Wanted/unwanted Film Festival Advice

Wanted/unwanted Film Festival Advice

Recently, I served as a judge for a film festival I care a lot about. Afterward, I found myself talking to a fellow former festival director which lead to the (edited) email I sent below. After reading I realized two things: 1) sometimes people don't want to hear what I have to say & 2) there are some real truths in here that I wish other festival directors would read.

So, enough pretense....

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I had a long conversation last night about my experience judging the films this year. I think you and I have talked about some of these things, but I wanted to take a minute and write them down for you to see.

You, are in the fraternity. Sure, we need to keep a better roster and maybe have a reunion sometime, but at this moment that fraternity includes a line of people who have served as director of this festival - some I know, some you know, some who knows. But it also, to some degree, includes the hundreds of volunteers who signed up to be a part of the festival -- watching films in the or tearing tickets. You're not by yourself, but you also have a lot of people who are watching. And in the words of Faith No More, we care a lot. So....

- NOW is the time when the next year's festival is made
Whatever you think of this year's festival, it's over. You have a few months to drum up support to receive films for next year. You might want to consider how to generate grants or other support for the festival. But all of those things lead back to what is the festival going to be. You have a small window NOW to decide what the festival will become and then you have to start making it happen --- because the clock is already ticking for submissions, judges, presenters, etc. People fill up their calendars far in advance. Some people are already booked. However some people who you wouldn't think would be available might be available if you give them enough notice. Like NOW. The festival fits into a window of other events that are happening. Think about where it will fit and how you want it to be. Don't over think it -- but be thoughtful of it. And then start taking action to manifest it.

- The Festival is the organization's BIG party of the year
If you like parties -- and I do like parties -- this is a great idea to build from. If you don't like parties -- how do you not like parties? -- think of it in the frame that this is the one event the organization can showcase who and what it is. But like most parties, even the biggest star needs to be coaxed and guided to show off for everyone and not just get drunk and fall off the table. And as much as everyone loves movies -- people prefer the party. So, you can kill two birds with one stone. Have a great party - which will make the movie people happy and might bring other people in to see the movies.

- What would you want if you were a filmmaker?
Oh, that's right -- you are! See how that works. If you've been to a festival, you might have some idea of what you liked and didn't like about how it was run and you were treated. Bring that back. You can't get shwag bags from Bloomingdales for High School filmmakers, but you can get people to donate things. You can get the students to make things. People like gifts - even ones they'll throw away. The BEST thing we did (in my mind) was putting a volunteer with a visiting filmmaker. The filmmaker liked the psuedo-attention, but the volunteer got to meet "real filmmakers" which has lead to some jobs, some collaborations, and to my knowledge only one near felony. The first time I went to a "real festival" - I went with a filmmaker whose film had the crappiest time slot possible. We still got free stuff. The festival took us around and got us drunk. We met cool people. And Sunday morning at 10 am, my buddy showed his highly depressing cause movie to 10 people that we met along the way. I don't think anyone wasn't hungover, but everyone was really nice. What do you want people - filmmakers, filmgoers, the public - to think when they leave the festival?

- Assume nothing
Where's the food coming from? How are people getting tickets? Where will people park? Who will submit their films? You have to know all of these things, because assuming will lead to disaster. When the shrimp goes bad or the beer gets warm, no one blames Aramark. They blame the person in front. I complained for three years about how people got their tickets. I tried to have passes with advanced tickets - I tried big signs pointing down the hall - we got our logo put on the tickets. And parking! My favorite move was we paid the parking people to put up the sandwich board placards around the area to direct people to the parking decks -- and it alerted other people that there was in fact a festival going on.

- Marketing Marketing Marketing
I hate to surprise you with this one, but your college degree will not get you a job by itself. People have to know who you are. You're going to conferences and sending out resumes and creating an online presence (right?). It's the same for the festival. And like trying to get a job, give it 10 minutes and whatever work you've done will be forgotten and you'll need to do it again. So that means, contacting papers and bloggers and filmmakers and people in the community and anyone that will listen Over and Over and Over again. My BIG complaint was that I - as someone who e-mailed the festival in the Fall, checked the website and the Facebook page and everything else - didn't know when submissions were. You should have an enormous mailing list to send people messages. You should have a relatively good sized Facebook profile to contact people from.

And if none of those things work --- who do you want to submit to the festival, write about the festival, care about the festival? Contact them.

And by the way -- I'm going to. I'm contacting everyone whose film we watched for the festival and say ... something. Because it's not marketing, it's relationship building. And I need all the relationships I can get, because some small ones turn into friends and some big ones disappear.

