10 Tips for Setting Up Local Screenings of Your Film
Setting up local screenings is still another way to build awareness and make sales of your film. The difference from theatrical screenings is that you are using local venues, such as library meeting rooms and community centers, or that you are making arrangements with social, civic, and other organizations to show your film. In the first case, you generally have to pay for the room and do the marketing and promotion to get the audience there. In the second case, you generally just provide the film on a DVD or flash drive, and the organization reaches out to its own members and guests and sometimes to the wider community to attract attendees. In both cases, you generally show up with any other available cast or crew, introduce the film, and discuss the film or respond to any Q&A after the showing.
In effect, this approach to putting on a local screening is much like putting on an event or setting up a speaking engagement, where you or an organization select a venue and engage in marketing and promotion to attract the audience. The basic difference is that you are showing a film, rather than putting on some kind of program.
Thus, I’ll describe what you have to do to set up a screening by drawing on a recent book I wrote after putting on a speaking program called Success Secrets in Everyday Life. I turned the methods I used to set up this program into a how-to book: How to Set Up Speaking Gigs and Get Paid. The process for setting up local screenings is much the same, except you are showing a film. Following are the key tips to use in setting up your local film screening.
1) Determine your primary audience for you film. This will help you decide how to select a good venue or determine what organizations to approach about a showing. Knowing your audience will also help you market and promote your screening and when to show it to best appeal to this audience. For example, if your film is more of a family film, a big room in a library might be fine. If you are appealing to an older crowd, perhaps set it up at an event center in a community for older adults, which we did for our first showing of New Age for Aging, a documentary about seniors 80 and older living healthy and active lives. Or suppose it’s a film about sports; maybe approach local sports clubs about showing the film. If the film has a religious focus, perhaps contact local churches in your area that represent that faith.
Based on knowing your audience, decide on how, where, and when to present it your film. Determine the towns in your area where you want to present the film and whether you will be organizing these screenings yourself or contacting organizations in those communities about setting up a screening. If you are putting on the program, contact likely venues in the area, such as a library or community center, and ask for the person who schedules the program. Once you speak to this person, ask about the costs, size of the room and seating capacity, available days and nights, and whether the venue provides a screen, projector, and computer connection for a DVD or flash drive, or whether you have to bring you own. If you hope to find an organization to put on a showing, look for those who put on such programs. You can find them by doing a Google search for likely organizations in a particular city, such as big sports clubs and civic groups, like the Rotary or Lions Club. Or check with the Chamber of Commerce in the largest cities in your area for recommendations.
2) Create a website for your film or set up a landing page or page on your website, where you can promote the film, as well as take advance orders or direct visitors to a site taking these orders, such as Eventbrite. Perhaps offer a reduced price for ordering your tickets early or for ordering tickets for a group — say or 4 or more. You can include a trailer for the film, preferably by linking to a YouTube or Vimeo account, since a linked trailer will load faster and take up less space on your website or landing page for your film.
3) Organize what you are going to say for the introduction and any closing discussion or Q&A. Generally, keep your remarks before the film to 1–2 minutes, since people will be eagerly awaiting the film. Some things to put in your introduction include: the name of the film, your role in it, and where and when you filmed it. If others in the cast are here, you can point them out in the audience, but wait until after the film to introduce everyone.
After the film, bring up anyone from the cast and crew to the stage, and introduce them. Make some comment about how much you have enjoyed being here, how this is a great audience, or like remarks to help build a connection with the audience. Perhaps relate one or two interesting stories about how you decided to make the film or what happened during filming. If there is time for this, ask members of the audience to ask questions by raising your hand. Then, you can call on them and they can remain seated or stand to state their question. If possible, give them a mic. Alternatively, if this is a large audience, you can ask them to go to a mic. Typically, Q&A sessions last about 10–15 minutes, or for less time if people start leaving the audience in any numbers.
4) Determine the materials and equipment you need. If you are putting on the screening yourself, check what the venue is supplying, such as a projection equipment and mic, or whether you need to bring this equipment yourself. If an organization is putting on the screening for you, see what they are providing and what they need from you. Typically, apart from making sure you have the right equipment for the showing, you usually will need to bring a DVD or flash drive with the film, unless you have provided that to the venue or organization in advance. Or sometimes, you can show the film from a link on Vimeo or YouTube.
Allow about a half-hour before the showing to check the equipment and make sure everything works properly to show your film. Additionally, you might have promotional flyers or post cards with information on your film, such as future showings or where individuals can buy a DVD or stream the film, if they want to recommend it to others or want to see it again. You might also give attendees review and comment forms, so you both get feedback on your film along with statements you might use as testimonials on your website, landing page, or PR materials.
5) Another key to a successful presentation is having a good room set up. If you are showing your film for an organization, find out what kind of room you will be in, the available seating, and the size of the audience to expect. If you are doing the screening in a venue you arrange, select a room to accommodate the number of participants you think is likely and arrange the seating accordingly. If there is already an auditorium with seating, great. Otherwise, ask the venue or organizers to set up the chairs in a classroom seating arrangement.
Unless the organization where you are screening your film is taking care of this, set up a sign-in table, where people can sign in as they arrive and pick up any flyers or promotional material you have to give out. It’s best if you can position the table by the door where attendees arrive, so they don’t have to walk across the room to get to the sign-in table. If you have two entrances and one table, ideally direct all arrivals to a single door, perhaps with a sign indicating which door to use. Plan to arrive 30 minutes in advance to set up everything before participants arrive. Some people may come as early as 10 to 15 minutes before the screening, so it is best to have everything set up before anyone arrives.
