How do you "sell" a film festival?

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Dave Watterson
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How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Dave Watterson »

I keep remembering an old advertising saying: "If you can't sell the sausage, sell the sizzle."
Why?
Because I see so many people around the world trying to promote film festivals. But beyond listing the dates (and often forgetting to give the closing date!) and general location ... they have little to say.

The "sausage" would be the films on view, but at the advertising stage the organisers do not know what these will be. Even then, how do you entice people to come to a film with no star actors, an unknown director and only vague comparisons like "Imagine 'The Birds' with voles ..."

For IAC the issue is how to promote BIAFF. For UNICA it is how to promote their annual event.

This is specially difficult and important as we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic and people start - sometimes nervously - to travel again.

Those who have attended the events in the past remember cameraderie, the joy of first seeing a film which taught, moved or surprised them, the "buzz" of the lobbies and bars.

Any ideas?
Michael Slowe
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Michael Slowe »

Dave, I think that the venue plays a large part in people deciding on festivals. Ned will tell you how wonderful is the setting and venue of Docutah and before that AMPS. The old Ten Best was a form of festival and they used the NFT. I'm sure, with all our influence (?) we could 'borrow' the NFT for BIAFF. I know that's ambitious but I think possible, we are promoting the art of film making, we are respectable and very long standing and all our 'amateur' Ten Best winners are in their archive. Two cinemas (I think), room for socialising, by the river, catering etc, perfect and would attract all manner of film makers.
By the way, you denigrate "Birds & Voles", just the subject of my latest film!!!
ned c
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by ned c »

I think the reason most people enter festivals is to share their film with an audience; to experience the pleasure of the Q and A and the discussion with audience members after the viewing. Simply; what is the chance of my film being screened? Very few festivals advertise what percentage of entries have been screened in previous years. I can understand why if less than 1% of entries are screened why bother entering (e.g. Sundance short films) particularly as some festivals have films preselected for screening. I get the feeling that percentage screening at BIAFF is pretty high, so a selling point.

Yes; and venue; the two BIAFFs we attended were enjoyable but the screening in hotel rooms unsatisfactory in spite of the best efforts of the screening crews. We HAVE to view films in a cinema; we realised this very quickly at DOCUTAH after a first year where some screening were in flat floor rooms; now two local cinemas are rented. I think that most entrants to festivals assume their film will be screened in a cinema.
ned c
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TimStannard
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by TimStannard »

ned c wrote: Mon Aug 23, 2021 3:51 pm I think that most entrants to festivals assume their film will be screened in a cinema.
But herein lies a problem (with BIAFF). We have seen sometimes pitifully small audiences at some of the Saturday screenings at BIAFF, making screening in cinemas not only economically unviable, but incredibly awkward for the film maker who sees only two people turn up, one of whom walks out half way through.

The soultion to this problem might be to have just one larger cinema on the Saturday and thus significantly reduce the number of films screened.

But who is BIAFF for?

If it is for the attendees that we currently see - either film makers themselves or people associated with amateur film making clubs and the IAC, then more screenings is probably the best way to keep the audiences up.

If we want to attract people from outside our community, then we need to be more selective so we can afford to show the films in cinemas.

One of the attractions of entering BIAFF is the comparatively high possibilty of your film being screened. Surely we would reduce this attraction by showing fewer films.

True, we all want to see our films presented in the best possible light, and for the very best films I agree it is a travesty to see them in a low ceiling hotel room. But, I suspect most makers would rather have their films screened under any conditions than not at all.

One of the things I like about BIAFF is that I can get to see films which are of different standards from three star to Diamond. I wouldn't want it any other way. But, with attendances diminishing, I accept we might have to become more selective and show only the very best films in order (perhaps) to attract a wider audience.
Tim
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Michael Slowe
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Michael Slowe »

Just as Ned says (and me) the films have to be screened in a cinema, preferably with two screens. As I also suggested, why not the NFT, it is National is it not?
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Howard-Smith
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Howard-Smith »

