Festival Fraud
Festival Fraud
Filmmakers Pay Submission Fees but Are They Getting Their Money's Worth?
Let’s face it, this has been a tough year for the film industry. Economic damages from the combined WGA and SAG strikes crossed the 5 Billion dollar mark in September. Studios and Networks are at a production standstill, and while the C-suite execs will still get their 7 and 8-figure salaries, the creative side has really suffered. One sector that continues to limp along is the festival business.
Hollywood has had a history of dark scandals, from studios ripping off story ideas of unsung writers who don’t have the power to challenge them, to the creative accounting practice that somehow makes net profits always disappear. The negative side of movie magic. Film festivals are on the positive side. While they don’t typically share their box office revenues with participating filmmakers, they continue to be a shining light for independent cinema. They support the celebration of movies, the discovery of unknown filmmakers, and the presentation of films in movie theaters, just to name a few.
What about the many filmmakers who don’t get the opportunity to participate in film festivals? One of the challenges facing the festival community is the continued increase of film submissions, compared to the number of invitations. We’ve talked about the volume of Sundance submissions and the odds of getting invited. And yes, filmmakers need to be more strategic about their submissions, but as the community addresses some of the bigger issues, a dirty little secret has emerged. Some film entries are not even viewed by certain festivals. And oftentimes, batches of films are passed on without the viewer watching more than 10 minutes of the movie. I’ve heard this firsthand. A number of filmmakers are speaking out, with some even asking festivals for their money back.
Show Me the Money Data
Thanks to Vimeo Pro dashboards, filmmakers can now track where their films have been viewed, and how many minutes were viewed. And who watched all the way through. See screenshots from Vimeo below.
As someone who has run and programmed festivals, I’m the first to admit that it can be challenging to get through some of the weaker films. But we’ve always asked screeners to complete a review sheet, and films were seen by at least 2 viewers. The fact is, if filmmakers pay a submission fee, they deserve to be seen, and by more than one person. And all the way through.
Filmmakers are typically spending between $1,500 and $3,000 on submission fees, to festivals all over the world. If you do some quick math, and take the averages, you can see festivals are making real money on this practice. Of course, it’s less expensive for shorts, and there is a broad range of fees based on deadlines, but here are some average numbers festivals are collecting:
500 entries with an average of $50 generates over 25k
2,500 entries with an average of 5$0 generates over 125k
5,000 entries with an average fee of $50 generates over 250k
A Need For More Transparency
Film festivals have always struggled to turn a profit. Most just manage to break even, and do count on submission fees as part of their revenue projections. They often fill screening committees with a combination of film students, local film enthusiasts, and senior volunteers. They act as a filter before those with higher marks trickle up to paid programmers. And yes, some festival programmers and directors are watching a certain number of films during that first cycle; but for some festivals, particularly the newer events, there needs to be a stronger sense of obligation and transparency in the viewing process. Stronger oversight.
Some filmmakers would actually like feedback from the programmers, and while I realize most festivals don’t want such an obligation, this is a solution festivals should consider. Whether the comments are positive or negative, the honest feedback would go a long way, and at least assure the filmmaker their movie had a fair chance.
We’re going to begin tracking complaints from filmmakers on these issues and would welcome your comments. A survey is in the works. Hollywood has had its share of shady operations. Let’s do what we can to keep film festivals to a higher standard. Filmmakers work hard to complete their movies and want them to be seen. The least festival programmers can do, after taking their money, is give them a shot.
Film Festival Playbook
In case you missed it, I shared details last week about my new book for filmmakers looking to develop a festival strategy. See Sample pages below (click on graphics) The Film Festival Playbook has 101 keys to playing the circuit.
The Companion piece, the Film Festival Workbook has exercises, templates, and lists, and is a step-by-step guide to designing a blueprint for your festival run.
I’m offering complimentary copies of both the Playbook & Workbook to all of our On the Circuit paid Annual subscribers. If you have not signed up, please do so by November 1. When these eBooks go on sale to the public, the package will be $50 combined (which is what the Annual Substack actually costs - so you essentially get these books free). See Sample Pages Here.
Cover Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash