The lure of filmmaking is so demanding, that upon completing your movie, one is normally completely exhausted. There’s some serious pitfalls to avoid if you want your film to succeed, and if you want to be able to clear that last hurdle of monetising your film.
1. Uncleared Music Rights
In order for a film festival to screen a film, or for a distributor to license or buy a film, the music rights need to be cleared – something a shrewd filmmaker will do before the shooting begins. Music rights can get expensive too, so including a Beatles track in your movie will most likely mean a huge music clearance fee which will encumber the sale of your film. Even your mate who composed some ambient music needs to sign a contract which gives the filmmaker the rights to their music.
2. Poor Publicity Stills
Picture editors at magazines, websites, film distribution companies and film festivals always complain about the poor quality of production photographs that accompany press kits.
Learn how to take excellent photographs – ones that have action in them, not ones looking like they were clipped out of the high school yearbook.
3. Trying to get into Cannes, Sundance or Toronto Film Festivals
There is much talk of the so-called festival route – a route full of starry promises of glory, recognition and money. By all means submit to the big three festivals, but realise that unless you have someone to champion your film to the festival programmers, it probably isn’t going to get in.
There are many excellent film festivals around the world, and over the entire breadth of the calendar year. Research them, either by attending or looking at www.withoutabox.com. Submit. Cross your fingers. Remember always that festivals only screen the festivals that they like. Don’t take their pink slips personally.
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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