Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 4th Edition: The Essential Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers

The guerrilla guide to marketing and selling an indie film.

Some people are just there for the loot bags. But most of the people at a film festival are trying to market and sell an independent film. Don’t be just one of the horde. Use Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide to help your indie film stand out! Entertainment Weekly loves Gore’s book, calling it a “treatise on schmoozing, bullying, and otherwise weaseling one's way into the cinematic madness known as film festivals.” The newly revised and updated fourth edition includes full listings for more than 1,000 film festivals, with complete tips and contact information, plus in-depth analysis of the Big Ten festivals. With detailed, fresh how-tos for marketing, distributing, and selling a film and using websites to build buzz, plus interviews with top festival filmmakers, step-by-steps on what to do after your film gets accepted, and explanations of how to distribute a film, Chris Gore’s guide tells filmmakers exactly how to become a player in the indie world. Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide includes complete listings for more than 1,000 festivals—find the best for indie, documentary, short, student, digital, and animation, and a CD-ROM!

Re-Introduction — Independent Film Transcends the Trends — Welcome to My Festival Party — 10 Dirty Secrets of Independent Film — Sect. 1. Getting Into Film Festivals — 10 Stupid Things Indie Filmmakers Do to Mess Up Their Movies — D.I.C. - Do It Cheap — In Film, Politics Is Not a Dirty Word — What Makes a Great Festival — 10 Stupid Things Programmers Do to Mess Up Their Festivals — Every Filmmaker-Friendly Festival Must Avoid These — Apply Yourself — Seeking Acceptance — Getting a "Thumbs Up" from the Gatekeeper: Behind the Scenes with Geoff Gilmore — 10 Mysteries of the Film Festival Circuit Revealed — Sect. 2. Build Buzz: Secrets of Indie Movie Marketing — Introduction to Guerrilla Marketing — "Outside the Box" Quick Marketing Ideas — A Powerful Press Kit — Poster the Town — Make an Impression - Produce a Postcard — Tease Your Audience — Why an EPK Is Essential — Hype It on the Web — Hiring a Publicist: What You Need to Know — On the Publicity Trail with PR Pro Linda Brown — Know the Media Outlet You Are Pitching — Questions and Answers — The Parties — Secrets and Lies of Film Festival PR — The Most Important Goal — Sect. 3. Forming a Festival Strategy — Finding the Right Festival Fit — Exploring Film Festivals — Win Cash and Prizes on the Festival Circuit — Festivals for Shorts — Festivals for Documentaries — Festivals for Narrative Features — Staying Alive: Tips for the Film Festival Traveler — How to Handle Success or Failure — Staying on Top of It All — The Ultimate Film Festival "To Do" List — Sect. 4. From the Front Lines of Filmmaking — Meet the Festival Veterans — Morgan Spurlock, Documentary Filmmaker — AJ Schnack, Documentary Filmmaker — Paul Rachman, Documentary Filmmaker — Seth Gordon, Director, Documentary Filmmaker — Lincoln Ruchti, Documentary Filmmaker — Jeremy Coon, Producer — Grace Lee, Director — Alex Campbell, Producer, Agent — Holly Mosher, Producer — Paul Osborne, Screenwriter, Documentary Filmmaker, Producer, Trailer Editor — Joe Swanberg, Filmmaker, Director, Writer, Actor, et al. — Dan Mirvish, Filmmaker, Slamdance Film Festival Founder, Hat Enthusiast — Final Festival Frontiers — Submit, Update, or Revise Your Film Festival Listing.