1.No…Each festival is a separate entity. They do share the same name,
but each festival exhibits a new batch of finalists. You can enter the same
project into both festivals, but only during the call for entries period for
each.
2.Each festival has a different prize package and each year the prize package
value rises. Currently we are awarding over $20,000.00 in prizes 2004
3.Since FirstGlance™ is a competitive festival in which the audience votes at
the screenings, we encourage all our finalists to promote your project however
you’d like. Invite as many as you can!!
Some suggestions: forward our newsletters to your personal address book, send
out postcards to friends, family, and crew, write a press release to the local
newspaper, radio, college papers, weekly arts periodicals. REMINDER: Press releases
usually go out four weeks before an event, and then again as a reminder one
week before. We have supplied on our What’s New page a downloadable Press
release, you can tweak to your own projects specifications.
Put up posters in local coffeehouses; post the information on your websites
or other sites, contact distributors and invite them to see your project.
REMEMBER: The more people see the FirstGlance™ name, the more likely they are
to be intrigued.
4.We show on VHS and DVD because it is the easiest and most affordable medium
for most artists. FirstGlance™ prides itself in showing projects for their entertainment
value
and we don’t necessarily want our audiences to concentrate on the technical
aspects. We will still accept and exhibit VHS as well. We ask for clean VHS
or DVD screening copies for the prescreening process. There is nothing more
annoying than “FOR SCREENING PURPOSES ONLY” scrawled across the
middle of the project.
5.Yes…we are always looking to expand our FirstGlance™ Community. Within
the next year we will be doing some massive and incredible upgrades to the site,
including filmmaker websites.Click on our links page and grab either banner
for your website.
6.We have just opened up a store site on FirstGlance™ and for a nominal yearly
fee we will be glad to include your product in our store. Email us for more
info.
7.Having run eleven successful festivals, we are beginning to franchise to
cities throughout the US, that have a large demographic of student and professional
film and video makers. If you are ready to invest a decent amount of time and
energy, we would be glad to help you start a FirstGlance™ festival in your town.
We will provide you with everything you need to succeed.
8.Sure can!! We would love to come and spend the weekend at your college or
university and exhibit the winners of both FirstGlance™ Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Just click on the Student Coordinator link and find out how.
9.FirstGlance™ asks that you keep a valid email address, so we can send you the
information via the internet. Since we have two festivals each year, a lot of
information goes out and email is the most immediate, responsive and economical.
If you don’t have an email account, feel free to stop by the site on a
monthly basis and check the headlines for the festival you are interested in
participating in.
10.We have upgraded and partnered with www.withoutabox.com and have found it
to be a much easier, faster and economical for both the festival and the filmmakers.
In 2003 , we decided to partner with them to enhance the information we collect
for the program, website, and it helps us maintain continuity. We will also
have a pdf file to download, but prefer the online application they provide.
11.Since we use a PO Box , UPS or Fedex will not deliver. The United States
Postal Service is both reliable and fast and if you send Priority mail and delivery
confirmation, we have had 100% satisfaction . Since our home office is quite
small, we would much rather pick up all materials from the Post Office. Overseas
entries, please see the Foreign entries page for more detailed information.
12.We are in the midst of negotiating both a distribution and a DVD authoring
deal so that we can distribute a DVD of the winners, both online and in retail
outlets. This will benefit not only the winners, but also the massive audience
that can’t make the festivals.
13.Yes…we have only one restriction on the entry guidelines. An entry
can be a finalist in both festivals within the year, if it wins, it automatically
goes on to the opposite coasts festival. However, if the project was exhibited,
and did not win the first time, and is entered a second time on the opposite
coast and wins, it will not move on to the next festival, since it has already
screened on both coasts.
14.Yes, too both…that is what makes FirstGlance™ a community, we love
to see filmmakers moving on to bigger and better projects and honing their craft,
and we hope that they include us in their festival circuit rounds. Because while
your projects are growing so is FirstGlance™.
15.Unfortunately, FirstGlance™ lives by entry fees and if we make one exception.
We must make many. This past year alone close to 250 individuals asked for waivers.
It costs an extensive amount of money to run a festival. FirstGlance™ is a truly
independent film festival which depends on the indie community to support its
growth and without the fee, there is no festival. We are sorry that you are
unable to enter our festival and we hope that when you are back on your feet
you think of FirstGlance™ to enter your project into.
16.We accept any type or genre of film or video, whether it is controversial,avant-garde,
experimental, mainstream, foreign, or domestic. We have no run-time limitations,
and your project can originate on any format. Sex, nudity, gore, violence, and
language are all permissible, however we will not accept pornography. If you
have any questions about what category your project falls into, email us.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE DID NOT ANSWER ON THIS PAGE OR ON THE APPLICATION
GUIDELINES, FEEL FREE TO DROP US AN EMAIL.
