Dear producer,
There is a saying in martial arts circles that may come in handy before you start sending your clips, movies and trailers for contests and festivals.... even before you start preproduction... remember "Position before submission"
Sincerely,
the other side
Happy 4th of July weekend.
There is a reason you build a foundation before you build the roof of a house. There is also a reason you draft blueprints before you build a foundation. It saves, time, resources, effort and you have a pretty clarified idea of what your expected final outcome is going to be.
It really isn't any different in producing film, or baking a cake. Every new endeavor will be unique and have its own challenges and advantages, but there are similar overall steps from project to project.
The same goes with what you are going to do with your film in the end, after you've completed it. What is your final platform for it? Will it be on youtube? social media? on demand? fourwalled into theaters? submitted to contests and festivals? sold? all of the above? some of the combination of the above?
I am not in a position to tell you what you should do with your project. And there are many options and deals you can pursue. But before you even start casting, getting crew, equipment, lighting, locations, you want to BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND.
There is a saying in wrestling and judo: "Position before submission" before you try to lock up or pin your opponent, you must put yourself in the most advantageous position or know what moves you can do from the position you are already in. A lot of that comes from training with people better than you and gleaning experience from them and from yourself.
Likewise, in this example, before you start submitting to tons of festivals, which can be very expensive even if you have allotted a post production budget (we'll get into that another time) you want to put yourself in the best position to succeed to have a successful submission.
Why are you submitting to that particular festival? Why are you submitting to the number of festivals you are? What items do you need to submit?
Each festival has it's benefits. Be sure you research what they are and aren't just collecting laurel leaves to make yourself feel good and brag about it on social media.
The two primary submission sites I have encountered are filmfreeway.com and withoutabox.com. Each has it's particular festivals. Sometimes they overlap. Each site has it's own strengths.
Just like as an actor, to put yourself in the best position, you might want to think about having a good headshot, resume, reel and business cards as your basic toolkit (on top of your training and actual acting skills)
When you start producing and submitting, you should also be prepared with some kind of E.P.K (electronic press kit)
-reel
-set photos
-press photos
-press statement
-director statement
-project description and press blurbs
-any press
-any awards
-cast and crew listing
-etc
This should be factored into your PRE-PRODUCTION and PRODUCTION plans and budget, so that you have them for POST PRODUCTION.
Both websites help you set up things for uploading, but you actually have to have things ready to upload to them otherwise you are wasting your time.
Always remember there is a huge difference between activity and accomplishment.
Always welcome and be grateful for support from friends, family, colleagues, supporters, and fans, but never assume or expect it.
There is a saying "If it is to be, it is up to me" No one does everything by themselves, especially creating film, but that mindset of "I am responsible. If it is up to be, it is up to me" will take you far in producing and may help in other aspects of your life.
Be well,
Vincent
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