by Sanne Butterfield

How to Market Your Film on a Budget: 7 Essential Marketing Tips that won’t break the bank

It’s a wrap. You’ve made your first film! And it’s ticking the ‘remarkable’ box. But how do you get it out in the world, beyond your networks without breaking the bank?

Did you know…as a rough guide, the average cost to cover distribution and marketing for a $65 million major Hollywood movie is around $35 million, bringing total production costs to $100 million? That’s right: 53% of the cost to make a Hollywood movie is spent on promotion! But fear not, if you don’t have the budget - we have a few simple tips to get you promoting your film that any self-starter can embrace.

Step 1: Create a hook-filled trailer, a catchy set of stills and movie poster. This will possibly be the most time-consuming and costly, but equally the most important part of your marketing campaign. The trailer, stills and movie poster will be the foundation of your eye-catching marketing campaign. It is definitely worth the small investment to get a professional designer involved to work their magic on the film poster of your first creative production.

Step 2: Create a movie synopsis, a brief summary outlining the genre, core concept, storyline, major plot points and main character arcs. Although mostly used as a selling tool to convince film industry higher-ups to read the full screenplay, a movie synopsis will also come in handy to create consistent copy to roll out in promoting your film. Don’t forget to include a catchy intro, cast, general release details and technical specs. Click here to learn how to write the perfect Movie Synopsis according to Masterclass!

Step 3. Create a simple film website. Wix, Squarespace and Network Solutions are the leading website building platforms in the industry. Costs for a simple website and hosting start at US$20 a month. All platforms are straightforward to use. Include your trailer, stills, film poster, movie synopsis and be sure to link to your social media handles (step 4).

Step 4: Roll out your marketing campaign on social media. Try to align your chosen social channels (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, LinkedIn…) with your target audience. For example, if your target market consists of mainly members of Generation X (born between 1960-1980), make sure to prioritise Facebook in your Social Media marketing strategy, as a high percentage of Generation X-ers use Facebook. TikTok, for example, is mostly used by Gen Z-ers (people born between 1997 and 2012). It is best to use a few channels well than to spread yourself thin with a weak presence across the board.

Step 5: Online community & networking events. There are some excellent online community networking groups you can join for free on social media. Facebook community groups don’t charge to post a link to your film website or social channels and it is a great place to network outside your own country. Plus, don’t forget about Reddit, Shooting People, Filmmakers Alliance and IndieWire; some of our favourite online filmmaker communities where you can connect with like-minded people and promote your film while you are at it.

Step 6: Develop a strategy to enter your film into local and international film festivals. Head to FilmFreeway to find an overview of current film festivals taking entries across the world. You can search by category, entry fees, years running, project runtime, entry deadline, country and festival focus. Start building that collection of Official Selection-Award laurels, look for festivals that offer best prize money and industry connections and of course, don’t forget to check out GreenScreen Film Fest!

Step 7: Public events. Visiting and hosting local networking events (in person!) in the lead-up to your movie launch is an integral part of your film promotion. Since you don’t have a snazzy agent or manager (yet), make sure to show your face at small and big industry events around town and come equipped with a business card with the links to your social media handles and website. If you want to step it up, host an exclusive viewing event for VIPs to create some extra buzz around the premiere of your film.

by Jodie Manning

An Open Letter from GSFF Festival Director, Jodie Manning

Dear fellow creatives,

This time last year we were premiering our inaugural GSFF Award Show. Behind-the-scenes our story was filled, as much of last year was, with stories of loss, hardship, challenges to precious relationships, the sort of separation that can break a heart. But through it all there was a counterbalancing optimism that buoyed my spirits and warmed my heart as we talked to our GSFF1 filmmakers, judges and showcased their creations.

As we look forward to our second season, I turn to our theme - As fast as you can. As slow as you dare – and what it means to me.

Storytelling, music, and people are all central to my world. When I lost myself in Golden Hollywood, Spielberg, Scorsese and dreamt of being an actor, film director or producer - splicing Super 8, later editing on our new-age video suits at film and television school - I imagined something bigger than my hometown, working-class roots in rural Australia. It was about getting ‘out of there’ and ‘into the world’ as fast as I could…

Through dishwashing, babysitting, bar jobs and waiting countless tables, I also dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent or human rights activist, eventually putting myself through law and journalism school. A sliding doors moment defined my graduation fate, and for a decade I neglected the storytelling heart in me as I navigated the world of corporate law. Through falling in love, and with an indescribable weight off my shoulders, I quit to write a book, still unpublished – As slow as I dare :-)

I’m hardwired with an insatiable appetite to learn, solve problems and to connect the dots with the most talented people I know. And I find myself not only having met the most fantastic creatives over this past year, but something in me has changed. I’m calmer, more effective, one step at a time, grabbing moments I can with the people I love, eyes open to collaborate with the true-hearted.

So please join me to dig deeper, pursue that dream, lift others up along the way, because you might just find yourself in a very different but wonderful story. My mum is unwell but finally with me after almost two years apart – my brother’s heart surgery has gone ahead – my partner is back full-time with his airline employer - and I’m running a film festival with the most talented, generous bunch!

As fast as you can, as slow as you dare, for me is about the sliding doors moment we all have right now, to reject the churn and burn mindless content, to focus on authentic stories, homegrown stories, stories of the heart, stories of the night, stories of our loss, learning and the seemingly endless pursuit of adventure, equilibrium and meaning.

