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by
Deborah Kaufman & Jenni Olsen
(cont'd
from page 1)
FUNDING
You must raise enough money to cover all your costs, or else sponsors
must pick up the deficit. Remember that box-office income rarely covers
all your expenses.
Budget
It is very important to draw up a detailed budget at the time you begin
to organize your event. Projected expenses include, at a minimum: theatre/space,
film and video rentals, staff and overhead, shipping, and all promotional
materials. Projected revenues may derive from ticket sales, grants,
private donations, in-kind gifts, and income from an opening night benefit.
To figure box office income multiply ticket price times number of seats
and number of programs for a high estimate, then divide by two for a
more realistic estimate.
Sponsors
To ensure a solid financial base for your event you may want to pursue
business or corporate sponsorships. Different sponsor categories can
be established for different levels of donations. A “presenting sponsor”
might receive a very high profile in your materials in exchange for
a large cash or in-kind donation. This sponsor could be a newspaper
that would print and distribute your festival catalogs. An individual
“program sponsor” might underwrite a single screening for a smaller
cash, food or service donation. A number of “major sponsors” could be
solicited in addition to the “presenting sponsor.” Be creative and keep
true t o the artistic vision of your program – too much corporate sponsorship
can have a negative impact on the feel of your program. Be appreciative
of your sponsors and acknowledge them publicly in your pre-film introductions.
If you are showing any foreign films and videos, try approaching the
cultural affairs departments of foreign consulates for sponsorships
or assistance with film shipping.
PROGRAMMING
Film and video showings are exciting whether they are festivals that
run over several consecutive days, series that run once a week over
a one to two-month period, or single screenings such as gala premieres.
Either variety or a single theme can be the basis for good programming.
For example, a festival could include dramas and documentaries, feature-length
and short films, historical period pieces, and contemporary cinema.
Series programs could focus on documentaries about diaspora Jewish culture,
shorts dealing with Black-Jewish issues, or new feature films from Israel.
Opening with a local premiere usually ensures a certain level of excitement.
It is often difficult to balance imaginative and risky programming ideas
with local audience expectations and community needs. Develop a clear
program rationale. What are your goals and objectives, as an organization,
in presenting this program? How, or to what degree, will this particular
program accomplish these goals and objectives?
If you plan to show experimental or particularly challenging films
and videos, encourage your audience to be open minded. Audiences accustomed
to Hollywood cinema generally expect films to be accessible; if you
do not prepare them they may be impatient or irritated when confronted
with non-traditional or difficult images. If audiences are properly
prepared they can enjoy the different sorts of viewing pleasures that
experimental films and videos offer. Creative programming is both an
art and a challenge, and it can be a remarkably satisfying experience.
 Scheduling
Screenings
You can usually fit in at least two evening showings during the week.
Try not to start too early or too late: 7:00, 7:15, or 7:30 may be good
for your first show, and perhaps 9:15, 9:30, or 9:45 (psychologically
better than 10:00 which sounds much later) for your second. Remember
to leave enough time between shows to get the audience in and out (at
least half an hour). Depending on your venue expenses, you could also
try a few weekend matinees or a late night cult movie on a Saturday.
Or if you are programming on campus, you might try some short lunchtime
programs.
Short films and videos are an affordable way to expand the range of
your programming and complement your feature programs. A number of independent
distributors (see distributor index) handle Jewish-subject shorts that
are comedies, dramas and documentaries.
Lastly, when programming multiple formats in one program it is usually
best to begin with the lower visual quality format and end with the
higher quality format, e.g. video precedes 16mm film, which precedes
35mm film.
Video
Showing video is an exciting way to enhance the diversity of your program;
video production is less expensive than film, so the most adventuresome
fresh work is often made on video. However, presenting video can be
expensive and a major headache. Be careful! We do not recommend projecting
standard 1/2" video (vhs) which when projected onto a large screen will
lose clarity, colors, sound quality and generally look terrible. Showing
Beta SP or digital video is best, but while improving features immensely
it will also require rental of a professional video deck from an audio/visual
company and raise your costs considerably.
Most video from Europe is on the PAL system and will not work on an
American (NTSC) equipment. Become informed about the different formats
available (PAL, NTSC, SP, Beta, etc.) and make sure to communicate clearly
with the distributor and the audio/visual company which video format(s)
you are planning to show.
FYI: While some films listed in the GUIDE are available on video from
your local video store, these videos are licensed for home use only.
It is illegal to screen them in a public venue under any circumstances
(except for classroom use, in some cases). Even if you own a tape, you
do not own public performance rights. And even if you do not charge
admission, you may not legally exhibit a tape without public performance
rights. Respect the filmmakers and the distributors and do not break
the law!
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