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How to create a good press kit?

12 years ago - Shaun Bond

Hi fellow filmmakers,

When searching through festivals and competitions on WithoutABox, I find myself swerving the ones that ask for press kits. Obviously, this is foolish of me as I could be needlessly missing out on opportunities...

Would anyone have examples of press kits, or help me to understand what goes into them and how to create a good one?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks
Shaun

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12 years ago - Andrew T. Wright

Hi Shaun,

Withoutabox has a format and examples of what an EPK is. It's just case a filling in the electronic pro forma.

i.e. Short, med, long synopsis, directors statement, production stills etc, etc.

It's pretty much all laid out there for you, it's not complicated and is easy to do. Then it will automatically be sent to the festivals you enter if an EPK is required.

Response from 12 years ago - Andrew T. Wright SHOW

12 years ago - Shaun Bond

I think that would be a massive help, thanks!
The last thing I would want to do is waste all of the talent that went into making something because I didn't put in the effort to make a good press kit... so I want to do as much as I can to make sure I understand it completely and know what drives a good one.
Appreciate all the help!

Response from 12 years ago - Shaun Bond SHOW

12 years ago - Neil Oseman

Hi Shaun

Here's a blog post I wrote earlier in the year about what you should put in your film's press kit: http://neiloseman.com/?p=3188 I'd be happy to send you a PDF of the finished kit as an example if that's useful to you.

All the best,
Neil

Response from 12 years ago - Neil Oseman SHOW

12 years ago - Shaun Bond

I did see that WithoutABox had a template when I was adding a new project, but I found the whole thing rather cumbersome to use. The sections in particular that stumped me were the ones that referenced recording formats, exhibition formats and such... I got lost in the lingo.

Response from 12 years ago - Shaun Bond SHOW

12 years ago - afia nkrumah

Hey Shaun,

Don't worry about the press kits and festival information it looks more daunting than it is. Here is all the information you will need to prepare your film for film festivals taken from my book "make yourself a director" which will be published in autumn 2013.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION LIST:
Most film festivals will ask you for the following information list and it is best you have it ALL ready with photos in digital formats before you start applying to any festivals.

Title:

Year: (of completion)

Running time: (up to 30 minutes for a short and over 45 minutes for a feature length

Country:

Language:

Shooting Format: HD, S16mm, 35mm etc

Screening format: Digi- Beta, HD, 35mm married print

Preview format: Uploaded with the password to sites such as Short film Depot, Without a box, Reelport or DVD (PAL) or NTSC (for some festivals in USA and South America)

Genre: (these include animation, experimental, fiction or documentary.
There are also sub-headings like comedy, drama, coming-of-age, action/adventure, etc).

Director: Name, address & contact details

Producer: Name, address & contact details

Script: (Whether the script is original or an adaptation. If it is the latter you need to include the name and author of the original idea, novel, story etc. You would require documentation that you have permission or the rights to adapt the original).

Music: (Whether original or existing music. If original you must have a composer’s agreement that they can ask to see should you get into a festival and if existing music you must have written copyright clearances that a festival can ask for before letting you in)

Credits: A list of everyone who worked on your film that can be emailed or attached to your e-application. This is usually the HODS writer, Director, Editor, composer, Sound designer, production designer, as well as the list of main cast members all of whom should have signed a release form giving you the rights to use their image in your film.

Sales: Who should the festival contact if a sales company or distributor wants to buy your film? If you have a distributor or sales agent then give their contact details, if not the producer or the director if it is one and the same person.

Screening History: This doesn’t include any screenings you may have had for friends, family and supporters. If your film hasn’t been to any festivals, then you put world premiere on this bit of the form. If it has screened somewhere then put that down. This is important for IMDB entry, because if your film hasn’t screened in a festival with a paying audience that they can verify, they won’t accept your film for entry. IMDB or the Internet movie database is an online information database related to the films, Television, video games, actors, production crews etc. It is very popular and is used by the film industry to check and research filmmakers’ credits.

Film Rights: This includes music clearances as I mentioned before as well as the right to sell your film in different parts of the world. It is very important to know who owns the rights to your film.

Traditionally, films are sold separately to different regions; this is why DVDs have different region codes so that they can’t be played everywhere, unless you have a multi-regional DVD player of course! The regions include Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and Asia. Potentially your film could be sold separately in all these regions as well as for cinema, TV, DVD sales, Video on demand channels (VOD), Cable and online such as on I-Tunes. This is what is known as multi platforms.


FILM FESTIVAL ATTACHMENTS LIST
The following are compulsory for most film festivals so it is worth taking the time to prepare them. Once you have these you can use the information again and again for different festivals as well as for other marketing and publicity purposes. The following items (minus the dialogue list) form the basis of your Electronic Press Kit (EPK).

1. Production Stills: You usually need about 5 photos from the shoot, in high resolution, though each festival has it’s own requirements for this. One photo must be good enough to be the poster for your film, one has to be of the director and the rest is up to you. There must be a copy of them in digital form for example as J-Pegs, Tiff, etc and on CD just in case.

2. Director Biography/Filmography: A short paragraph listing the director’s achievements and including the festivals that any of their previous films got into, and a list of those films and what year they were made.

3. Director’s statement: Not all film festivals ask for one, but it is better to have one prepared just in case. Include the inspiration for the story, some of the visual and other ideas you were going for, and what you hope the film does for the audience.

4. Synopsis: A short one and a longer one to be on the safe side including the genre, main character(s) and a summary of the story as well as something to whet the appetite of the reader.

5. Website: A simple site with all the above information on it as well as links to face book fan page and other relevant social networking sites.

6. Dialogue list: This is a list of the dialogue only, used to help the festival with translations and subtitles.

Hope this is helpful

Afia




Response from 12 years ago - afia nkrumah SHOW

12 years ago - Shaun Bond

Wow, it most definitely is helpful. Very much appreciated!

Response from 12 years ago - Shaun Bond SHOW