If you have any products or services related to your film to sell or provide information about, set up a display on the side or in the back of the room. Then, people can look at this material when they first arrive or after the Q&A. For instance, you might sell DVDs for audience members who want to buy a copy of your film. Or set up a display with posters and flyers if you have products related to your film, such as a line of health products if you are showing a documentary about healthier living. You might also have flyers to promote any related services, such as trips to exotic destinations if you have a travel/adventure film. Should you have showings planned in nearby communities, include a flyer listing these, so attendees can pass this on to anyone they know who might be interested.
6) Take photos you can use to show off the success of your screening, and possibly arrange for some videos of your opening, close, and the audience in attendance. To keep down costs, you can use the camera on your phone or an SLR camera, though you can hire a professional photographer and videographer, too. Later, you can use these photos and links to any promotional videos on your website, landing page, or PR releases to show the interest in your film to the press and potential distributors. You can include these photos or video links on your flyers promoting the film too.
Let people in the audience know if you are taking any photos or videos of them, so you can avoid including them. If necessary, those who don’t want to be shown can move to another area of the room. Generally, most people will be fine when you are taking a few photos or videos at these events.
7) You can set up payments in a number of ways. Figure on charging about $10–15 for a showing, or perhaps $20–25 if the showing will include snacks and beverages. If you are putting on the showing for an organization, a typical arrangement is sharing proceeds 50–50. If you are getting advance payments, you can set this up through a platform like Eventbrite or WePay. Then, have a list of those who have paid at the door when audience members arrive.
If people arrive who haven’t paid and you can accept last-minute arrivals and payments at the door, be prepared to do this. Make sure the venue or organization will allow you to collect money when you make the arrangements. If not, advise prospective attendees that they have to pay in advance, since no payments will be collected at the door. Alternatively, find another venue or organization where you can collect money.
If you are collecting money, bring a cash box for any cash, checks, or credit card information you receive. If you need to buy a cash box, you can get one at a local or online supply store, such as Office Depot, for about $20–40. In case people paying cash need change, place about $40–50 in $1, $5, and $10 bills in the cash box, depending on the denominations you are likely to receive. For instance, if the cost is $10, have some $10 bills for change if people pay you with $20s. If the cost is $15, have some $5 bills for change. Or have $1 bills if needed for change. To keep it simple, only accept cash at the door.
Also, provide a sign-up form where you can indicate which people are paying at the door, how much, and in what form (i.e.: check, cash, or credit card). This form can include the name of the people who have already paid, and you can check them off as they arrive. Additionally, provide a few pens so people can easily sign in. If you expect a large group and plan to have networking before and after the screening, have a sheet with peel-off name tags people can wear to help them mix with others at the event.
8) Ideally, allow some time before the screening starts for arrivals and networking. At the end, allow additional time for networking and possibly collecting forms with comments and testimonials you can use to help in promoting your film. If you have related products or services, invite people to visit a display table during this networking time.
With a small group, figure on about 15 to 20 minutes for the check-in and networking; with a larger group, allow 20 to 30 minutes. After the screening, allow about the same amount of time -– 15 to 20 minutes for a small group; 20 to 30 minutes for a larger group.
9) If you are doing your screening for an organization, you generally don’t have to bring refreshments, unless the organization asks those doing programs to bring them. If choose to have refreshments are up to you, it’s a good idea to provide them, especially for a short networking period before and after your screening, since it encourages attendees to mix and mingle.
Preferably keep any refreshments simple, especially for your first program if you expect a small group. You can quickly pick up a beverage and snacks in a few minutes at your local supermarket.
10) Since there are so many things to think about in putting on a screening on your own or for an organization, it helps to have a checklist. This way you can list everything you are going to bring. If anyone is helping you, indicate on this checklist who is doing what. Organizing your screening in this way can help to assure that you have everything you need. You can also use this checklist as a guide for what you need to write, print out, or purchase before the event, so you have everything ready to take to the event.
You can use the following Checklist Form to write in the items you need. If you need more space, add additional rows. You can create additional categories if you have other things to bring.
GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., is a nationally known writer, consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, specializing in business and work relationships, professional and personal development, social trends, and popular culture. She has published 50 books with major publishers. She has worked with dozens of clients on memoirs, self-help, popular business books, and film scripts. Writing samples are at www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com.
She is the founder of Changemakers Publishing, featuring books on work, business, psychology, social trends, and self-help. The company has published over 150 print, e-books, and audiobooks. She has licensed several dozen books for foreign sales, including the UK, Russia, Korea, Spain, and Japan.
She has received national media exposure for her books, including appearances on Good Morning America, Oprah, and CNN. She has been the producer and host of a talk show series, Changemakers, featuring interviews on social trends.
Scott is active in a number of community and business groups, including the Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek Chambers of Commerce. She is a graduate of the prestigious Leadership Contra Costa program. She does workshops and seminars on the topics of her books.
She is also the writer and executive producer of 10 films in distribution, release, or production. Her most recent films that have been released include Driver, The New Age of Aging, and Infidelity.
She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco Law School. She has received five MAs at Cal State University, East Bay, most recently in Communication.