On one hand, new ways for filmmakers to promote and distribute their work seem to be popping up all the time, particularly online. These days, filmmakers can more easily submit to festivals, or can stream and repurpose content online using sites like Vimeo or Youtube (see a related Public Humanist post). On the other hand, more DIY possibilities mean a more complicated landscape for artists who already have a lot to navigate.
So it’s nice when someone offers a few guideposts. Working Films, a North Carolina nonprofit that advances films with social causes, posted some tips on creating a screening guide – a tool to help hosts organize a screening of your film. Some highlights:
- Include the step-by-step process of planning and facilitating a screening. As people are becoming savvier about using media in their organizing efforts, a one-pager should suffice. Consider the different settings that people may be in: community screenings, house parties, church viewings, etc. We like how Made in L.A. lays out the steps online.
- If your film is on a social issue, it will most likely spark a lively discussion. You will not need to offer a plethora of discussion questions. Consider starting with a couple questions about the film and then shifting to the issue, how it resonates locally, and what can be done.
- Offer a downloadable flyer that people can either type their screening information on, or write it in. We like the fun poster maker that The Age of Stupid offers on their site.
- Offer branded badges that organizations can grab and use on their website, blog, or e-blast.
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