I must say I warm to the ideas put forward here. The Ten Best at the NFT was always excellent and at that venue it would be easy to have two cinemas on the Saturday. Also a big draw was the fact that a major figure from the film industry handed out the trophies to the winners… Joan Collins and Michael Winner are the two I particularly remember. It would be great if the top BIAFF trophies could be presented similarly by current big names. Also the late John Astin thought it would be a good idea for some respected film critic such as Mark Kermode to be paid to watch the 5 star films and pick out the Diamond Award winners from them and also the Best British film and the Daily Mail Trophy winner. Maybe the other awards too… best story, best actor etc.
For BIAFF 2022 at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham I wonder whether the format has yet been decided. Will there be just the one screen for the whole weekend? If not, how will mini cinemas be arranged for the Saturday?
Whatever happens we MUST keep going with BIAFF and it MUST be a live event.
Last edited by Howard-Smith on Tue Aug 24, 2021 1:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Michael Slowe
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Michael Slowe »

Well said Howard, it must be a 'professionally' presented event if it is to attract a wider audience. I do like the social atmosphere of BIAFF and the opportunity of meeting and talking with fellow film makers and that might be slightly diminished if we depart from the current format. Maybe a way could be found to combine the two aspects? Can we have reactions from those more directly involved other than the four or five regulars?
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John Simpson
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by John Simpson »

I have been to two Film Festivals recently, The last BIAFF at the Crescent Theatre and The Purbeck Film Festival at the Rex Cinema, Wareham Dorset. The Purbeck Film Festivals 125 seats were sold out, the films were mainly very good student films; "Shorts" as they call them. I would say BIAFF needs to attract more student films.
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TimStannard
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by TimStannard »

The original question, posed by Dave, was HOW do we sell an amateur film festival, but the discussion seems to be about WHAT are we trying to sell.
This is quite correct. Much like the question about the IAC itself, we need to know (a) what it is that people will get out of it and (b) who the target audience is. Until we know that, we can't really discuss the "how".

So do we want

(A) something showing only the very best BIAFF entries in a proper cinema,
(B) something showing a larger selection of films, in less than perfect conditions to audiences comprising a projectionist and two others?

(A) would, I hope, raise the profile of both BIAFF and amateur/non-commercial/call it what you will film making outside the community, but it will take time (ie several BIAFFs) and no doubt come at a considerable financial cost until word spreads and we can get enough bums on seats.

(B) gets us potentailly larger audiences (there are people come only if their films are screened) and more of a "community" feel. BUT audiences are reducing and we may be flogging a dead horse.

I suspect a transition to (A) will be quite difficult. Outside of "our community", who is going to cross the road to see Michaels Slowe's latest film? WE know it's going to be well worth watching, whether we like the film or not, and WE know how good the standard of these films can be, but the public is unlikely to take a punt on it and spend out for a day ticket - let alone a weekend one.

John S - do you know the make up of the audience for the Purbeck Film Festival? My guess would be that they are mainly friend of the students who made the student films. How many of us "oldies" would be able to persuade their (non-film making) friends to come along to BIAFF. I also note that the maximum length of a film in the Purbeck Shorts is 10 minutes. Whilst a large number of films in BIAFF are that short, it would be a very different festival if we limited it to that.

Nevertheless, I do agree that encouraging more student entries is one avenue that should be explored - possibly with their own categories to satisfy the "it's not fair because they have access to all this equipment/skills" brigade. Our ability to attract films from younger people does not have a particularly good track record which is a shame as those entries it has attracted have been very good.

And none of this deals with the second part of Dave's question, which is attracting people to UNICA.
Tim
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Howard-Smith
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Howard-Smith »

If the decision is made only to show the best, highest rated films in a single cinema venue, I wonder whether it might be wise to start considering a time limit of, say, 40 minutes for entries. This would enable more films to be shown and would exclude the feature length films with questionable status (“amateur? professional?”).
Just asking.
ned c
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by ned c »

The short way to expanding the support of BIAFF (and the IAC) is by establishing a separate student category open to films made by people in an educational setting; two parts; up to 18 years old and over 18. OK I know I have banged on about this for ages and am still mystified why no action has been taken as this is a relatively easily accessible audience. The entries to be judged by a panel of film industry professionals and educators with attractive awards. Obviously this needs some hard work but will probably deliver a result quicker than any other approach. Identify them as "students" not "young film makers" which has a whiff of condescension

Accessing the wider world of "You Tubers" and "Vimeo" is a much greater challenge and will need a marketing approach geared to appeal to these film makers. I think the first problem is the word "amateur"; OK I hear the groans but these people see themselves as "film makers" and for them the tag amateur applied to film speaks of ineptitude and lack of any skills.

