Film Festival Preparation: What to Bring to Your Screening

10). Would You Mind Taking a Photo of Us, Please?

If you’re attending the festival with others, try to get a photo or two of the Q&A or another identifying image that your film was accepted or won an award.  Then add it to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or website in the moment or upon return.  Sometimes shameless self-promotion is absolutely necessary.  Being accepted into a festival is one of those times.

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(Watch the video interview here)

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11).  I’d Like To Thank….

Prepare what you’ll say at your live Q&A afterward.  If you’ve been notified that there will be an audience question and answer session afterward, determine what sums things up quickly.  Almost certainly an inquisitive audience member will ask 1).  What’s you budget?  2). What did you shoot on?  3). What inspired the script?  4). How many shooting days? And a zinger or two like “Why did you do this in the movie? I was confused.”  Determine what you’re comfortable answering (like who funded the movie and how).  If time allows and the crowd seems receptive, possibly have one true interesting story that relates to the film (“we were shooting in a haunted house and an actor’s shoes kept disappearing”).  Be interesting, be humble and be brief.
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(Watch the video here)

Filmmaker Katherine Brooks tells us she submitted her film
Face 2 Face to 14 Film Festivals

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12).  Sorry, I’m Not Staring At You.  I Just “Spaced Out” for a Second

Bring an innocent sense of observation.  Lightly observe, listen and get a feel for how other filmmakers interact and present themselves within the festival atmosphere.  Chances are even if this is your first festival, it may not be your last.  You may see things you should do or refrain from doing that can help next time regarding networking and contacting people to assist your film.

Film Courage:   What advice can you give to filmmakers on preparing for their festival screening once being accepted?
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Ana Souza of Blast Beat:   Keeping contact with the festival is crucial, as they often require a lot of information and you need to be cognizant of that. Many festivals organize incredible events for filmmakers and networking opportunities that I think are crucial to attend to really expand your reach and get to know fellow filmmakers and festival staff; on that note getting to know the programmers is also essential and a very helpful resource once you have future projects that you might be submitting to the very same festival. Also, though it’s not usually a concern for shorts, I think for features it helps a lot to save part of your budget to hire a decent publicist during the festival. With so many films screening next to each other you don’t want to get lost in the middle of it all and a publicist can help you ensure the word gets out and that you get the right audiences and industry (particularly distribution) to your screening. On this note, sales agents can also be very useful, though it really depends on what your film’s needs are and how much you are able to spare. The bottom line is that festivals are just the beginning, and filmmakers need to be thinking ahead to where their film is going afterwards. (Read more here)