Step 1. Make sure to register with From Here to Awesome and create an account
Step 2. Educate yourself. The Workbook Project
is a great resource for filmmakers and contains hours of interviews.
You’ll learn a lot from the dozens of other innovative D.I.Y. projects.
We have also created several tutorials on the help section of From Here
to Awesome that give tips on how to best use blip.tv, youtube, myspace,
OurStage, twitter, flickr and other recourses for building your film’s online identity.
Step 3. Make friends with the other filmmakers. So
far over a 100 filmmakers (as of 2.10.08) have registered with the
festival and are currently creating submission videos. Take a look at
each of their submission videos, read their blogs, follow them on
twitter and spread the word about their films to your friends. You can
also learn about the films created by From Here to Awesome’s founders; Head Trauma, Four Eyed Monsters and We Are The Strange.
We’ve each been able to build huge audiences for our films online, had
a theatrical life for the film in the real world, secured DVD deals.
DIY distribution has created direct connections with our audiences
worldwide.
Step 4. Make your Submission Video. Simply
explain in a submission video why it is you made the film and why you
think your film is awesome. There is a reason you’ve turned your own
personal life upside down in the name of filmmaking. What is that
reason? What is it that you are trying to say? Show some clips from
your film and let the audience know the journey the film has taken you
on. End by explaining what you hope to see happen with your film and
how the audience can help. Don’t forget to grab some GRAPHICS for the opening of your submission video?
Step 5. Upload your Submission Video. Follow the
tutorials for uploading your submission video to blip.tv, myspace,
youtube, OurStage and a variety of other sites that you may want to
post to as well. Make sure you tag your videos with AwesomeFeature & FH2Afeature or AwesomeShort and FH2Ashort.
For short films you can either make a submission video, or do a simple
on camera intro or just post the whole short film, it’s up to you.
Step 6. Return to From Here to Awesome and log in
to your account to finish the submission process. Make sure to have
your myspace, youTube, OurStage and BlipTV upload URLs handy. Create a
From Here to Awesome Page. Fill in your details on the site to
officially submit to From Here to Awesome so your film will have it’s
own page.
Step 7. Spread
the word. Start sending friends, family and fans to your page on From
Here to Awesome (fromheretoawesome.com/yourfilm) so they can see your
video and support it by clicking “This film seems Awesome, Notify me of
screenings.” Soon people all over the world will be wanting to see your
film and this will factor in to how we create the top 10 feature and
top 10 short films list.
Step 8. The Showcase. 10 feature films and 10 short
films will be a part of a world wide showcase in JUNE that will kick
off in Paris. The top short and top feature filmmakers will be flown to
Paris all expenses paid thanks to Wonderland’s
“Alice in Paris” event. The top short and feature will screen in the
historic Cinematheque Francaise. Afterwards there will be a special
party and awards ceremony.
But before the films screen that evening From Here to Awesome, the Workbook Project, and Wonderland will join forces with Power to the Pixel
to present a ground-breaking event that brings together key digital
pioneers from around the world who are changing the way that films
reach audiences and audiences discover films. Power to the Pixel is a
rich mix of visionaries and expertise from leading filmmakers,
entrepreneurs, networks and companies who are reinventing film
distribution, promotion, finance and filmmaking.
During the month of JUNE screenings will happen all over the world
as the top 10 features and shorts screen in theaters, living rooms,
online and via mobile devices around the world - with a direct return
in revenue to the filmmaker. For instance, at participating theatrical
venues, 50 percent of what is collected from theater entrance will go
back to the filmmakers whose films are screened. Showcased and festival
films will be able to use Brave New Theaters, Amazon Unbox, Vudu, Heretic Films, Breakthrough Distribution, IndieFlix, Bside, Withoutabox, DogWoof
and a host of outer outlets to reach people in living rooms and online
around the world. During this time filmmakers can also sell DVDs and
downloads of their film directly to their audience. Heretic Films will
provide free errors and emissions insurance to the top 10 features.
These top 10 filmmakers will also get free DVDs of their film provided
by Breakthrough Distribution. Other awards for the top rated films to
be announced in the coming weeks.
Step 9. Virtual Panels. While the showcase is
happening there will also be a virtual conference called “The 2008
Awesome Workbook”. The idea is that the filmmaking community already
has all of the knowledge it needs to fund future projects, create
revenue from their films, improve filmmaking craft and improve
filmmaking business skills. All we have to do is take filmmakers that
are experts in a particular area and have them share their knowledge
with other filmmakers. As professional communicators in the video
medium creating this resource should be no problem. By communicating
all of the knowledge each of us has and by putting it all in one
search-able download-able resource, we can all become completely
unstoppable filmmakers.
Step 10. Awesome. Everything that will have
happened will be pretty damn awesome, but thats not the end. After
JUNE, we’ll have become a strong community that can decide collectively
what needs to happen next to keep the film industry evolving beyond
hollywood, beyond distributors, beyond corporate media and into the
business of connecting people who have something to express with people
who want that expression. That is the day we are working towards. That
is the day the film medium will ascend. That day that will be awesome.
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Scilla Andreen is a mother, a filmmaker, CEO of IndieFlix.com and an
active member of her Seattle community. Yes, in that order, that’s how
I figured she’s a good mother, she put that title first: Mother.
