My first experience attending a film festival wasn’t all bad. Even though I wasn’t able to network and talk about the scripts I’d written as I had originally intended, since I was barred from this type of interaction, I did feel like the pressure was off to push and promote myself while also getting accustomed to this type of event, allowing me to relax and just enjoy myself.
I’d say a major positive was just getting familiar with festivals themselves. I learned several things that I could apply for future festivals, once I’d be allowed to actually network at them, and could avoid coming across as a novice at these events.
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when attending these festivals is timing and scheduling. I’d been ambitious, originally intending to watch five movies all in one day, thinking I’d be able to just move from one screen to the next because they’d all be in a central location. While neither of the other 2 film festivals I attended, Tribeca and TIFF, would have separate locations as widespread as this one, I did find that the movies being showcased weren’t all in one central theater, but spread out across several. I’d need to factor in the time it took to travel from one spot to another in my planning.
I also learned that it was wise to get in line to a showing about a half hour before it started. This would allow you to be one of the first in line, and although the wait will feel long, you’ll have one of the prime picks for seats once they start letting you in. In my case, that meant being able to grab a seat by the aisle.
Its customary for film’s to be introduced by someone whose working the festival, and that the director usually gives a few words about the film before it starts. In the four movies I ended up seeing, this was the case, as well as the director then giving a Q & A after the movie. I didn’t always stay for these, in fact I skipped out on them completely any film I didn’t enjoy, but it was good to know that it might be something I’d have to prepare myself for if a film I wrote the screenplay for was ever featured in a film festival, and if the Q & A extended beyond the director when a writer’s strike wasn’t going on.
I’ll discuss the final takeaways from attending my first film festival…next time.