I’ve grown tired of voices that put and weigh people down.
I’d rather say yes and fail.
And I’m filled with optimism about where we’re headed.
We all need to channel and drown out the noise of those who hold us back.
What’s your story of how fast you’ll dare to go and change?

by Jodie Manning & Sanne Butterfield

10 reasons to make a Green Screen short film in 2021 

It’s hard to believe it has only been a decade, but smartphones, video sharing platforms (YouTube, Vimeo), streaming services (Netflix) online gaming (X-Box, PlayStation) and social media apps (TikTok) have completely changed our entertainment industry landscape.  Competition to get viewer attention has never been so fierce. The global pandemic has changed life as we know it, forcing us to work and think differently, to re-evaluate our priorities and assumptions. The decline in cinema visits has been heartbreaking and rapid.   

But through crisis comes innovation, with Green Screen enjoying a timely renaissance. Amid the competition, turmoil and uncertainty, there are unique opportunities for filmmakers to ‘lean in’. GreenScreen Film Fest (GSFF) predicts a future where Green Screen shorts play a key role to showcase talent, champion our stories and encourage creative collaboration.  Want to know why there has never been a better time to create a Green Screen short?  Ride the new wave of filmmaking and read on... 

1. Immediacy and Relevance  
In contrast to full length-features, short films can be produced and distributed quickly, offering instantaneous response to current affairs and social issues.  Things are changing fast, the element of immediacy is key.  Nothing like the present, right? 
 
2. Experimentation 
2021 is the year to experiment with restricted locations, smaller budgets and versatile solutions.  Did someone say small cast, garage location, Green Screen wall and a smartphone camera?  With big budget releases like James Bond’s ‘No Time To Die’ pushed out until October 2021 now might be the moment to take the plunge, enter GSFF2 …and break in! 
 
3. Future Foreword  
Compositing software is known to be costly and complex, but with the arrival of free VFX software like Unreal Engine and Blender, filmmakers of all levels now have access to tap into the future of VFX possibilities.  Visual effects, post-production and editing have never been more affordable, accessible, with such high-end results. We can’t wait to see the continued impact of these technologies, especially the impact LED tech is going to make across the board. Phone tech also affords the budget-conscious filmmaker with an endless array of accessible technology and high-quality apps to aid filmmaking talent, including Chromavid, Kinemaster, PowerDirector and Green Screen by Do Ink. 

 
4. Global Collaboration and Connectivity 
Green Screen provides flexibility in dealing with multiple locations. Despite being locked down, the world has been more connected than ever with broadcast and live-streaming tech directly accessible to everyone.  We are not just talking about Zoom. We loved how Oprah interviewed Obama in front of a Green Screen, making it look like they were in the same living room when in reality they were miles apart.  In 2020, the inaugural GreenScreen Film Fest allowed creatives on opposite sides of the globe to collaborate to create films and music videos that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.  More recently, we saw television hosts based in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth covering the Olympic Games in Tokyo.  
 
5. Environment & Budget Friendly  
Forget about delayed time schedules to faraway tricky locations, unpredictable weather forecasts, outrageous travel costs and blown budgets.  A diverse range of high-quality scenery can be found at home, with Green Screen at hand.  Green Screen not only drastically reduces location fees, it is safer, faster and therefore better for the environment too.  
 

6. Portfolio Building  
For an emerging filmmaker, shorts are the gateway to enter festivals, gain exposure and build a portfolio.  A solid portfolio with award-winning shorts can be the springboard to accelerating both creative and/or commercial work. As an actor wanting to break into directing, it can be a powerful demonstration of additional skill and talent. 

7. Harness your Social Conscience  
Our ability to march the streets may be limited (with lockdown and 1.5m restrictions) but this doesn’t mean change is not needed and happening.  From a sociological point of view, short stories are a proven, powerful trigger for social change. Some stories are not easy to tell, but need to be told (#BlackLivesMatter #MeToo #ClimateChange).  Combine creative storytelling with a hunger for social justice and the filmmaker holds the power to engage and inform a global audience overnight.  Shorts are an effective way to directly address important social justice issues, big, small, local and global. 

8. Portability 
Roll it up, roll it out, pop it in the back of your car. Once you steam out the creases and get the hang of lighting the Green Screen (and the subject – always the trickiest part!) it’s a quick and easy set up.  You can take it anywhere… provided the space you work in is big enough. 

9. Snackable  
Engaging an overstimulated audience on the go, with attention spans often lasting as long as a TikTok video, bite-sized stories are undeniably on the rise.  Beyond the usual short film awards (Oscars, BAFTAs), Netflix and other streaming providers have embraced shorts too.  Michael Govier and Will McCormack’s animated short ‘If Anything Happens I Love You’ (2020) was only 13 minutes long, with 19 festival wins, eight nominations and an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2021.  
 
10. Limitless Creative Storytelling   

It’s no surprise that music videos and advertisements, both known for their impactful creativity, have for decades been using Green Screen tech.  But have we tapped the full potential of this tool in our short film world? Use of Green Screen opens up a world of fantasy impossible to achieve on a budget, with only a camera and set.  Suspend your disbelief and journey into imagination - we know when using Green Screen that we are not really on an Arctic battlefield or in a space time vortex, but our conscience can be wonderfully deceived if the creative mastery is right!  

Whatever the future, we know the entertainment industry will never be the same. What lies ahead is a unique opportunity for filmmakers to have an unparalleled level of creative exploration, expression and say. As we like to say at GSFF ‘the only limit is your Green Screen imagination!’