33.Early Bird Film Festival Submissions

3 reasons to submit early

Your film is finished, now it's time to submit it - do it early, not at the last moment. If you are with Filmfreeway and have your profile and films on their database you will receive many requests to submit to festivals with last minute deadlines and wavier codes. This is great, but, think carefully. If the festival is about to happen, will your submission have the right chance?
It is not something we think enough about. Here are 3 reasons


There are many reasons to submit early to a film festival

1. The cost is less. The Early Bird submissions are often a fraction of the price

2. The viewers are fresh, they will not have viewed hundreds of films.
I have worked on juries and after the 100th film it becomes harder to 'feel' the work. Obviously there are films that really stick out. But, I know what is is like, and I often would take a break so I could give each film the right viewing, time and commitment. Saying this, I have known jury members skip through films, or, if they don't like the first 5 minutes, it goes to the reject pile. This happens more when the viewer is tired. Also, something to keep in mind is the programmers will need to have the selections in advance as they need to create the festival's timetable, so leaving it to the last moment is not a good idea. NOT AT ALL!
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3. By submitting early gives you a better chance of being selected as well as having the chance to have all of the marketing material ready to go. The viewers are fresh and excited in the first week of submissions.

So, head over to Filmfreeway, get your profile ready, and jump on in!

Have a good week. And check out the workshops I offer and other Doc-Blogs

Jeanne
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