The Film Industry's 5 Self Promotion Myths...

http://www.raindance.org/the-film-industrys-5-self-promotion-myths/

Want to make a filmmaker feel uncomfortable? Ask them what they are good at doing.

It’s no joke that filmmakers and screenwriters are notoriously bad at blowing their own horns. They don’t because they are shy or lacking confidence. Or they speak with the kind of pompous and overblown hype that makes one head for the nearest toilet bowl.

Sometimes I meet filmmakers and screenwriters who don’t want to promote themselves because they don’t want to annoy filmmakers less talented or successful then they are.

Hesitation or reluctance to self-promote hurts filmmakers careers. The film industry is ruthlessly competitive. The brutal truth is that the most successful filmmakers tend to be the most vocal ones. By downplaying strengths and advantages, filmmakers can become their own worst enemies.

Many talented filmmakers cross my path at Raindance Film Festival. I hear endless excuses as to why they should not self promote. I have lumped these into 5 categories I call 5 Self Promotion Myths:

1. The James Cameron Myth–”Self promotion will make me look arrogant.”

When James Cameron said from the Oscar stage that he was ‘King of the world’ he got tons of negative press for being a shameless self promoter.. Self promotion is shameless. And self promotion is a necessary part of a successful career. Many filmmakers have a big problem differentiating between shameless bragging and smart self promotion.

The line between bragging and self-promotion can seem thin. Stay on the right side of the line with an extra special dose of humility.

BTW: Here is the email I get nerly every single day from one of the four corners of the globe:

Dear Raindance

I am an [insert what you will] experienced | talented [insert what you will] photographer | musician | set designer with a lot of great experience in [insert what you will] theatre | pop promos | jounalism.

I’d like to meet filmmakers to collaborate with.

What’s wrong with this?

- no website
- no social media presence
- no direct offer

Don’t fall into this trap.

2. The Princess Myth–”If I’m good enough, people will hear about it.”

Filmmaking ‘princesses’ who wait for knights to arrive and sweep them off their feet will wait in vain. Many filmmakers believe if you work hard and wait patiently enough, someone will eventually discover you.

This only applies to fairy tales. Filmmakers waiting for the right financier, agent or distributor to come along wait forever.

We know you are talented and original. You know you are talented and original. Survival as a filmmaker or screenwriter demands that you make noise to get noticed.

3.The Mates Myth–”Others should talk about my accomplishments, not me.”

I’ve met many filmmakers at Raindance who assume that their associates and friends will send out the word about their excellent ability. Word of mouth is one of the great tools of publicity and promotion, but alone cannot guarantee you a career.

No one is better able to explain what your goals and ambitions are than you. No one will speak about your career to date, and about your next project better than you. As a filmmaker you are developing special and unique skills that only you are able to explain. As a screenwriter you are developing an unique voice which only you will know how to explain.

Get comfortable about communicating what it is you are doing. Practise in front of your friends and ask them to tell you what you are doing right or wrong.

Before you know it, you will have the smoothness of a Tarantino.

4.The Martyr Myth — “People don’t understand what I am trying to do”

It’s common for an artist in any field to feel isolated and alone. It is part of what goes with the territory. To use this as an excuse not to self promote comes across as whingey and self-pitying.

Martyrs get pity, not the empathy you need to launch a career.

5. The Head in the Sand Myth — “I couldn’t talk up my career if a gun was at my head”

The worst thing a filmmaker can do is to run from self promotion. Self promotion is part of filmmaking. How else are you going to assemble the team to make your film or buy your screenplay? How else are you going to convince a director or producer to let you shoot or edit a film?

You don’t need to turn yourself into a cheesey door-to-door saleman. You just need to have a quick sharp two liner ready on your lips to push out anytime someone asks “What do you do?”

Get out a notebook and start writing out a two liner. Run it by your friends and get their feedback. You will be amazed at how quickly you will come up with a snappy jingle that will bounce off your lips and make you look like you know what you are doing.

The End Title Credits

At the end of the day, a reluctance to self promote points out one thing: your own personal insecurity. Lack of confidence is one of the dangers of working in the arts and is especially easy to acquire in the film industry where rivals chip and snipe at you from every doorway and from around every corner.

Believe in yourself. Then we will too.