Film Festivals: Are They Relevant Anymore?

Film Festival Hacks is the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award-winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW. Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game.

In episode seven discuss the relevance of film festivals in today’s digital world. Enjoy!

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* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

SPONSORS

* VideoBlocks.com – (IFH Discount SAVE $50)

* Werner Herzog Filmmaking Master Class

* Aaron Sorkin Screenwriting Master Class

* Hollywood Screenwriting Directory

* Final Draft 10

* FreeFilmBook.com (Download Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

KILLER RESOURCES!!!

* INDIE FILM SYNDICATE Filmmaking Community

* IFH’s Online Film School

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

If you like Are Film Festivals Even Relevant Anymore?, then click below:

Why Filmmakers are Always So Damn Broke & What They Can Do to Change It

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Film Festivals: Screening Formats & Technical Specs

Film Festival Hacks is the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award-winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW. Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game.

In episode 6 you’ll get the skinny on what are the proper screening formats for film festivals today. We talk about technical specs, formats, what Sundance requires and where and when to spend money on deliverables. Enjoy!

Right-click here to download the MP3

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

SPONSORS

* Werner Herzog Master Class

* Aaron Sorkin Master Class

* FreeFilmBook.com (Download Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

KILLER RESOURCES!!!

* INDIE FILM SYNDICATE Filmmaking Community

* IFH’s Online Film School

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

If you like Film Festivals: Screening Formats & Technical Specs, then click below:

Why Filmmakers are Always So Damn Broke & What They Can Do to Change It

Enjoyed Film Festivals: Screening Formats & Technical Specs? Please share it in your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, email etc) by using social media buttons at the side or bottom of the blog. Or post to your blog and anywhere else you feel it would be a good fit. Thanks.

I welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in t...

Networking Like a Pro at Film Festivals

Film Festival Hacks is the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award-winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW.

Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game.

In episode 5 you’ll get some great tips on networking at festivals – what exactly we mean by the word, why it’s so darn scary, and what the potential benefits are. Alex reveals the thinking behind his core principles of making connections at industry events and some specific tactics for earning the attention of the people you seek. (“Be a human first” is a big part of it.) 

We also talk about why face-to-face networking is so much more effective than a solicitation by email or social media, and some open-ended question to help you break the ice.

Right-click here to download the MP3

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

SPONSORS

* Werner Herzog Master Class

* Aaron Sorkin Master Class

* FreeFilmBook.com (Download Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

KILLER RESOURCES!!!

* INDIE FILM SYNDICATE Filmmaking Community

* IFH’s Online Film School

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

 

If you like Networking Like a Pro at Film Festivals, then click below:

Why You Don’t Need a Screenplay to Make a Great Film

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Film Festival Hacks Podcast: The Power of Humor in Festival Submissions

In this episode we discuss the power of humor not only in the film itself but in the film festival summission process as well. Filmmaker really under estimate the power of humor. You have to remember that people enjoy to laugh, in the movie theater or durning the submission process.

Adding a bit of chuckles or even full blown laughs might help your chances durning the submission process. The creativity does not stop at the end of the edit. Ask yourself which marketing campaign or Super Bowl commercial stuck with you the most?

Chris and I go over our experiences using humor and share a few tips.

Right click here to download the MP3

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* This is Meg Crowdfunding Campaign

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

* Indie Film Syndicate (Online Filmmaking Community)

* IFH Online Film School

* FreeFilmBook.com (Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

 

If you like Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals, then click below:

FREE Filmmaking Crowdfunding Course & Why I Choose Seed and Spark

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I welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the comments section below…

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Film Festival Hacks Podcast: Best Film Festival Submission Practices

Our third episode is the second part of our discussion of Withoutabox and FilmFreeway, the two most commonly used film festival submissions platforms. We talk about some of the best practices for using both platforms, including the importance of strong still images from your film, the dark art of writing a film synopsis, and what exactly you should put in your submission’s cover letter. Better yet, you’ll hear how these things can affect a festival programmer’s thinking.

Our conversation also covers the larger question of film submissions as a marketing exercise. We discuss the reasons that the submissions game is much like a sales process, with festival programmers (and their audiences) as customers for your product. We’ll explain the basics of the marketing elements you’ll need for festivals as well as for selling your film to general audiences later on, laying out which assets you’ll need as well as what should be in them. From trailers to web sites to poster art, this episode runs the gamut of marketing materials you should have for your film in these early stages of its life.

Right click here to download the MP3

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

* IFH Online Film School – 30% OFF Discount

* FreeFilmBook.com (Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

If you like Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals, then click below:

How to Create Multiple Revenue Streams for Your Indie Film

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I welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in t...

Film Festival Hacks Podcast: Decoding WithoutaBox & Film Freeway

In this second episode we explore the essential tools of submitting to film festivals. Withoutabox and FilmFreeway are the two most prominent festival submissions platforms online. Although there are a number of prominent festivals that do not accept submissions on these submissions engines, together the sites represent the majority of film festival submissions opportunities. They are major players on the film festival scene and influence not only how festivals accept films for submissions but also how much they charge and how films are promoted.

Our overview covers the reasons filmmakers love and hate the submissions platforms, how they are viewed and used by festivals, and the ways that both Withoutabox and FilmFreeway have shaped the festival industry over the last 16 years. Plus we’ll talk about how the platforms help festivals grow and all about the submissions mixup that taught Alex what he has in common with Winnie from “The Wonder Years.”

Right-click here to download the MP3

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

* IFH Online Film School – 30% OFF Discount

* FreeFilmBook.com (Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

If you like Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals, then click below:

How to Create Multiple Revenue Streams for Your Indie Film

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I welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the comments section below…

Get Social with Indie Film Hustle:

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Film Festival Hacks Podcast: Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals

This is it! The inaugural episode of Film Festival Hacks, the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award-winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW.

Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game.

Getting the most out of your film festival investment takes careful planning ahead. In this first episode, we look at what filmmakers can do during the submissions process to make sure they get the best results and how to avoid some common pitfalls.

The primary topic of conversation of today’s show is the top 3 things that annoy festival programmers. These are typical mistakes that most festival rookies make, which is why we’re here to teach you the important do’s and don’ts of getting your film in front of these crucial gatekeepers while keeping them in a good mood. They’re the little things that may not seem like a big deal to you but are major annoyances to festival directors.

This episode alone will save you hours of frustration and keep you out of the doghouse, so set aside 15 minutes to invest in your festival future.

Right-click here to download the MP3

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

* Film Freeway

* Withoutabox

* Find Chris @ filmfestivalsecrets.com

* Film Festival Hacks Course: How to Submit Your Film Like a Pro 

* IFH 046: Film Festival Hacks: Secrets on How to Get Your Film Accepted

* IFH Online Film School – 30% OFF Discount

* FreeFilmBook.com (Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book)

* Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE!

Action Items:

* Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes,  Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

If you like Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals, then click below:

How to Create Multiple Revenue Streams for Your Indie Film

Enjoyed “Secrets on How to Submit to Film Festivals” Please share it in your social networks (