Festivals are about relations within the industry, with the press, getting to know the trends (current language), and of course the audience. You can get some prestige, hang out at parties and maybe even win some cash awards. But there’s a lot of festivals around the world and their number is still growing. Top festivals should be your main concern, however.
Sometimes you might be profiled on the submitting platform too. The main concerns of the programmers are: topic, genre, country. And of course, the length. The conflict between quantity versus quality really exists. The shorter, the better. Always.
Be aware of the deadline. If it’s too late then, well, it’s too late. It’s always better to have the virgin status. The worldwide premiere might help you get to the top. The other factors in your film which might be considered are: famous name in credits, interesting style or even cool location. Previous festival presence and some awards might help too. If you will be invited to send the film or if you are already an alumni they might give you a fee waiver. If you won’t be selected you can always try to show your flick in your own place using the advantage of hometown boy.
You should also cautiously prepare your screening copies, at best the DCP. It might cost. Start up your own excel file, where you can monitor your submission activity. Match the calendar and be prepared ahead of the deadlines. Try not to break the rules. The budget is also the issue. And forget about the cover letter. It will be useful only when your film is something special (but not only in your eyes). Be reasonable with your budget at any cost. After securing the final cut you will still need to prepare promotional materials and pay the submission fees. Not to mention the travel costs if you’re willing to visit some foreign festivals after all. There is no money for you in short films. However if you will get some cash prize you might consider yourself the lucky one.
Be prepared before going to a festival. Check out who will be there, with whom you might want to talk. You can schedule your meeting in advance. And remember to bring some stuff. Business cards are the must-have, not only for mingling. You should also bring the presskit, some postcards and any promotional materials you can think of. What might be more useful is the pendrive with your very next project. You never know when you’ll find yourself in elevator pitch.
It’s nice to go to the parties, not only for networking reasons. If you’re a complete freshman it might be helpful to get a wingman. He might do the talk and introduce you to others. Then give them something to talk about, or just listen. But be careful with the alcohol. Everybody has a smartphone with a camera. It won’t be cool to find your drunk photo or video on facebook afterwards.
There is something like an informal black list. Constant troublemakers are not welcomed among filmmakers. To make things more complicated, only 5% of the films in competition are selected from submissions. The rest comes from the inner circle. Did we mention that you should know how to be known?
Sometimes, in case you were not selected, you might show your work on the film market. Only a few festivals are offering this opportunity. It means that guests (distributors, programmers, sales agents, biz people) might see your film on the small screen. That means, if they will be attracted by your catalog entry or after your invitation. Good keywords will surely distinguish your work. In that period people try to focus on what is current – they can catch up later what they missed on the market. So you can still take out something, however boasting over the market presence will make you look silly. Especially with the Short Film Corner in Cannes, where everybody pays to be mentioned. But still it is better than nothing.
After some festival presence you might get some invitations from sales agencies. They might help you to get some screenings, but those guys are picky too. You can seek representation on your own when the right moment will come. If that doesn’t work, you can try to distribute the film on your own website. There are many services which you can apply at hand. All you need is letting the audience know about the film's existence. If at that point you didn’t get any press coverage you should market your work single-handedly.
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