As I’m sure you are all aware, it’s super important to promote & advertise your film when you attend festivals. Showing up is of course the most important thing and being there to represent your film however bringing some promotional material with you is essential to spread the word about your film screenings and for others to become aware of your brand.
The number one most important thing you need to bring with you is a A5 sized leaflet advertising (and reminding people) of the date and time of your screening. I’ve always found this to be the most effective form of successfully securing people you meet at the festival to attend your film screenings. The strongest type of flyer is one that is simple yet effective.
The front page should be the films poster (you can keep the back of the flyer blank as often not many people tend to look at the back of a flyer; just the front) and then add on to each flyer a sticker which contains the date, time & location of the screening for your film at the festival you’re attending and a QR code with your Instagram handle
My clients always order stickers from Give they offer stickers that are different shapes and sizes including circle, oval, square & rectangle amongst many other options.
It’s also important to get creative and think outside of the box when it comes to promotion. In a scene from my client’s film ‘SOMEWHERE TO BE’ during a very amusing moment, a little girl pays a gas station attendant with a $1 ‘Hello Kitty’ dollar bill. He notices that it’s not real money but accepts it anyway. My client attended all of the festivals she went to with these ‘Hello Kitty’ dollar bills that she used in the film and included on it the QR code to her Instagram and website. When people asked how they could connect with her, she simply gave them some (fake) money! Not only was it a superb way to network but also a very memorable type of business card – a genius idea!
Another client of mine gave people she met at festivals super stylish temporary tattoos that are always a favorite with filmmakers as they’re another type of memorable promotional material (which are also available from Give) to remind people of her documentary short film ‘THEY CALL ME THE TATTOO WITCH.’
It’s also always a good idea to give people something they can use – notebooks and pens are always top of my lists. Remember to add your contact info on these items Instagram and/or your website is always your safest bet for people to connect with you.
Do you have a unique promotional material item that you’d like me to share on my IG stories? DM at @rebekahfilmdr and keep an eye out for the re-share
