We Watched 25 Webinars About Film Festivals So You Didn’t Have To
Here’s what we learned.
Attending three webinars a day is totally the new normal, right? Team Smarthouse has been attending A LOT of webinars since social distancing has been in place, with a focus on listening to people talk about the current state of film festivals and learning as much as we can about how festival organizers are adapting to the industry's changing landscape.
We have pages and pages of notes from our learnings, but here are the top five things we thought would be most helpful for indie filmmakers:
Worried about screening online before submitting to more festivals? Things are changing.
One of the things clients have brought up as a concern now that more and more film festivals are online is that having a virtual festival screening means they won’t be eligible to apply to any future fests. While there hasn’t yet been a sea change on the circuit, many film festivals are doing away with that requirement (unless the online release is both free and public). Keep that in mind, and reach out to festival organizers to clarify if they haven’t updated their submission rules to reflect that yet.
Look for festivals that are trying to recreate their in-person experience online.
With a glut of streaming options, your film screening needs to be “eventized” in some way in order to grab people’s attention. Keep in mind that there is an audience of people stuck at home that miss attending festivals, and are looking to make the same personal connections to filmmakers online that they usually do in theaters. Some festivals are starting to include virtual introductions and Q&As with cast and crew as part of their online program -- and even setting up industry mixers and happy hours designed to help filmmakers connect and network. And having those networking events in a virtual space could help you connect to even more industry people than you would meet making the rounds at an in person festival.
Embrace the opportunity for your film to reach a larger audience.
While having your film screen at a festival in person means it gets shown to a focused audience of local cinema fans, being accepted to an online festival can benefit your film in a different way: by reaching viewers that may not have been able to physically attend a fest. Even with geo-fencing and limited screening hours a virtual screening means there’s no seating capacity and more flexibility for people to “attend,” which can result in many more tickets sold, and many more eyes on your work. And all those additional eyes can help create buzz for your film!
Big name film festivals aren’t as “indie friendly” as they used to be.
We talk about this with clients a lot! Even though there are festivals like Sundance and SXSW that are considered “prestige” fests, they aren’t as beneficial to independent filmmakers as they used to be. Being able to stand out and make a distribution deal at those festivals is harder than ever, with both Netflix and Amazon premiering films they’ve already purchased as part of the main programming. Right now with all the emerging virtual options, there’s an opportunity for the industry to shift the thinking away from those names being the “end all, be all” of film fests. Not making it into those lineups shouldn’t mean the end of the road for your film; think about what your goals are, and consider shifting your focus to give other festivals a chance to screen your work.
There isn’t going to be a return to “normal” for the film festival circuit.
If you’re a filmmaker who has put things on pause and is waiting for COVID-19 to pass and for film festivals to return to the status quo -- you’re going to be waiting a long time. Festival organizers are putting all of their energy into figuring out how to do virtual programs, and for the most part, are finding those programs to be very successful. Even after it’s safe to gather in groups again it’s likely festivals will keep at least part of their programming online, working in hybrid events that marry virtual and in person programming.
So, how do you move forward as an independent filmmaker this year?
At Smarthouse, every marketing strategy we work up starts with us asking clients what their goals are for their film. Ask yourself questions about those goals, for example: is it really important for you to premiere in a theater? Then you should probably pause your festival submission plans until at least the end of the year to see what’s happening then.
If a theatrical release isn’t that important and you’d rather have people see your film and talk about it, hit up that festival circuit now, just as you’ve always done, and see what happens. You’ll still get laurels for your press kit and links to online screenings you can promote!
Want to talk more about film festivals with us? You can email heyyouguys@smarthousecreative.com with any other questions you might have, and we’ll help you out with some advice.