10 Tips for Film Fest Success

I help out with a local film festival and every year I'm sad to see new, brilliant film-makers hobbled by the same mistakes. Here are 10 things I wish every film-maker/screenwriter would consider BEFORE they submit their entries.

1. The first 30 seconds are critical. Your film may be brilliant, but with thousands of submissions, if the first 30 seconds are hard to see, suffer sound problems, are unoriginal or just plain dull, screeners won't go any further. Your masterpiece will more than likely end up in the reject pile. (Tip, most festivals use a panel of pre-screeners before your entry ever sees a judge.)
2. Win in the first 10. That's right, whether it's a film or screenplay or anything in between, the first ten pages/minutes matter most. Again, most screeners/readers will bail out if that first 10 doesn't win them. Hook us, then worry about explaining who your characters are. We won't care about exposition if we're already interested in finding out what happens next. If your short film is only ten minutes long, make sure that first minute is brilliant.
3. Plan for the big screen. One of my (current) all-time favorite film festival entries (Republic of Rick) could've been a box office success if only it had been shot in the right format. 24 frames per second is a bare minimum (48-60 preferred), as is making sure you've selected the correct widescreen format and are ready to package to DCP. Once upon a time, you needed a bevy of $100,000 cameras to get there. Today, I can get pretty close with my $850 Canon Rebel Digital SLR and a stack of top-notch SD cards. In other words, budget isn't an excuse. Between the low cost of storage, (check out services like Microsoft's Azure, which actually hosted the data for Avatar during production), and the ease of converting your film onto Blu-Ray from almost any PC, there's no reason your film fest entry shouldn't be ready to hit theaters should it catch the attention of distributors.
4. Pay attention to light and sound consistency. As an independent film maker, keeping conditions the same over a period of time can be pretty tough on a shoe-string budget. However, post-production software is fairly low cost and can be used to level out both audio and light differentiations. Consistency in general can also be a real killer in an otherwise good film. I remember one film last year that was pretty decent overall, but suffered terrible consistency issues that left audience members shaking their heads. (I.e. a car driving through the rain but being completely dry when shot from the exterior, female actor's hair colors changing drastically between scenes, you get the picture.)
5. Skip the effects. Unless your digital effects are outstanding quality, they can really detract from an otherwise excellent film. Of course, student film categories are far more forgiving than the other categories at most festivals. If you can't afford the time, effort and/or talent to produce at least mediocre quality effects, skip them. We may not really need to see that space ship to know it's there, and might actually even be more intrigued by a film that cleverly avoids showing it to us.
6. Follow submission guidelines. Enter your submission in the right category and make sure it's complete and ready to go. If the film festival requires "premier" or "first run" in a particular category - don't submit a film that's already been shown at other festivals. (Usually there are categories for both types of film.) Submit in the right format, too. This varies by film festival. Some require printed screenplays, others PDF, others Word. For films, most prefer DVDs or Blu-Rays these days. Some may require you upload directly to a streaming service they use. Make sure your entry doesn't violate any intellectual property laws, either. Plagiarism may only get you kicked out if you do it in school, but it can result in a law suit when it comes to your film festival submission.
7. Stock footage should be unfamiliar or used in new, creative ways. Everyone has seen MLK's "I have a dream" speech over and over, along with "One small step for man..." Find other ways to get your point across if at all possible.
8. Skip the corny, tired dialog. Every time I hear a character utter the words "He is the BEST <insert description> I've ever known," (or any variation thereof), I dismiss the film right away. (Yes, big budget films make the same dumb mistakes, but they have 7-figure ad budgets and 8-figure stars to help them overcome bad dialog.) The key to a great screenplay or film is a modicum of originality. I don't need you to tell me he's the best cop ever. I figured that out the minute Will Smith's "Jay" ran down the insane alien in the early minutes of "MIB." Not once did you hear Tommy Lee Jones' "Agent K" tell us he was the best ever, even if he does reference the successful chase. Watch a few popular films in your category. If you hear similar lines, avoid them like the plague.
9. Submit early. While you may make the deadline with a last-minute entry, there's a good chance judges will have already formed an attachment to early favorites.
10. If you get accepted, show up to the festival and "sell" your film. Festivals are not only attended by the other entrants, but other industry insiders. I've often attended viewings of films I hadn't intended to see simply because the film maker was at the opening party and sold me on his or her film. If you're an artist in the industry, whether it's an actor, writer, sound mixer, effects artist, producer, whatever - show up and do some hand shaking. You just might actually find your next great collaborator or even a paid gig on an upcoming project.

I hope you find this information useful. Best of luck with your next festival entry!