmmakers don’t read my emails once their film is confirmed. I spend a lot of time answering questions that are clearly answered in materials that we send out with each film invitation. While I understand it is easy to ignore our emails since you are planning to “figure it all out when you get here,” you will be better off if you review everything that we have sent you about attending. That way you won’t miss out on important things like redeeming your advance tickets to the films you want to see, and finding out where all the free Stella Artois is located.
Part III: Beginners Only
Is this your first time on the festival circuit? Read on.
1. Plan to see movies. Don’t spend all your time stressing about your own screenings or drinking the free Stella. Go see other people’s movies, as many as you have time to see. Films and filmmakers are the heart of any festival and if you are not in the theater, you’ll be missing out on the conversation.
2. Go out. Put your (polite and friendly) game face on. Even if you don’t consider yourself a joiner, meeting new and interesting people is one of the best parts of a festival tour. Don’t think about the festival as a schmooze fest. Just be yourself and come prepared to socialize. You’ll have a better time.