Managing Expectations on the Festival Circuit

Zak Forsman

Zak Forsman

Major Contributor
I went to SXSW this year for the first time to not only learn the lay of the land, but to find out what the benefit of attending a major festival without a film might be. Previously, I had never considered going to a festival I hadn’t been asked to screen a film at, and only recently did I have a slight indication that there could very well be more to the festival experience than nervously awaiting your post-screening Q&A.

So I booked my flight, a hotel room and a rented Chevy Impala and descended upon Austin, Texas. After picking up my film/interactive badge, a couple of illusions I had about the fest were immediately shattered. First, I had no idea how massive it was going to be. And second, the interactive portion of the fest is where I would spend most of my time. I only saw two feature films there, Ry Russo-Young’s YOU WONT MISS ME and Brett Gaylor’s RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO – both knock-outs.

However, at this point all my expectations were up in the air. I had pre-arranged a few meetings including a chat with Lance Weiler over lunch to catch up on a few things. And throughout the week I had occasion to run into some of the people I had met during POWER TO THE PIXEL in London – like Liz Rosenthal of PTTP, Scilla Andreen of INDIEFLIX and Slava Rubin of INDIEGOGO.

I was thrilled by the opportunity to meet face to face with familiar acquaintances as well as new ones like Brian Chirls, Roger Erik Tinch of CineVegas, Leora Nevezie of the UK FILM COUNCIL and all the guys from LOST ZOMBIES. But I also made a point of seeking out two filmmakers specifically, HUNTER WEEKS and TODD SKLAR, who I had not yet met in person and who I suspected could clue me in on what the underlying benefit might be of attending festivals and conferences on the scale of SXSW.

Here’s a NEW BREED mini-doc on what I learned from them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjPM4q4Azqw&fmt=18

So, now that I understand the inherent value of seeing these fests as “industry trade shows”, I’m left with this question… where to next? And so I thought I’d put this and other questions to other filmmakers…

QUESTIONS

1) How do YOU manage your expectations for the festival circuit and how do festivals fit into your overall strategy for getting your film out into the world.

2) What are the TOP industry festivals, conferences, etc – that are “must-attend” events for the purpose of networking and fostering new relationships and creative partnerships?
 
well the bigger the better for exposure but the biffer they are, the harder it is to get a viewing. I use to submit blindly to any and all festivals but quickly learned what a waist of money that was. I submitted to SXSW this year and while they took my entry fee, sent me a letter stating they could not have a viewing for it this year. This is the case more often than not unless you are known or your film offers contraversy. you'll see nothing show better at festivals than contraversy. Shoot a dic about a gay satanic with aids and a gun and brother, it'll be shown at every venue. lol
It's amazing how widespread the SXSW is now. At most festivals, you really can manage to see everything you went to see. Not so at the SXSW just because it's spread out all over downtown.
Bottom line, as with everything else. Expect little. But don't quit doing it.
 
Thank you, Zak.
By the way, that was an excellent job of encoding a video clip for the web. I wish I knew how to do that so well.

Regarding the festival. It was very well covered and it did look big. Lots of people trying to make an impact with their films and trying to learn the game, so they can find distribution for their films and make contacts with financiers.

The ironies of attending festivals haven't changed much for the last twenty years. I found out quickly after attending the Cannes Film Festival in 1986 that it wasn't about the festival but the market.

So far this festival in TX doesn't have a viable market. I talked to one of the organizers a few months ago. When it has a market component it will be an interesting festival to attend. Of course, it's still great for networking and meeting other directors and potential investors and even distributors, although these are the new distributors. Most of them will disappear after one or two festivals.

I agree with Grinner about the type of movies that play in these festivals -- even though this was a big festival. I see the same pattern at Sundance. I'm skipping all festivals -- but thanks for a look.

I think you have found a great way to network with people from all over the world at these festivals and conferences and you should be commended for that, and especially your generous sharing of information.

Thanks again, Zak. Wishing you great success....
 
My best friend's brother was actually at SXSW with a film that shall go unnamed (for not wanting to spread any bad publicity... this is only educational!). It's a very good doc, very well reviewed and had certain elements that one would think would have HBO falling all over themselves to purchase it. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what they went in thinking... cut to the end of the festival - no offers, hardly any press (save one great review), and a HUGE investment that is nowhere near recouped.

