Actor Websites | Things all of us should know: Film...

Things all of us should know

We're getting a lot more filmmakers and producers on the IADB platform, but don't assume that this blog post is for them. It's for everyone in the indie film business, including actors. I'm a strong believer in the idea that knowing what's going on around you can help you understand the entire process of filmmaking, production and distribution. Today, I'd like to talk about festivals.

You probably have heard about Withoutabox - and if you were trying to get a film into festivals you might have used it too. Just like IMDB, this site is ran by Amazon. Unfortunately people who are running festivals are often times not happy with the fees and commissions that this site imposes on them and so you might be missing out on some opportunities to be noticed. More on that in just a moment. Still, Whitoutabox is definitely leading in the quality of festivals, and each indie filmmaker should be on it. Even as an actor, you can check it out by registering here - the account is free, you only pay to apply to festivals.

Once you're in, you'll see six categories to help you search. Today, the "All Open Now" option listed 538 festivalswhich is an impressive number and application fee is normally under $150 - some are even free, so it's worth taking a look.

Moving on. As I mentioned earlier, you might be missing out on some festivals that couldn't afford the WaB pricing. As soon as I registered for FilmFreeway, and checked for open calls, I found 1702 festivals and screenings!To top it off, their search engine is much better, allowing you to find specific types of festivals in a specific fee range. You can select to eliminate any new festivals that people haven't even heard of and browse for specific entry dates. Come on Amazon! You got outdone on the tech side by a much smaller company. In any case, definitely worth checking out, and you can register right on their homepage.

Anything else, you ask? Absolutely. There are quite a few more, and I'll list them all below. Some look like they've been around for decades and their websites haven't been updated since then. Don't be afraid, I'm told that bad web design is not infectious, your websites will stay beautiful forever.