Filmmakers working on social issue films are often concerned with creating change as well as reaching an audience. This is more often the case for documentaries but it is certainly true of many narrative films too. The trouble is that many filmmakers find it hard enough to get a film funded and then distributed, let alone embark on a costly and time-consuming outreach campaign. However, it is often part and parcel of the reasons for making the film in the first place and it can be incredibly rewarding to reach new audiences and see your film having a real impact.
But how do you measure this impact? The Fledgling Fund has written a paper that addresses this: Assessing Creative Media’s Social Impact. It is worth reading if you are working on your film’s outreach plan but it is also something to bear in mind when you are applying for funding from organizations like Fledgling. If you know how they will be assessing your film, it will enable you to think through the issues and write a much stronger grant application.

Consider for example the “Dimensions of Impact” diagram on page 16. How does your film work within each dimension? It will not necessarily work in every dimension of course but thinking through all the options will give you a better sense of what your film can do. It is important to have a rigorous and well-thought out strategy rather than simply hoping that the right people will see your film. This paper will help you see the possibilities.

Making Your Media Matter is a conference taking place in Washington, DC February 7-8, 2008 for established and aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders and students looking to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters.

Join filmmakers, distributors, outreach specialists and an impressive cast of media pioneers for a rich day of panels, discussions, networking and keynote speakers on the latest tools and trends in creating and distributing social issue media.

And check out podcasts and Power Point take away points from last year’s Making Your Documentary Matter conference.

Here’s some more useful information from The Media Conference held in London earlier this year. This panel discusses how to work with non-profits, NGOs etc to create sustainable impact with your film.

Key Points

• The filmmaker should form strategic partnerships with relevant NGO’s early on in a film’s production to devise a long-term strategy of how best to maximise the film’s campaigning potential and resulting impact.
• Any broadcast dates or film festival screenings should be identified as key strategic moments for rallying around the issues covered in the film.
• NGO partners can use films to campaign by hosting informal screening parties – in café’s, town halls, anywhere with a TV – where the relevant issues can be discussed afterwards and, if the tools are provided, people can immediately take action.
• Similarly, documentary films are an effective way of reaching a young audience and can be packaged as an educational resource and distributed amongst schools.
• Celebrity endorsement is often a necessary evil to get press attention but should not be relied up on as a long-term strategy