Let’s suppose you are the type of screenwriter who sits in your sweat pants at home every night eating pizza. You know. The screenwriter who writes and writes blissfully unaware of the brimming humanity swirling at your doorstep. And let’s suppose you are a screenwriter who is actually very, very good. Why then should you waste your valuable creative writing time and attend film festivals?
1. To meet producers
If you want to sell a script, you don’t need an agent. You need a producer. It’s a producer that will get the money to get your script off the page and onto the screen. And guess what? Producers are very likely to attend the screening of their film at a festival. So hustle to a film festival. Find out which films screening are closest to the script you have written.
See the film. Ask the festival team if the producer is at the screening. Start scratchin’ the dirt to see if you can rustle up a meeting – or in film festival lingo – ‘have you time for a drink?’ It’s all about building relationships. Anyone is far more likely to do a deal with someone they know than with a complete stranger.
The film industry is a people industry. It’s not what you know but whom
2. To meet other screenwriters
Yes we know you are shy – you are a screenwriter! Why not overcome the fear of networking and see if you can share a war story or three with any number of the screenwriters attending the festival you are attending. Networking can be fun too, ya know! Just avoid these networking faux pas.
3. Oh yes – to get known as a screenwriter who actually watches movies
In my long tenure here at Raindance I have met many hundreds of filmmakers – and many thousands of wannabees. It has constantly amazed me to meet screenwriters who don’t watch movies. To me it is the uttermost expression of ignorance not to watch movies. Preferably a screenwriter should watch movies at a film festival on a big screen with other people who love movies. And see how successful the journey from script to screen has been, and why.
4. To pitch
In my many travels this year I’ve been to four continents. I’ve met zillions of producers large and small. Their common complaint is not about raising finance. Producers pretty much all agree that raising money is, simply put, a series of telephone calls. The common complaint is about the dearth of quality commercially viable scripts. So many directors and producers I know attend festivals to see if they can find new material. So get ready for the impromptu pitch and make sure you know how to sum up your story in a few succinct and clear lines.
5. To keep the Queen happy
Did you know that a screenwriter can claim the costs of attending a film festival back as expenses? That’s right! even the Queen and Her Majesty’s revenue are rooting for you to go to a film festival. They want you to spend money getting and staying there. Because they know that your job is not only to further your career but also to accelerate the velocity of currency in circulation! And remember – attending a film festival is a lot cheaper than some of those expensive yoga retreats I keep hearing about. Need help getting set up for tax and all that stuff? Ping me an email and I will recommend the Raindance accountant. He will set you up fair and square so you can deduct festival expenses.
6. Learn
Festivals like Raindance have learning and discovery panels, masterclasses and discussions. Dah. Be there or be Leicester Square, my friend. Great learning sessions like A Fireside Chat With Tony Kaye, Live!Ammunition! Pitching Competition, Anatomy of a Reel with Gonzalo Maza, and much more of interest to screenwriters. PLUS you can get tooled up on the latest development on Virtual reality. Check out Raindance Film Festival Events.
7. To sell your writing
And oh yes – nearly forgot! The major film festivals like Berlin, Rotterdam and Cannes have sections where literary agents are trying to sell movie rights to their clients’ novels and short stories.
Fade Out
To hone your skills / grow into the screenwriter you’ve always been destined to be – check out our screenwriting training and Raindance Raw Talent – the tiny production outfit that produces a gem of a feature every 14 or 15 months.
Did You Know?
- Raindance Film Festival is considered one of the top fifteen film festivals in the world?
- Raindance Film School London offers HND, BA and MA in Filmmaking and Screenwriting?
- Raindance members support indie film, and enjoy a range of benefits
- Let Raindance guide you on your filmmaking pathway. call +44 (0) 207 930 3412 or email filmschool@raindance.ac.uk
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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