FROM HERE TO AWESOME

FHTA update and DIY DAYS

Well the voting process is over and we are currently in a review period. FHTA experienced a large amount of traffic over the last month as the deadline approached. We’ve started to reach out to a number of the top filmmakers and will continue to do so this week. In order for FHTA’s showcased films to reach the widest audience possible they need to meet a number of clearance requirements. Clearance pertains to music rights, talent releases, location releases and all the other fun legal stuff needed to release films within VOD and digital outlets. We’re currently contacting filmmakers and requesting screeners. For more on the topic of clearance and the dreaded delivery process read this primer by producer Tani Cohen which she wrote for the workbookprojec.com

In addition to discovery and distribution, FHTA has a special FREE educational section entitled DIY DAYS. The DIY DAYS events are a joint effort between FHTA and Current TV and will consist of workshops, case studies, panel discussions, and screenings. LA and SF are locked and we’re working on events for Boston and NYC. All the activities will be recorded and “embedding and spreading” of the materials will be encouraged. There will also be some live streaming as well.

DIY DAYS are shaping up here’s a partial list of speakers:

Tommy Pallotta - producer of A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life
Mark Pellington - director of Henry Poole is Here, Arlington Road and Mothman Prophecies
Lance Weiler - The Last Broadcast and Head Trauma
Arin Crumley - Four Eyed Monsters
M dot Strange - We Are the Strange
Saskia Wilson-Brown - Current TV
Jon Reiss - Bomb It
Alex Johnson - digital media strategist / filmmaker
Christy Dena - cross-media strategist and designer
Matt Hanson - filmmaker and founder of A Swarm of Angels
Timo Vuorensola - director of Space Wreck and co-founder of wreckamovie.com

More details coming soon.

One week to go

On June 6th we are going to begin the process of locking down the top 10 feature films and top 10 short films to showcase starting at the end of July all over the world.

Please spread this video wide and far so we can get this film revolution underway.

A filmmaker update

This is a quick update to let you know what’s happening with the festival and to give you a chance to make a final push around your films and to prepare yourself for possible inclusion in the festival showcase.

FINAL DEADLINE - JUNE 6th
JUNE 6th is the deadline for voting. So this is a good time to start making your final pushes across various outlets. Remember that a number of factors our weighted to determine the showcased films - did the film create a submission video, how many people awesomed the film on FHTA, how many people favorited, viewed, commented and linked to the videos on youTube and myspace. And finally how has the film done in terms of spreading the word about their film online and off.

STEPS TO THE SHOWCASE:
The top 10 feature and short films will be contacted and 2 DVDs of the film will be requested. These will be used for the legal vetting process to ensure that films can be distributed through all outlets. Filmmakers will be asked to sign a wavier that states that they own the rights to the film and have all the necessary clearances and release forms in order.

Attached is a spreadsheet that lays out the materials that will be needed by the various outlets. NOT all the FHTA distribution outlets are listed but we wanted to provide some materials to help you start thinking of what will be needed. This is known as delivery and it is the steps that a filmmaker needs to take to prepare his or her work for various forms of distribution. Not all things will be needed but they could. Before incurring any costs please consult with FHTA staff to ensure that you need to. The last thing we want is for a filmmaker to spend money that they don’t have to. BUT we wanted to share this to give you an idea of things that could be required for the showcased films.

TIMING ISSUES:
VERY IMPORTANT - from the time the films are notified of inclusion in the showcase IMMEDIATE delivery of all materials will be key to a film staying in the showcase. So if a film doesn’t provide the materials that are requested they will be replaced by the film that is next in line. We realize that this is a very quick turnaround but in order to take advantage of all the distribution outlets and promotional opportunities (over $500,000 in promotional placements for festival films across Amazon, myspace, youTube and other partner sites) all materials will need to be delivered within in 14 days of acceptance.

QUESTIONS
If you have any questions please let us know. It could take a couple days for a response but we will make sure to answer all your questions.

WORKBOOK PROJECT
The workbook project is an excellent free filmmaker resource http://workbookproject.com that covers many issues regarding the business side of DIY filmmaking. A lot of the questions that you might have can be found there.

Good luck and we look forward to showcasing your film,

Lance Weiler, Arin Crumley, M dot Strange
Filmmakers and FHTA founders