Film Festivals: Sex, Booze, & Networking
At some point in the near future I may write up a semi-serious response to this video, but for now – just watch.
Archive for the ‘funny’ Category
Mark Potts on Film: Just Make Shit
Mark Potts is a good friend and one of my favorite filmmakers. I use him as an example all the time – of someone who relentlessly adds to his body of work, knowing that an important part of success is to keep moving forward even when you fail. Mark’s expression of this philosophy is somewhat pithier than mine but you should definitely read what he has to say.
You know when people give you advice and you think, “well, that’s easier said than done,” and you get all pissy about it, and instead of focusing on the advice you focus on how hard it is to follow the advice? I do that a lot. It is really annoying.
But it is a habit I am trying to break because it is counterproductive. And it also goes against my new philosophy in life:
Just make shit.
Read Mark Potts on Film: Just Make Shit at OKC.NET
Above: Mark Potts (left, holding corn dog) with film critic James Rocchi at the Oxford Film Festival.
Films I don’t get excited about watching anymore, and some unsolicited advice
One of my favorite veterans of the indie film world, Saskia Wilson-Brown, gives you the honest &#$!ing truth about the films that festival screeners see way too often.
The Soapbox Doc
Earnest in tone and pointing to legitimate problems in the world, the advocacy doc is also usually incredibly yawnsville. It is healthy and dull, like a brussel sprout for your brain. Like with a brussel sprout, it’s hard to get particularly excited about consuming it. Try adding some humor, a damn good editor, and an opposing point of view. And please: No more films about Katrina or global warming, at least for a little while.
Read Films I don’t¹ get excited about watching² anymore, and some unsolicited advice³
Travel webisodes from Oxford Film Festival
Tate English and Lynn Mikeska (writer/director and star, respectively, of The Ballad of Friday and June) spent some time at the Oxford Film Festival recording a series of webisodes to document their festival trip. Rather than making the series a simple travelogue, however, they went out of their way to make each episode funny in a self-deprecating way. Well-made webisodes like these capture some of the local flavor of a festival town and involve fellow attending filmmakers involved whenever possible. (You want to give people a reason to link to your videos, right?) Off-the-cuff video blog entries are a fun, inexpensive way to build a fan base and to draw attention to your film’s festival run.
See more Oxford FF travel videos at the Ballad of Friday and June blog.
Pigeon Impossible Podcast #12 – Pimpin’ It
Lucas Martell’s podcast is a companion to the launch of his short animated film, Pigeon Impossible. Each episode is entertaining in its own way (check out episode 2, “Writing is Rewriting”) and most of them focus on the animation process, but episode 12 speaks directly to the festival circuit. In particular listen to Martell’s advice about output formats and why the extra expense of converting your short to 35mm film might give you a leg up on the competition. Now that’s what I call a film festival secret.
Frank advice from Heidi van Lier
Lately I’ve had the privilege of sitting on a couple of panels with Heidi van Lier, filmmaker and author of The Indie Film Rule Book. Heidi’s advice is no-nonsense, funny, and wastes no time. If you’re not reading her blog at the Film Independent web site, you should be. There she dispenses similar wisdom; I’ve linked to a few recent samples below.
When festival poster art attacks!
A coincidence, I’m sure, but an amusing one:
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| The 1983 Atlanta Film Festival poster. |
The 2009 Independent Film Festival Boston art. |
Is there a common image source for both? Someone knowledgeable in art history, please let me know.
(Update: some Googling later, it looks like both works are the same take on an illustration in Gray’s Anatomy.)
Steal this idea: use your vacation email message to market your film/event
I got this excellent email “out of office” autoresponder from a festival contact recently:
Absence Alert! I’m out of the office and returning Monday, April 13.
I’ll be warm and dry playing outside dressed in my Patagonia Cold Track jacket, Polartec fleece, OR hat and gloves and New Balance Shoes. I’ll use my Deuter pack to carry extra gear and supplies from Gore-Tex, Mountain Hardwear, OR, Petzl and Mountain Equipment Co-op. You can find me in the beautiful pristince Yellowstone to Yukon region, making tracks at Mount Engadine Lodge, or skiing one of the fantastic areas of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Following a great day outdoors I’ll relax with a Big Rock ale or a glass of Redwood Creek wine and enjoy reading about travel, exploration and adventure in National Geographic Adventure magazine. I may fantasize about tripping away with World Expeditions or Canadian Mountain Holidays.
I will check and reply to email only sporadicaly. If you need immediate assistance please contact [snipped for privacy].
Laurie Harvey
Manager, Strategic Partnerships
Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre
Laurie not only turned her everyday vacation message into something funny, she also mentioned her strategic partners (aka “sponsors”), guaranteeing that existing sponsors would smile and that prospective partners would get the message: even when Laurie is on vacation, she’s doing her job.
If you’re a filmmaker, you can use vacation auto-responders to send messages in a similar way. Set one up to cover your email while you’re away at a festival, and be sure to include the screening times of all of your upcoming festivals while you’re at it. Add a link to your trailer so that everyone who emails you will get a chance to check out your film — even if they’re just trying to sell you “mal3 en#anc3ment” products.