- Past is Present is Future
I know I told you this --- you're always living off of last year's festival. And the year before that and the year before that. You should contact anyone and everyone who has ever shown at the festival, entered the festival, walked by the festival - and find a way they can help you. You'll be surprised how many will. Ask them to enter. Ask them to forward your link to someone who will enter. Ask them to buy a virtual bag of popcorn to help bring a filmmaker to the festival (that's a really good idea I just thought of). You have to ask. And the best place to look is behind you.

I could go on and on and on about this - and probably would if I could justify putting off doing my taxes any longer.
I put the festival first. Beyond our creative work. Beyond our school work. Beyond our social lives. Sometimes beyond our own well being.
Don't do that.

But there's a happy medium of doing the work, following the path that was there before you, going through the MASSIVE notebook that was left for you, and making the festival VS driving yourself crazy on one side and watching the walls fall around you on the other.

And here's the other thing -- if you go begging to not have to do the festival next year because this crazy guy keeps hasseling you about it, keep this email. There's nothing here that you can't use yourself as a filmmaker or a teacher ... or anything else you want to do.

Good luck.

Jason
http://www.jbpewter.com/

"I want to grow to be @neiltyson - that's not true. I don't want to grow up."

"I want to grow to be @neiltyson - that's not true. I don't want to grow up."

The media is a funny thing. First, it often only tells you what it can sell.

Second, the media you're watching/reading/listening to will only tell you what you already want to hear.

With that in mind, you may or may not have heard that Neil DeGrasse Tyson has a book out. His new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier is another fascinating book about our country, our priorities and the most awesome astrophysicist in the country.

The first time I heard about the book -- on THE DAILY SHOW with Jon Stewart this past Wednesday. I'm sorry I don't have a Google Alert for Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But I should. And so should a lot of people.

I've got alerts for the other cool people I'm interested in - John Sayles, Morgan Spurlock, Huggy Bear, and, of course, myself. So why don't I have an astrophysicist on the list? I think Space is cool. But we don't talk about Space in popular media anymore - so do young people think it's cool? I don't know.

I don't imagine there are a lot of middle school students listening to Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the NPR's Science Friday - but they should. It was cool. At least I thought it was cool. I however am not cool.

Depends on who you ask if @billmaher is cool - but he was on there last night. Maybe that's just the media tour now - Comedy Central to HBO via NPR. And if it is, when do young people find out that you too can be an astrophysicist - because it's cool.

Maybe I just don't want to grow up and have to find out it's not cool - because someone without much education says it's not cool. Apparently, the media doesn't take as much work. Or maybe that's just what we want to hear.

For my students at Lander University, here are the books and items for class:

The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide by Anthony Q. Artis
Required for Media 301
Recommended for Media 290 & 490

Final Cut Express 4: Visual QuickStart Guide by Lisa Brenneis
Required for Media 301
Recommended for Media 290 & 490

All Media students doing any editing in the Mac Lab need access to their own portable hard drive. Here are a few recommendations, but please use whatever resources you have to accomplish this including checking with the bookstore:

Iomega eGo Mac Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800 Portable External Hard Drive

Seagate FreeAgent Go 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

Toshiba Basics Portable Hard Drive 320 GB USB 2.0

INTEREST MEETING SUCCESS!!!

INTEREST MEETING SUCCESS!!!

The Greenbrier Valley Theater hosted the Miracle Boy Interest Meeting tonight at 6 pm. We had a great turnout from people interested in being in the film, providing props and those just wanting to support us. Thank you so much.

We plan to start shooting Friday night in Williamsburg, WV -- and there are still things we could use and would appreciate your help in finding. Below is a list in no particular order their need, starting with:

- Woodworking tools
- Jacobs Ladder
- Lumberjack wood toy
- Football helmet w/ removable facemask
- Plain white sheets and pillow cases
- water cigarettes
- Telephone pole light

We could also use some food to feed our cast and crew the next week.

And if you still haven't found a way to show your support, just remember that you can go to the website and make a tax-deductible donation where you can nab everything from a shout-out, to a DVD, to an autographed script, to tickets to screenings with the filmmakers.

We appreciate whatever help you can bring.

jbrown

MIRACLE BOY - Props & other help

As we're moving toward production on MIRACLE BOY, we have a plethora of items we need to bring this movie to life. I may be calling you in hope of finding some of these things, but in the mean time - here's the list of what we're looking for in case you know where we might find them:

• Walking stick
• Woodworking shed (w/ tools)
• Agri-King tractor
• Landline phone
• Bull-roarer
• Jaccob's Ladder toy
• Variety of shoes
• Poles and wires to duplicate
• Car engine to "work" on

After the Fourth of July, we'll be contacting people regarding cast and crew. Please let us know if you're interested before then.

Please support this project in whatever way you can. Thanks.

jason