how to make a short film
4. Starting at the end: Film festivals the way to get noticed
Film festivals are excellent places to see and be seen, and could very well be your launch pad to success. Remember to plan a watertight publicity campaign that should comprise publicity materials, name cards, press materials, and enough outfits to get you from one party to another without looking frazzled. It’s a place to smooze and shake a lot of hands and smile a lot to sell what talents you possess.
Try not to do this alone, as a lone person can get lost in the crowd. Most filmmakers bring a publicist and a team to handle the tasks, but that’s also depending on the available budget. Do contact us to let us know how we can help you with your publicity collaterals.
It’s important to know what you’re aiming for before you begin the task. Knowing where you’ll end off is the key to good planning at the start. Once you know what you need, you will then know how to allocate your resources accordingly.
There are many places where you’ll find a list of film festivals around the world that are high-profile, such as the ones selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is by no means comprehensive, so it is important that you also be on the lookout for festivals that happen closer to home, such as the Singapore International Film Festival, the Singapore Shorts Film Festival (when it happens around November), the Sydney Asia-Pacific Film Festival, the Sarawak Millennium Film Festival (if it happens), and so on. Another good resource is the Asia-Europe Foundation’s SEA Images site.
Do take note that the links are subject to change.
Be careful in selecting your festival circuit, because some festivals have specific criterion of how many screenings your film is allowed before getting invited. If a festival stipulates it must be a world premiere, and you’ve already screened it somewhere else, you’ve disqualified yourself from that festival.
Some festivals have a prescribed motif or theme. Some may indicate a specific time frame that the film must have been produced in.
Know the path ahead, and you’ll be right.
Here’s a list of items most festivals might stipulate:
- When the film was produced preceding the festival
- Where the film was exhibited before, and how many times: in the country of origin, in events outside the country of origin
- Whether the film was broadcast on television or cable
- Whether the film was shown on the Internet
- Whether the film conforms to the theme of the festival
- How long the film is in minutes
- Concurrent screenings elsewhere during the period of the festival
- If dialog spoken in language(s) foreign to the festival, that subtitles in specified language(s) be included
- Publicity materials (production stills) in advance, with completed forms
- Festival fees, shipping and customs duties, and in what currency
- Format to be submitted (PAL or NTSC, on VHS, DVD, film print or Beta)
- Deadline of submission (non negotiable in all cases)
