Distribution
It is often said you are never actually done with a film—rather, it’s done with you. Either way, at some point, it’s time to get your film out there.
But where?
You likely had a good idea of how you wanted to distribute your film from the get-go. It may have been part of your plan from the beginning. Knowing your audience from the start is often part of how you make your films.
You may already know that you want to:
- submit to festivals
- upload to an online platform
- screen for your family, your friends, or just your grandma
Assuming you want to submit your film to festivals, there are several things that you are going to need.
Logline
A logline is a one-sentence description of your film. It generally conveys information about the main character, the basics of the narrative, and the overall message.
For example: A toy rabbit journeys through a magic forest to discover its true nature.
A good logline will make whoever is reading it want to know more, without giving too much away.
Synopsis
A synopsis is a short overview of the narrative of your film. Depending on the length of the film, your synopsis could be as short as a few sentences or as long as a page. The synopsis for a short film is likely between three and five sentences.
Write this in prose form, covering the main events in the film.
Note: It’s okay to give away your ending in a synopsis. The person reading it will likely be a festival programmer who is evaluating the quality of the work and not a member of the general public.
Director’s Statement
The director’s statement is a short description (one paragraph) of what motivated you to make the film and how you approached it.
You might write about your sources of inspiration, creative process, or aspects of your production. This statement allows you to demonstrate why you are an authority on your chosen subject matter.
Photographs
Assemble the strongest photographs that best represent the work. This should include film stills as well as behind-the-scenes (BTS) shots.
Cast and Crew List
Create a list of all key cast and crew, listing the positions and names of each person involved. Festivals will often include a mention of key collaborators in their materials.
Trailer
Festivals often want a trailer of your film to help promote both it and the festival itself. A trailer for a short film should be no longer than 30 seconds.
When creating the trailer, don’t give away everything that happens in the film! Tease your audience so that they want to see more.
Having all these elements ready will make submitting to festivals much easier.
But which festivals should you submit to?
There are thousands of festivals worldwide, many of which have submission fees. You could easily spend a small fortune submitting to every festival out there.
Be smart! Don’t break the bank!
Not every festival is a good match for your film. Figure out where you want to screen based on what you hope to achieve.
Are you looking to meet like-minded filmmakers? Do you want to win an award? Do you simply want to get into as many festivals as possible?
Depending on what you hope to gain from your festival experience, a little research goes a long way.
Be smart! Submit to festivals that meet your needs.
Where do you submit?
There are several aggregate websites that allow you to submit to multiple festivals. Two of these are:
- www.filmfreeway.com (primarily U.S.-based festivals)
- www.shortfilmdepot.com (primarily European-based festivals)
Other festivals require you to submit directly from their website.
Be smart! Do your research!
