The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide: The Essential Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers [Paperback]

Chris Gore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 1999

Learn the secrets of succesfully marketing and selling your film at Sundance, Telluride, Slamdance and over 400 film festivals worldwide. This comprehensive and eye-opening guide is jam-packed with information for filmmakers and film lovers alike. The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide reveals how to get a film accepted and what to do after acceptance, from putting together a press kit to putting on a great party to actually closing a deal.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The recent boom in independent filmmaking has been both a boon and an added challenge for aspiring directors. While the chic status of festivals like Sundance makes it easier for a few hot new directors to find major distributors, other worthy films risk being lost amid a sudden flood of contenders. Chris Gore, editor of Film Threat magazine, has written the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide to help the aspiring auteur rise above the tide. The book is chock-full of practical down-and-dirty advice. Every aspect of submitting to and attending film festivals is covered, from an exhaustive listing of festivals and their entry deadlines (the Turku, Finland, Lesbian and Gay Film Festival deadline is in July, so get cracking) to what to wear to the industry party you'll be crashing (big pants with big pockets, the better to stash giveaways and whip out business cards). You can even find a listing for the best bar in the Ukraine (Eric's in Kyiv) and a sidebar of handy tips that will keep you on your projectionist's good side.

Perhaps most helpful is Gore's inclusion of interviews with actual filmmakers who have experienced wildly varying degrees of success; the directors are remarkably candid and very generously try to help others avoid their own mistakes. Those who are still struggling not only illustrate the ongoing process of learning to play industry games, they show an artist's remarkable ability to keep the spirit alive. Filmmaker Joal Ryan memorably describes taking inspiration from the career of Pauly Shore: "The world tells him he's not funny; he says he is--and keeps working." Whether you want to be a filmmaker or just party like one, The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide will help you operate like a true industry player. --Ali Davis

From Library Journal

American independent cinema has skyrocketed in the 1990s, with venues like the Sundance Film Festival launching critical and box-office hits. Gore has covered this emerging market in his magazine, Film Threat, and as a judge at festivals throughout the country. Here, he provides a how-to guide for film festival applicants. The first section covers such topics as publicity strategies, festival politics, and party etiquette. The second section comprises short interviews with festival veterans. The third section supplies entries on over 800 festivals. Each entry is divided into succinct headings, including "Application Process Tips," "Odds of Getting Accepted," "Best Bars," and "Travel Tips." By turns breezy and cynical, jaded and trite, Gore's guide reflects the tendencies of American independent cinema as a whole. And like his purview, it is quite interesting overall. Prospective filmmakers should purchase this title, but the extremely narrow focus of Gore's guide should give libraries pause.?Neal Baker, Earlham Coll., Richmond, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Lone Eagle Publishing Company (February 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580650090
• ISBN-13: 978-1580650090
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent textbook for film schools, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide: The Essential Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers (Paperback)

Ever since Chris Gore's book was published, I have used it in my classes to teach both undergraduate and graduate level film courses. Students respond extremely well to the style that the book is written in and the pragmatic information that the book provides. Gore has done a terrific job at covering not only film festivals, but an insider's look into how young filmmakers and established festival directors think about the process of filmmaking. This book covers a critical area in film school curriculum to prepare students for the world of festivals. I strongly recommend this book and will continue using it for all my teaching. Steve Montal, American Film Institute.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs an update, July 4, 2004

By 

James Walley (Maple Valley, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

The first half of this book contains generic film-festival information (on applying to and attending festivals, a diary from the "Blair Witch" makers, etc.) which contains some good material. The meat of the Guide, though, is the series of entries about hundreds of specific festivals making up the second half. And here, the age of the book (published in 2001) becomes a problem. Putting it bluntly, if you bought this book as research material for submitting your own film to festivals, you'll find a lot of festivals listed here that simply don't exist anymore, as well as much out-of-date information about those festivals still in existence. Needless to say, it also lacks any mention of the many festivals that started after this book went to the printer. After three years, Gore really needs to update this or, better yet, make it an annual.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Requirement For All Filmmakers, May 28, 2004

By 

Muhammad Miguel Ali Hasan "Film Director & Po... (Sunset Beach, California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

If there is one SINGLE book that every filmmaker should have, it is this one!

Chris Gore has done a community service to all indie filmmakers by putting together a book that comprehensively lists, almost, every single film festival out there, with tips on how to get accepted and how one's approach should be towards acceptance

While the book isn't necessarily based upon financing and distribution (however, it has major tidbits upon that) it truly is a wonderful read upon the film festival/independent world and what it will take find success within it

If you're an indie filmmaker like myself looking to enter your films (whether they be shorts or features, or docs) then GRAB THIS BOOK ---- if you're a film lover and a festival-goer, then I also recommend it, as I have yet to see a more comprehensive guide put together, regarding festivals

A MUST READ FOR ALL FILMMAKERS AND LOVERS

Thank you for reading and thank you for the time!

Keep up the good work Chris Gore! Us Filmmakers OWE YOU BIG