FREE Publicity Tool

Here is a tip from my friend, Iris, who is a PR Consultant in Vancouver. She suggested I try PitchEngine for my next press release.

It is a great tool for having all your information in one place - including your social media links, high-res logos and photos, your boiler plate information, and video (a bonus if you are a filmmaker like me!). I have found that sending any sort of attachment in an email to my media contacts often means the release goes straight to their junk mail.

PitchEngine also allows you to tag your release with key words to help with "SEO" or Search Engine Optimization. You never know what tag may spark some interest. In the spirit of sharing, here is a link to my last press release on PitchEngine.

But what I also liked most? The 30-day FREE trial. Save money and get some media hits!

Film Festival season is upon us

It's a gorgeous July summer day so I apologize for bringing up mention of the Fall, that dirty word. But Fall means one thing to me - festival season!

I know in my neck of the woods, we've got the Calgary International Film Festival, WordFest, Banff Mountain & Book Festival, Calgary Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival, and the Calgary Arab Film Festival.

It's a great opportunity to get out and get involved. I know I am always exposed to new, inspiring ideas, and  I meet a lot of like-minded people. If you are a freelancer and have some event management or logistics skills, you might think about applying for a short-term contract position or you can volunteer. If you've got a blog, you can even try for media accreditation.

Also Alberta filmmakers, you can save a few bucks in submission fees (sometimes upwards of $50/film) - Calgary International Film Festival and the Edmonton International Film Festival waive their submission fees for all Alberta filmmakers.

Time to find childcare...

Alberta Buzz

Sign up for Alberta Buzz, the newest hub to find out the latest about "the biz" in Alberta. From indie shorts to big Hollywood productions being filmed in town, founder Stacy Perlin does not censor.

I worked with Stacy P. on one of my first film shoots - a made-for-TV-movie about the four RCMP officers who were killed in Mayerthorpe, Alberta.  I was working in the Art Department and she was in the Production Office. Despite the long 16 hour days, we both managed to also keep up our own creative pursuits. Crazy.

I am so proud to see her creation come to life in this website. I subscribe to her feed on facebook and twitter and I always find her posts useful and informative....and quick - great for a new mom.  

Here's a post example from earlier this month: Council gives $10M boost to plan for new Calgary movie production centre. Honestly, without my subscription to Alberta Buzz, I would not have known.

PS - Congrats to Luke Azvedo, Mike Shields, and the team of vigilantes who have been championing this production centre project for god knows how long.

cheap rent

Make use of your local artist-run center.  EMMEDIA has the best deal in town in Calgary and FAVA in Edmonton for production equipment (e.g., $10/hour editing suite rentals, and camera rentals starting at $25/day).

Their low costs are offset by their large membership as well the funding they receive as an arts organization. There are artist-run centers in every major city across Canada.

DVD replication

So you made your film, spent all your money in post-production, and now you've got your master tape.

What are you going to do with it?

With The Lesson, I was able to replicate my own copies and send them to festivals.  This was mainly because the film was 12 minutes so I could work on other stuff while I was making my DVDs at EMMEDIA. I also knew how to do it myself.

But with a 42 minute film, replicating YOUNG MASTERS was quite a different story. I researched a lot of replication houses and found PRECISION DISC out of Surrey, B.C. Their competitive pricing (almost half the price of other suppliers) was matched with a high-quality service and end product, and they've got a great "VIP Section" with monthly deals like free shipping or free posters etc.