Before you enter the realm of film festivals, you must make sure you’re mentally prepared for rejection. This is not to say your film will flop and not flip. You need to take a pragmatic approach to festival submissions. Is your film part of a niche market? Should you submit your film to obscure or well-known festivals? The answer may change according to your goals.
What do you want to achieve? How will you measure success? Thanks to social media, opportunities to network and promote your film is endless. Securing interviews and reviews increase your chances of being accepted into popular festivals. Obtaining positive feedback is a must. If you receive negative reviews, you must decide whether or not to publicly publish them. Ask what the reviewer’s policy is on film reviews. Let them know the objective of your review. You can ask a reviewer to not publish a review that is less than three stars.
Remember, film festivals are an important way to market your film. The work doesn’t end there. You must put in the effort to keep your film visible to a potential audience. It’s a grueling process that can wear on you, but it’s something you must do to help your film make it on the festival circuit. Make yourself available. Shake hands. Introduce your film. Post some production updates frequently to your social media site. People need to see progress.
Filmmakers must continually hone their craft. Practice improves production. Additionally, workshops are a great asset for filmmakers. I just added John Russo’s Filmmaking Seminar to my DVD Netflix queue. John is the mastermind behind Night of the Living Dead. He does an excellent job in helping filmmakers learn how to get financing for a movie. Although John focuses on independent horror moviemaking, he has written books on the subject. He has adopted a practical and no-nonsense approach to filmmaking. John covers financing and production while sharing information on the artistic side of the craft. His seminar includes special effects, cinematography, and music.
Every good movie has a solid soundtrack. Take James Gunn’s approach to making the soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy. He exited the beaten path and created a soundtrack that supports the film, as well as being a standalone production. Gunn’s gamble paid off because the soundtrack is just as popular as the Guardians of the Galaxy. People are already casting votes on which classic songs will appear on the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III soundtrack.
Add John Russo’s Filmmaking Seminar to your DVD Netflix queue today.
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