Is There A Market For Your Short Film? Distribution, Recognition & Monetization
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Webinar hosted by: David Paterson
Screenwriter & Producer - The Great Gilly Hopkins, Octavia Spencer), Disney's Bridge to Terabithia
An Award-winning playwright and screenwriter, David has penned over two-dozen plays, 15 of which are published through Samuel French, Inc. His works have been performed on Broadway, Off Broadway and throughout the world. He is the only playwright ever to have three plays premiere on the New York City stage in one month. In 2005 David began writing for film. He adapted his play FINGER PAINTING IN A MURPHY BED into a screenplay and produced it. As LOVE, LUDLOW, the film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews; “Another Sundance treasure!” Roger Ebert reported. David sold the film to The Sundance Channel, Starz Channel and Warner Home Video. LOVE, LUDLOW was one of the few success stories of Sundance 2005. The screenplay was nominated for the HUMANITAS award for excellence in screen writing. David has also written for The New York Times, Moviemaker Magazine, Filmmaker magazine, and IndieSlate, among others. David’s second feature, Disney’s BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, was one of the most successful studio releases of 2007. His short, OPEN AIR, starring MUNICH’s Lynn Cohen, won numerous awards on the festival circuit and premiered with Shorts International. David’s films and documentaries have been seen in over 100 festivals worldwide. His most recent documentary, DON”T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’s JOURNEY was a hit on the Festival circuit, winning multiple awards, including the Palm Springs IFF Audience award and was also nominated for a Gotham award. David’s latest film, THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, starring Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Kathy Bates and Julia Stiles premieres in theaters this Spring. He is currently at work on three other major family market adaptations – THE FLINT HEART, COME SING JIMMY JO, and MY FINAL ANSWER, with Beeholder productions (YOU DON’T KNOW JACK). David is a professional stuntman, an adjunct professor of screenwriting for NYIT of Manhattan, and serves on the Film Advisory Board for the Savannah, First Times, Gold Coast and Big Apple Film Festivals. David has served as a panelist for numerous film festivals in the U.S. and abroad, and is in great demand as a guest lecturer and motivational speaker at colleges, Universities and writer symposiums, most recently lecturing at the RIO IFF in Brazil. David is also a fireman; his memories as a 9/11 rescue worker were published in the novel 911-Book of Help, with his royalties going to scholarships for children who lost parents in the tragedy. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Many beginning filmmakers, even many accomplished ones, remain confused about “the market”, when it comes to short films. But the true question is not “Is there a market?” but rather “Is there a market for me, my film, in the short film world?” The answer is an unconditional “Yes.”
Short films are more popular than ever. With more and more film festivals catering to short films, increasing outlets for distribution, and online platforms offering the promise of revenue sharing models, the appeal of making a short film is on the rise. But how do you market your short film? How do you increase your chances of not only being seen, but even making a return on a short film? The answers are out there, if you know the right questions to ask.
David Paterson, is an accomplished writer, director, and producer of short films that have been seen in over 100 film festivals throughout the world. David knows that the "marketing" of your short begins well before FADE IN. And as an advisor to four major film festivals as well as performing as a juror on several short film contests, David is an expert at the most successful ways to market your short film.
David will discuss not only the many marketable elements of a short film, but how you can develop and cater that film to best benefit you as a writer, filmmaker, or producer. He will show you how, by focusing on your talents and profession within the short film, you can maximize "the bang for your buck".
Further, David will cover the holy grail that all filmmakers want to master: Distribution, Recognition and Monetization of their short film. None of these three objectives come without pitfalls. In comprehensive fashion, David will walk you through those pitfalls, how to avoid them, and put you on the road to recognizing and obtaining that perfect "market" for your short film.
PRAISE FOR DAVID'S TEACHINGS:
"I find the market for short films daunting. While I love the process of making a film, getting it seen and the idea of making money off of my work has always been a black hole for me. This information made me realize that I've been taking an "all or nothing" approach instead of a targeted one."
- Maya V.
What You'll Learn
In each and every one of these topics David will use real life case studies and examples from his history of making and marketing short films!
- What Actually is a Short Film?
- What film festivals DO NOT tell you about your short film when considering it.
- What are the differences between a trailer and a short film? Can they be both?
- Who, Where and How Should You Market Your Short Film and What is Most Effective?
- Festivals
- Producers
- Ad agencies
- Managers and Agents
- Distributors
- Film Festivals
- How to use festivals to market your film, not simply screen it. How to have them work for you!
- How to determine the "festival lifespan" of your short film
- How to minimize festival application costs
- Your Film Genre
- How to use "honest" and critical feedback to make a better short film.
- Understand what can limit the "marketability" of your short film.
- How to market your short film as a resume, calling card, or audition.
- Distribution, Marketing and Monetization
- How to get distribution for your short. (Distribution that matters!)
- How to maximize “the marketing elements” of your short.
- How to avoid "Black holes" for your film and identifying the pitfalls that can destroy the marketability of your film.
- How to utilize cast, crew, investors, family and friends to find that "market" for your film.
- How to maximize exposure and monetize your short film.
- Q&A with David
About Your Instructor
David Paterson
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Reviews Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Stephen Foster This course gave me all the necessary tools I needed to get my film into over 10 film festivals and winning 8 awards. A very simple and direct approach. -
Lanette Mastandrea A lot of insight and information covered.
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