This week, I went to the FilmQuest Festival in Provo, Utah. It’s the first exclusively genre film festival I’ve attended (although I’ve been to plenty of Cons and other film fests). I was a judge for the feature films, but the festival had so many other categories, from shorts to music videos.
I was only in attendance for the last three days of the conference, but the workshops I attended about distribution and acquisition, and producing and directing were very insightful about the business side of the film industry. If you’re doing TV, then this festival is not for you as there isn’t very much representation there, which makes sense.
Some of my favorite takeaways:
Film distribution models and platforms for indie films, such as Gathr, Kinema, Bingeable, just to name a few. This is a much better avenue for film distribution than theatrical releases, however, Fathom is looking for more indie films.
Marketing: The most important part of getting your films out there is to make sure that your marketing materials are visually appealing, especially your trailer and poster. Social media marketing is key as well. Comps are important for marketing/pitching. Make sure you find your trailer moments. Sometimes that’s all streaming viewers need to watch.
Perhaps, the most informative panel for me was about acquisitions. Here are those takeaways:
X-Factors: Horror has a built-in audience and it’s still a growing genre, but don’t count on that lasting forever. However, Slashers are back, and short films, in general, can move to feature development.
Movies on the streaming platforms need to perform, meaning audiences have to watch until the end to trigger the ads that generate revenue.
Reviews matter. Make a compelling story that generates word-of-mouth recommendations.
Things to Consider: 1) Make the film with the audience in mind. 2) Stick to one genre during your pitches. In between genres are tough to sell. Understand what you’re making and why. 3) It’s fine to take feedback from your film fest screenings and make changes. It makes the film even better when you try to sell later.
Know your genre and make sure the film opening sets that expectation.
Trends:
Creature features
Sci-fi has more legs in overseas territories
Small and big budget films are selling, but the small films need to sell well to get pre-buy offers.
Overseas markets:
No beheading scenes in horror films in the Middle East.
Family-friendly and adventure films sell really well overseas because they’re good for all ages.
Selling films to airlines add up in sales. Don’t leave this out of your sales strategy.
Horror still sells well, but no ghost stories in some territories.
American movies are not selling well in these territories as the focus is on their domestic film industries: France, Japan, South Korea, to name a few.
Drug use, nudity, foul language, and suicide scenes in films are a no-no in many overseas territories.
AI will make translation in foreign territories much easier, but bad news for voice actors who dub films.
Besides learning about the business side of filmmaking, attending this genre-focused film festival brought back memories of the vibe from my creative writing MFA program at Seton Hill University . I love hanging out with genre nerds like me! While my stay was brief, I did manage to meet a few cool people at the festival. Perhaps even future film collaborators.
If you’re looking for a fun film festival that specializes in genre films, definitely check this one out.
Gina N. Anderson 