I honestly think that not only are certain kinds of filmmakers and filmgoers staying away from major festivals in droves right now... the distributors are too. I don't think it's as simple as a matter of too much product... I think it's poor programming. One blogger elsewhere calls it 'an inward facing circle jerk, and he was referring specifically to mumblecore, I believe. I won't even get into the merits or lack thereof of that genre (I actually just saw Baghead and enjoyed it), but I think he has a point that speaks more to people feeling that these festivals are taking entry fees so they and their friends can all watch each other's movies and get free press under the guise of a festival. And to be completely honest, the doc I mentioned at SXSW was one such film. They knew people, they had the typical subject matter that gets in, and voila! They got in!

I urge everyone to read this entry, because besides the self-distribution discussion, it's a discussion concerning festivals that I think is worth having: http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some_came_running/2009/02/the-c/comments/page/4/

These festivals are becoming more and more closed off to people with good films but no connection to the programmer, a writer at Gawker, friends at indiewire, etc. Either that, or you have to have a certain kind of subject matter. I'm not going to get into that either, except to say that I don't think it's controversy that they want, so much as ridiculously over-the-top, ham handed POLITICS. I consider myself liberal, yet I'd call what gets into a lot of festivals without so much as a cursory glance with regards to quality filmmaking by the selection committee 'liberal porn'. There's another great article at the huffingtonpost concerning this stuff... actually, the article isn't that great, it's the comments section that's great. One person says they were at Sundance this year and couldn't believe what they saw. Hardly one film that could be said to have any broad appeal. And I don't think they meant 'broad' as in 'Imagine That' or 'Transformers 2', I think they meant broad as in like... Clerks or Pi.

Anyway, here's the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-fine/whats-killing-independent_b_180683.html

I mean... it's been what, five years since Primer? Today, I believe it would be tossed aside to make room for another Jennifer Anniston indie vehicle or the latest Duplass Brothers/Swanberg opus.

This is only my second post, so I'm not going to go into my own experiences until i've contributed more to these boards. I used to lurk and post under a forgotten account a few years ago, but then I started making my own indie feature and working as an editor at the same time, so I'd just lurk when I could. Now that it's almost finished, I have a lot of thoughts on making it as well as festivals and experiences with friend's films getting in and not getting in that I'd like to share with everyone but I'm going to... uhh, get the lay of the land for a little while first... and post a lot more!
 
Definitely Zak! I've read some great things about Heart of Now, and I've seen the trailer a few times and it looks pretty amazing. I also checked out that link, and it had some great suggestions about making the festival experience better. I'm on the fence about the whole submission process and paying the fee... I don't know, I just think things aren't done completely above board at a lot of festivals now and filmmakers are being taken advantage of. I especially think this of the 'late entry' fee and process. Come on... it just seems like a crock... they might really let in a film that late in the game, but it's only going to be because it was highly recommended by someone else or they know the filmmaker and that person can guarantee some press or an audience. I don't really believe it will ever be some entry that was blindly sent in with the entry fee and no connection to anyone in the festival. And festivals as big as Sundance, imho, are probably programmed before the entry process even opens up.

The good news, however, is that a lot of filmmakers are getting hip to this, just as grinner said above. He now realizes what a waste of time and money it is applying randomly to festivals with no 'in'. I've talked to a lot of people who agree with this and feel that something is rotten in the state of Denmark when it comes to the selection process. My guess is that there's going to be a shift in the festival selection process. There almost has to be, because I really believe we're not that far away from the day that the thousands of guaranteed entries (and entry fees) are going to dwindle so rapidly that festival organizers will have to be a lot more proactive about finding real sponsorships. Otherwise, that particular festival will have to die off. It's both good and bad because it means fewer festivals, but what else are filmmakers supposed to do? Keep spending upwards of $700 per film on entry fees, only to have a pile of rejections? I'm not naive, I understand that you've got to play the game, but what I just don't like is that the game rests upon the shoulders of all those rejected filmmaker's entry fees. If it was honestly done, then fine, but when you point out that the reality is likely otherwise for many of the larger festivals, it's like being politically incorrect... and the powers that be just don't like that. You're not supposed to say the emperor has no clothes... just look at some of the reactions to those blog entries that I posted.

And if it's more of a game, just like Hollywood is, and you have to schmooze and make sure you're in with the right people then let's say that and stop pretending that all those entries are actually compared meaningfully to the films that get in. Because I know of several instances in which they weren't, and I've had friends on both sides of the coin - they got in where better films didn't because they knew someone... or they DIDN'T get in, I went to the festival and went... "This crap got in but that didn't?!"

I'm not trying to bait, I'm saying this on behalf of filmmakers who I think are getting screwed out of hard earned money by this whole process. The only exception, I believe, are all of those small horror and science fiction festivals popping up. There seems to be a much more fair and truthful independent spirit to them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top