Customer Reviews

Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook For Independent Filmmakers

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently finished reading film festival secrets. I appreciate much of the advice found therein, but it can be exceedingly basic at times. The book is divided into the following categories:

1. Before You Submit
2. When You Submit
3. While You Wait
4. When You Get The Call
5. The Pre-Festival Push
6. At the Festival
7. Aftermath

Holland's enthusiasm is apparent, and he gives solid advice about Withoutabox, organization, and promotion as well as an amusing list of Filmmaking cliches. There is a reiteration that you need goals going into festivals, and a review of the basic marketing materials used for them. There are also good checklists to end each section.

That said the book feels very much geared to the neophyte filmmaker setting out on his very first festival run. A lot of common sense and little new information for twenty five dollars. Much is rehashed here, although in a convenient form all in one place.

Some books that I would recommend are Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, Friends Fans and Followers by Scott Kirsner, The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.

If you are very new, this is for you, but I find it a little too expensive for what is offered.

I finished FILM FESTIVAL SECRETS the very same day I received my rejection letter from Sundance. The strange thing was how well the book prepared me for the rejection and also lifted my spirits, convincing me how much more is out there for a indie filmmaker like myself. For someone who has never done the festival circuit this is a great book to help you prepare in all aspects of festival fun. I feel ready and well prepared for the war ahead of me...the fun, awesome war!

I read the book cover to cover and found it to be a great, extremely helpful read. The film festival circuit is so daunting, and there's so little material out there to help filmmakers navigate it all.

Little things in the book really stuck with me, like don't be nervous at the Q and A. If they've stuck around, they already have some interest in you and the film.

Thanks for writing this, Chris. It was really great!

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
www.thelastlullaby.com

As a first time filmmaker trying to figure out the whole film festival game, I found the advice in this book invaluable. There are some real insider tips that are helpful, but it also just helped me prioritize and strategize.

I found the information about what to do once you actually get into a festival especially useful -- who knew you actually have to work your butt off AFTER you get into a festival to make sure you get good audiences and distributor attention? I thought the hardest work was making the film, turns out I thought wrong. My film premiered at SXSW this spring and without the advice and suggestions contained in this book, it probably would have been a total disaster. Instead, all three screenings were sold out, I got a ton of press and invitations to screen at other festivals all over the country.

I would recommend to anyone embarking on the festival circuit but especially first time filmmakers who are looking to make the most of their film without knowing all the secret handshakes and insider strategies yet.

Very insightful, thoughtful, frank guide to navigating the shark-infested film festival waters, with many great ideas on promotion and tactics. I have played the woeful film festival game many times, and still found great new ideas and inspiration. Kudos!

Mr. Holland's book presents extremely practical advice on how to navigate the film festival world, from submitting your film to getting the most out of your experience at the festival, and following up with your contacts afterward. He even includes xtra tips for filmmakers of shorts, who normally get pushed to the side in favor of the feature length films at major festivals. Excellent advice for any indie filmmaker, written in a down-to-earth style. It's a keeper.

As a first-time filmmaker entering the festival scene, I am finding Mr. Holland's book to be an invaluable resource for every step of the process. I can't say enough about the thought and care that has been put into this book. It is truly a must-have for anyone entering in the film festival process-- directors, producers, and publicists will find information in this volume that will undoubtedly improve the whole experience.

The book is conveniently divided into chapters that comprehensively handle each stage of the process: Before you submit, When you submit, While you wait, When you get the call, The pre-festival push, At the festival, and Aftermath.

I am finding each chapter to be deeply informative. Holland breaks up the text into easy to follow bullet points and checklists so that it can function as a field manual as well as a text that you want to read ahead of festival time. Poignant anecdotes are interjected throughout an offer insight into some of Holland's broad experience in the film festival world. The advice is current and includes tips about [...], how to deal with rejection, and what steps to take when you get in.

I strongly recommend the book to anyone out there looking for a complete and thoroughly helpful guide to what can seem like a daunting process. As a reader, I feel privileged to receive the insider's advice I get every time I open the book.

For some time, the only information available on this subject was Chris Gore's book. But I found that Gore's book ultimately offered no real advice for the true low to no budget indie filmmaker- and in many cases what he wrote in one chapter conflicted with his later chapters (for filmmakers at any level!). Chris Holland's book is useful on a practical level and isn't about who he's rubbed shoulders with. It's hard knowledge that can be used to help promote your short or feature film and give you the edge you need when submitting to film festivals. Nothing is guaranteed. It's up to the filmmaker to make a good film, tell a great story, and even then it can be a crap shoot. Festivals often have to choose between two good films to place in their festival and make the right fit for their program. Still, going into the game forewarned can help you create a better plan of attack and make decisions that are best for you and your film. "Film Festival Secrets" can steer you on the right path. I highly recommend this book.

Dan Masucci
www.FountainheadPictures.com

Chris's "Film Festival Secrets" book appears to be an excellent guidebook to the independent film festival circuit (I say 'appears' because we are about to jump into this world with our first feature drama TRIUMPH67). I found the writing to be informative, easy to digest, and quite exciting. Filled with great advice and festival insider tips and tricks, this handbook for indie filmmakers is a must-have and I've already recommended it to several other budding film directors and producers. I think you will really enjoy this book, I sure did. Thanks, Chris, for putting out this resource.

Jeremy W, cinematographer/co-producer
[...]

I read it on one sitting, however, the book is divided into the different steps you have to take throughout your festival adventure, so you can just go to the chapter you are in right now.

The book is easy to read and to the point. It seems to me that it covers everything you need to know, at least every question I had was answered in some way in the book and, again, they were very easy to find!

The author also gives you the cold truth about certain mistakes filmmakers do when dealing with this whole thing, which got me a bit upset at first, but I realize it's the right way to learn about something.

So 5/5 stars and I would recommend it to anybody who is venturing into the film festival world.