The days of the hotel based festival with flat floor projection are surely over; the appeal is to people with an adequate income to afford these events as a combined opportunity to socialize and watch friends films. As a young film maker with a mortgage and a young family I could never have afforded to go to BIAFF.

There is much to be said for a physical Festival; but set in a major city with cinema projection and no related hotel base.

I beg council to make a start on the Student project and promise to shut up on the subject.

ned c
Michael Slowe
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Michael Slowe »

Ned, why a separate student section? They are film makers, the same as us, it's just that they hope to be paid film makers eventually. They have no particular advantages, the kit access is meaningless nowadays, and they are a good deal less experienced than us.

Tim, you are right, I wouldn't cross the road to see my latest film, or yours for that matter, especially when I can access it on line. Mind you, we mustn't get into the habit of viewing films on computer screens, we must link them to huge TV screens to get the benefit of all the hard work. That is where a festival has such an important part to play, the films are projected on to a large screen.

But, as you say, back to what we do about BIAFF, although Dave's original question was "how to sell a film festival". Obviously, attract more participants via publicity, access to young film makers, maybe employ an agent.

It's still us four talking. Dave, come back now you've read what we have to say.
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John Simpson
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by John Simpson »

1/ Yes the audience of the Purbeck Film Festival probably were mainly friends and family of the film makers. I went to a similar film festival at the Bournmouth Shelley Theatre and it all seemed to be student films mainly bad animations, it was nearly fully sold out, but the atmosphere good, indeed raucous, (the beer was flowing). Those sort of students would stir us up!

2/ Looking at Filmfreeway I see we are not the only BIAFF there is also Batumi International Art-House Film Festival. I have found explaining the acronym IAC confuses people and how the FVN relates to the IAC - I have got my head around it all now but it's not easy for someone coming into it new. What about a new name for our BIAFF? Any suggestions.

3/ Fimfreeway is key to selling BIAFF and UNICA, the way the festivals are described fees etc, a link to the IAC Filmfreeway page could be a landing point for any other BIAFF publicity. There are nice comments about BIAFF on the IAC Filmfreeway page, worth reading

https://filmfreeway.com/BritishInternat ... val-881896
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Howard-Smith
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by Howard-Smith »

Re John Simpson’s idea of renaming BIAFF.
My suggestion:
The FAVIS Festival
ie. The Film And Video Institute Shorts Festival
Which would be especially appropriate if there were a time limit of 40 minutes on entries.
(However, I realise that it would be a shame to drop the “British International” angle.)
It only took one gin & tonic for me to come up with that.
There could be a total relaunch of the festival with massive publicity including maybe adverts in Empire and Sight & Sound magazines, along with social media, Film Freeway etc. and bringing it to the attention of universities running film & media courses.
And why not try to get the Daily Mail to run a news item on it seeing as the top prize is the Daily Mail Trophy.
The fact that the festival is only open to amateur/non-professional films would be stated in the rules of entry.
ned c
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Re: How do you "sell" a film festival?

Post by ned c »

I said I would shut up but feel I owe Michael an explanation of my enthusiasm for a student section of BIAFF.

I agree that students now have no better equipment than many of us and although may lack experience are tutored by industry professionals and have other resources than camera/editing equipment; sound stages, professional actors, lighting, sound studios etc. that do give them an edge. However there is a more subtle reason for separating students from the regular worlds of n-c film makers. Look at any gathering of IAC members and it is obvious the average age is OAP and a diminishing membership as well. Where is the future management to come from? Here in SW Utah many of the local film makers are in effect "amateurs" although most have degrees in some aspect of film/video/communications but find themselves in jobs far removed from the media. However they retain their love of film making and are the backbone of the local scene. Of the hundreds of media graduates how many actually find employment in the profession? With care they could be the future of the IAC and a student section of BIAFF is a way of identifying them and at the same time promoting the IAC to the world of media education. .

Howard; I feel that adding another festival would dilute the energy required to run BIAFF which needs an energetic marketing campaign to direct film makers to Film Freeway and so to entries as suggested by John Simpson.

ned c
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