A couple questions regarding festival submitting...

[GND]

I just completed a short film that my team and I are proud of and plan to submit to festivals,

it's my 6th short film (well, 8th...but 2 of them were very experimental and rushed)

My questions are:


1 - Would you recommend labelling the DVD with paper labels like from a DVD label printing program (label would just be the info / title, Runtime, etc..)
OR should I write it neatly in marker on the DVD instead?
Some places I read say do not put any label on it incase it screws up playback on festivals DVD players, others say do not write in marker as it looks unprofessional. ....I'm confused.

Anyone here submit to festivals with one or the other and get accepted?



2 - When they ask for a press kit and "production stills" could it be high-res screen shots of the film (or rather, photo's from a digital camera, but they look like screen shots...as in, there is no crew visible in shot). Or do they want pics of the crew like a "behind the scenes" deal?

...if the second one, then I'm in trouble as we forgot to get much photos of behind the scenes (had only a 1 man crew besides the actors) except for one group shot but it doesn't show us "at work" very well.




Thanks


Well, I know I said only a "couple" of questions, but here's one more:

- If one was to get accepted into a festival but couldn't make it there in person (either no money for travel, or was sick at the time, etc...) would the fesitval not mind and play the film anyway (or give it awards if it was to win something?) would you just get notified through e-mail afterwards?

not that I plan on not attending, I'm just curious.

[Chris Adler]

Never put a label on any dvd. Always write the requested info directly onto the disc, and if the sleeve isn't transparent write the same info on the sleeve.

Production stills are generally high quality shots from the production, generally captured by your set photographer if you used one. If not, you can use frames from the film, though they will never look as good as they would have from a still camera.

For the 3rd question, it depends on the festival and if its a short or a feature.

[capitalP]

1. Home labels are no good unless you use one of those printers that print the label on the disc. Not sure what you plan to with the short, but maybe you can press some copies of the short to sell? In turn use the remaining to submit to festivals. You can get some great deals with replication plus the labeling will be done very professionally. Google replication/duplication houses. But if money is an issue then I would definitely just write neatly with a marker, do not put paper labels and such.

2. Press kits are usually asked after you get accepted into the festival, but usually stills from a digital camera will do fine as for production stills. But like the above mentioned, typically on bigger budget projects, there's usually a production photographer to handle that. But I wouldn't worry about this too much, if your film is accepted, this will be the least of the festivals concern.

3. And once you've received that acceptance notice, your film will be screened, ideally the festivals want you to attend, but they will not hold that against you if you don't make it. But I would start budgeting for at least 1 festival you might be able to make it to.

Best Wishes.

[GND]

Thanks for the replies,

I think I'll just write neatly with marker on the Disc, seems it's acceptable and won't cause any problems with players.
Perhaps I'll think about selling the short, but I'd like to wait until after we see how a year (or half a year)'s run at submitting to festivals goes.

And as for press kit photo's, It's a short film and we didn't really plan for it to be a big production, it was more of a "something to get practice in and pass the time since we're bored". but after the first day of
shooting, things started going so well, then long story short: a friend knew a guy with a lighting package and offered to let us borrow it, then we met a guy with a glidecam kit, etc... so it became bigger
and we delayed production for a few weeks, re-rehersed and then re-shot the first day's worth of the film....however still forgetting to get someone to take production photos.
It was a 2 mancrew... me(director/Cinematographer and cam operator) and my friend who was the grip/gaffer/boom operator, and then the actors, though only 2 at a time.

as for question 3, it would depend on the festival, and I will and have been putting some money aside to go to a couple festivals, I hope.