There’s been a sub-kerfuffle off the whole is Indie film dead discussion, on whether festivals like Sundance even matter anymore?
First let give disclosure — I am largely a festival outsider. I’ve been to SXSW, but mostly as a part of their Interactive section. I’ve never been to Sundance, Cannes, or Berlin. I did submit to the Thunderbird Film Festival years ago and my short film Internet Addiction screened there.
I like Robert Rodriguez’s thinking on this subject (paraphrasing from Rebel Without a Crew). Basically festivals are a good barometer of how you’re doing as a filmmaker. If your films are getting accepted to multiple festivals and you’re winning those festivals. That’s probably a pretty good sign that you are ready to start your career.
The problem is that the festival circuit is often mistaken for a career. Once you are on it, it can be hard to get off it. It’s like those folks that never really graduate from school. Sure, school is a good time, you meet a lot of cool peeps, learn some stuff. But eventually you become Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.
So to extend this school metaphor even further, there are good schools (Sundance) and other schools (every other film festival), both give you an education, but good schools gets you something extra — pedigree.
Pedigree is nice to have. It makes you feel warm and cozy at night, and gives people with money a reason to take a meeting with you (she was a winner at Sundance!), but it doesn’t necessarily get you a job.
Festivals are just like school in another key way — some people deserve to be there and some people don’t but got there through connections and money.
Why do I keep saying the festival circuit is not a career? I’ve just spoken to many festival darlings that have gone everywhere with their film, but at the end they were no better off than when they started. They’ve seen the world (usually on their own dime), which is awesome, but their goal of becoming an enduring filmmaker has not been furthered because they didn’t have enough time to write or put together their next project.
Awards are the bastard cousin of festivals. Most organizations give out awards live off of the entrance fees that prospective winners send along with their applications (which is the same in the festival world). They take your money and only give the awards to the pool of entrants. Which means you can only win if you throw your own hat (and check) into the ring [the notable exception was the YouTube award, they nominated us and there was no entrance fee].
I’ve won my fair share of awards, some very high profile, but none of them have ever gotten me a gig. They are just like festivals, they can open the door a crack, but you have to deliver in the room. I can only imagine it’s the same at every level — even the Academy Awards (Michael Cimino anyone?) [and sure I know it gets you a ton of buzz, etc. but listen to this podcast by a shrink who's worked with Oscar winners].
I view awards as a karmic thumbs up that I’m going in the right direction. Nothing more, nothing less.
They can be a good PR boost for you and your project, but that is fleeting.
But please remember, the pursuit of these awards and festivals should not be your primary goal. The best thing about festivals and awards is that they have concrete deadlines, which can really spur you on as an artist. I know I am much better with a deadline looming than I am with day to day responsibilities, and I know a lot of you are like me too.
Festivals and awards are neither good or bad. They are what you make of them. Just keep perspective, don’t pin all of your hopes and dreams on any particular pludit or statue and keep making your films.
8 Comments
July 6, 2008 at 11:45 am
Great information.
July 8, 2008 at 7:58 am
A guy that use to work for me went freelance, made a film, got into Sundance, won an award, sold his film for $2 Million to Focus and is making his next film for a studio. I think he is the exception to the rule.
One of the things he told me was that he had to be very careful about what PR he did at Sundance because his handlers didn’t want the “story” of his journey and his film to not be news by the time the film hit theaters. Unfortunately I think being a darling of Sundance and getting all the press he gotten at Sundance did hurt the PR of the film when it made it into theaters.
Once someone has written about you other people don’t really want to unless there is something new and different that they can say that the last reporter didn’t say.
Press and festivals may feel great but you can’t pay your rent with publicity and screening tickets. Fame without fortune just turns you into Joey Buttfucco.
July 8, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I like high school girls, I get older and they stay the same age. Or in my case, nursing graduates.
July 10, 2008 at 7:10 pm
[...] John August and Ask A Ninja’s Kent Nichols have been downplaying the importance of film festival buzz on their blogs. From Kent: “I view [...]
July 10, 2008 at 8:17 pm
[...] John August and Ask A Ninja’s Kent Nichols have been downplaying the importance of film festival buzz on their blogs. From Kent: “I view [...]
July 11, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Agreed!
I gave up on festivals last year, even said why in my blog. http://seanfx.com/index.php?s=Film+Festivals
With all the time I spent trying to get into fests I could have made 2 or 3 other films not to mention it cost me more to get in than it did to make the silly thing…
It’s taken me a lot of time to get back into filmmaking or content creation whatever you want to call it. It seems so much more broad now than it did 10 years ago. But 10 and 15 years ago that was the thing to do. Then you really had to be picky which ones you tried for because it cost real money to get extra prints made, video dubs, entry fees. Oh well I’m done.
Sure it would be neat to get in but it’s a lot of work and the pay off is very little. I’d rather put it out there for everyone to see and learn how to do it better next time and try to build a following at the same time. More people have seen my films online than off.
You’re right on when you say control your content and send them back to your homepage.
Thanks Kent you’re always a good read.
Hey, you should be on TWIM more it’s always a great show when you’re on there.
July 17, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I have two films that I was involved with as a producer making the festival rounds now. In the past, this was a well tread path for filmmakers—make a short film, submit to festivals and have your feature script ready. YouTube and online video in general has made this process somewhat obsolete, and you’re now able to achieve better exposure online than you could at most festivals.
Its a very expensive process with little payoff in my experience and many of them feel almost like scams. I had one festival tell me that they had a variety of people evaluate films—including plumbers!
November 20, 2008 at 3:46 am
art house films are generally very bad. very bad indeed.
“do come and watch my art film, I’ve been playing with dramatic suspense”.
people run screaming.