** I wrote this article in 2012 when BIFA and Raindance were a lot younger than they are now. I was going to do a ‘cheat’ and update this – but have decided to let this rant stand as it is. Please enjoy and see if you can add some comments at the bottom. And […]
From his book RAINDANCE PRODUCERS LAB (Focal Press). In industry terms, film festivals are usually used as launch pads for films. Attended by acquisition executives and talent scouts, festivals are full of new product and fresh talent. Acquisition executives rely on the choices made by festival programmers to filter through the vast array of material […]
Raindance 30th Birthday: Elliot Grove’s FAQ’s | Why I Raindance | Key Raindance Dates | Raindance eco-System I just passed another milestone – I rewrote the Raindance Producer’s Lab book, only 38 months after my original deadline! It was a real monster – at over 250,000 words. Just managing the manuscript was a challenge. So […]
I wrote Hollywood’s 4 Biggest Lies for a Raindance newspetter in 1993 or 94 – I can’t quite remember. It’s based on the teachings of Dov S-S Simens who first came to Raindance and Europe on April 4th 1992. This article has been cloned and copied dozens of times. Here I make my claim to […]
It’s soon time for painful lessons of independent film here at Raindance. Let me explain. On the Labor day weekend in America (Labour Day if you are Canadian like me), we finalise the schedule for the Raindance Film Festival which means that a lot of filmmakers get let down because we just can’t show everything […]
With major film festivals being extremely competitive, you might think that after getting accepted into a selection of festivals, the hardest job is done. Your film will get seen and hopefully that will bring all the indie film buzz you wish for. But now you need to Market Your Festival Screening. I’ll use Raindance as […]
Most independent filmmakers wait to start the marketing process after the film is finished. I’d like to propose a different approach to marketing independent film. One that starts before the film is even written. Let’s back up a bit. You want to sell your film, right? Who do you target your publicity at? The people […]
You’ve spent a fortune applying to film festivals. I know this because I do this with my movies. You’ve had a series of rejections – and they sting. I’ve been turned down by dozens of film festivals with my various projects. Now you’ve finally got accepted to a film festival. Congratulations! You plunk down your […]
This morning, walking into work, I realised there are 5 stages of a deal making process. I am always working on ‘deals’ – trying to rustle up money for the film festival, or trying to attract new sponsors to Raindance. 1) The Flirt A pitch to one’s network of the basic idea. You flirt, you […]
I’ve been doing Raindance for a long time – and I’ve produced 5 features and about 700 shorts since 1992. I have had my fingers burnt a zillion times. Every industry has dirty secrets. But in the run up to this year’s Raindance Film Festival I thought I’d share what I have learned about the […]
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