Festival Secrets: Part IV: What do Festivals Want? More Importantly … Why Not Me?
Yes, every festival is different. There are thousands of different festivals each serving unique communities. This article will address the smaller to mid-sized festivals where a majority of filmmakers will have their best shot at a theatrical run.
It’s been said that the purpose of most festivals (with screenings) is for movies outside the Hollywood studio system to get their theatrical run with festivals.
Do they make money at festivals? No, not in most cases, but it is a chance for audiences, critics, and buyers to view the projects.
So, a movie with well-known actors is guaranteed to get into festivals, right? Wrong. Even though it has a recognizable face and a strong cast, most festivals don’t rely on star power as much as distributors, especially not the smaller festivals. Most festivals try to find their unique niche.
Sure, if you enter your movie in Palm Springs or Santa Barbara, then celebrity is expected. These are festivals whose communities have come to expect at least a percentage of famous faces to be up on screen and to be in attendance. Does this mean they will show pure junk just because an A-lister is in it? Of course not. A festival’s reputation is constantly on the line for the quality of movies it shows.
This does not mean that everyone is going to like everything shown. Still, it does mean that festivals are very careful in selecting the movies they show to please the movie watchers and industry attendees that may be present.
Some festivals go for quantity, while others go for quality. Some focus on documentaries (even though they are not an all-doc fest), while others want shorts or horror movies or action movies, even if they aren’t genre-specific. If they are genre-specific, then it’s pretty obvious. Do not go entering your romantic comedy in a festival that only shows science fiction.
Research festivals. That is a start. Find out what type of movies they have been showing over the last few years. Does your project’s genre have representation?
Respect a festival’s guidelines and entry requests. Try not to send out blanket entries and bulk cover letters, but cater them for a festival. If you have a local community connection, let the festival know in your cover letter. This serves two purposes. First, it lets a festival know that you care enough to research and target the festivals you enter. Two, it lets a festival know if there could be an increased community interest — every community is interested in the local kid makes a good story. Also, if a festival asks for a press kit, send one. If they don’t, then don’t — and so on. Show that you care.
If you care enough to get together the money you have spent on producing this movie, show that you care just as much to promote it and get it seen.
How are movies evaluated and what decides whether or not they make the final cut? These are the big questions that aren’t always easy. Most festivals, especially those that are established, get many entries and have to make many hard decisions. Just because your project was not chosen for one festival does not mean it won’t find success in another.
Quite a few festivals evaluate on a 1-10 basis with a very holistic scoring method. This means the screeners are trained on what the festival is looking for and then score the selection. Often, screeners break down various elements of a movie. They might score the technical quality, the quality of acting, the story, and the entertainment value separately, in addition to an “overall” score. It varies by festival but these are common practices.
And, yes, rejection is tough. Just keep in mind, it does not mean you made a bad movie. It simply means a festival did not choose your movie.
What can you do then? Make the best movie you can, that’s what. Do that, persevere, and it will find an audience.