3 Reasons Why You Should Submit To Film Festivals, Glen Reynolds

How does he get paid as a distribution consultant + producer's rep?

• monthly retainer during distribution process

• hourly

• flat fee based on total running time of the film

• commission based on & of sales and/or revenue

The biggest thing he does to get films into festivals is

• "bribe" festivals with promises for future in-kind services

• tell filmmakers which festivals are the most prestigious

• call programmers & make sure they watch the film

• cover the submission fees until the film sells to a distributor

What's the value of the big festivals like Sundance, SXSW, or Tribeca?

• you're more likely to connect with A-list actors

• distributors attend looking to do business

• your movie makes money when it plays larger festivals

• you can ask for more money if you win an award at one of these

What's his first reason for submitting to film festivals?

• it's the best audience experience you're going to get

• buyers & distributors secretly attend festivals of all levels

• 80% of famous filmmakers were discovered at festivals

• it's easy to convince festivals to pay you for your film

What's the general idea of his other reasons for doing festivals?

• practice audience attention

• social opportunities

• filmmaker integrity

• prove you know the business

Why can festivals be a barrier to distribution for him as a producer's rep?

• sometimes they can find out how many festivals you submitted to & didn't get in to

• festivals with online screening options mean the film has likely been pirated already

• sometimes distributors see a poster & synopsis at a festival & have already decided it's not for them

• a filmmaker too set on festival submissions clearly doesn't understand the business

What's the big take-away if you're looking to hire a producer's rep?

• research the person

• you can always negotiate price

• you get what you pay for

• expect to be lied to