A Fork in the Road: Where to go next with STUCK strategy
I am at a fork in the road with STUCK!
Here's the deal. We submitted to 21 film festivals. We have heard back from 15-- they have all said "no". Austin Revolution did make us a "Finalist" but they did not screen our film. We still have 6 submissions outstanding. The fests that we have played at we have been invited to-- we didn't submit.
I have been talking with some other filmmakers and programmers and my suspicion has been confirmed that many fests have already pre-programmed their selections. Some don't even watch the submissions. And others are just so overwhelmed with submissions that they can't possibly program all of their favorites. We have also been questioning how important a festival run is anymore since there are all kinds of ways to stream movies online now and ways to self distribute.We also have an unusual film on our hands that will require, as one consultant put it, a creative submission strategy.
I met a woman at WTxFF that consults with filmmakers on festival and distribution strategy. She claims to know the festivals and what they want. She basically offers a service where she will watch the film and make a list of 25 festivals that she thinks would be a good fit as well as offer ideas about distribution strategy. For this service she charges $750 (50% off if we buy her $75 audio book). You can find her info at www.thefilmfestivaldoctor.com. I don't know of anyone who has used her but I can say that she was at WTxFF repping a short film (don't know how much that cost them:). She has seen our film and is willing to help out- for her fee. If we took this path we would need to raise $2000 to cover her fee and fest submission fees. I would need to have enough people pledge money up front to choose this particular path.
Another suggestion was that we hire a publicist to market our films to film festivals.
Another was to jump straight to distribution, leverage our team and fan base, and hire a publicist to work with us on self-distribution.
Another was to skip fests and go on the search for a sales agent who would be in charge of getting our film in front of distributors. This would cost $2500-5000 plus a 10% commission on every sale.
The final: go maverick and march off the beaten path.
So there you have it-- I didn't include a lot of info about the publicists and sales agents because I am still researching those. Mainly right now I think the question is whether or not to move forward with the festival path or not.
Which would you choose?
- Follow your gut Jenni!
- Consult with the Film Festival Doctor
- Consult with the Film Festival Doctor-- I will pledge $ to help pay for it. (Will supply you with the amount in the comments or via email)
- I have another idea. I'll email you.
- Skip the fests! Go Maverick!
- Hire a publicist.
Love to hear you opinion in the comments!