Selling Shorts:

Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Hastings, UK

This is part of article That has come from 3DWorld.... latest issue and am currently sort of gleaning from to make into article for Dotan8....You might like to have a read ... there are a lot of helpful items within and I will update as soon as I can finish the article so keep checking back

1: Know what you are promoting and what you hope to get out of it: your approach will be different if you are trying to win an Oscar or a Bafta than if your just getting your reel out there

2: Create a Successful development website: Get your own URL its your first amabassador Visitors will judge your film based on the look, feel and professionalism of your website. Update it Frequently

3: Wait before you post your film: Posting your film online can get you a big Audience, but many Film Festivals refuse to accept films that have been on the Web.

4:Generate Some Press Interest in your Film: Unlike website, whose content constantly change, magazines such as 3DWorld, Animation and Stash present a more lasting record of your message. Address the Editor, and present one good reason why he or she should want to watch your film , include one or two stills and a link to the trailer.DO NOT attach the film: if the editors want more, they`ll ask.

5:Join The YouTube Army: some animators feel that to release work on YouTube alongside amateur content looks Unproffessional, particularly for commercial projects.Others dissagree. Three Legged legs have enjoyed increased exposure through YouTube, although they lament the overcompressed clips quality.

6: Stay on Message- Keep it Sharp: When dealing with any promotional opportunity, be clear about what you are presenting. Sending anyone an entire unsolicited press kit is overkill, in the inital email or letter no-one needs to know who the second assistant Directors wardrobe assistant was! Any irrelevaent or dull information increases the risk
that your central message will be diluted and quite possibly Binned.

7:Promote yourself to websites: Most of us have a favourite site where we can keep upwith the latest CG news and projects 3DTotal (www.3dTotal.com) CGSociety(www.CGSociety.com) CGChannel (www.cgchannel.com) and AWN(www.awn.com) are amongst the best places to promote your work online.

8:Get Active in your Community: Forums are a great place to network with other artists and spread the news about your work. CGSocietys CGTalk www.cgtalk.com is the undisputed King of CG forums, but the other major sites have respectable forums too!, as well as PolyLoop http://forums.polyloop.net and CGArena www.cgarena.com get to know the community and play your part before starting to toot your own horn Forum Signatures are a useful promotional aide if you keep the message brief " watch my film at www.animanon.com" is plenty

9:Advertise or Setup Banner exchange: If you have a budget try google AdSense www.google.com/AdSense No Budget? Then arrange a link or Banner Exchange Project Wonderful www.projectwonderful.com is a low cost alternative

10:Know your Blogs and Bloggers: Most artists list cartoon Brew and Drawn! as must see Blogs www.cartoonbrew.com www.drawn.ca You probably visit the personal blogs of well known animators ... contact them and they might mention your project. A brief polite and relevant email to the Blogger is the awy to go Keep youer promotions out of the comments sections

11:Start Early..But Not Too Early: Don`t wait until you`ve finished your project to start promoting it.Set up your site as a hub to begin building buzz and a fanbase: then work the forums and blogs. If you are over a year from releae, however, your too early! People have short attention spans.

12: To Be or Not To Be- The Power of IMDB : If your project does not have a website to many people , it doesn`t exsist. likewise` to those that frequent IMDB www.imdb.com if your project isn`t listed at the site it doesn`t exsist. take the time to fill in the details . Don`t wait for someone else to do it- they`ll get it wrong!

More to come!

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:42 am

Kreator wrote:

This is part of article That has come from 3DWorld.... latest issue and am currently sort of gleaning from to make into article for Dotan8....

HUH! I smell plagiarism kreator . . . Laughing

Just kidding.

Most of those things I'm planning on doing for my current project (with exception to the film festival bit (It's not a film, it's a series. )) The developmental website will come when there's some development.

Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 295 Location: cardboard box

it's not plagiarism, it's "research"

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:46 pm

Tomato Tomato. Wait, that doesn't work in writing.

Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 295 Location: cardboard box

hehe. silly American.

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:53 pm

Visualize with me, if you will, a brick wall. Now forget that and imagine Tomato being pronounced two different, but correct ways, and being symbolic of two words representing the same idea except spoken differently from person to person.

Hey I'm proud to be an American! Who's with me? Anybody? C'mon America! Back me up!

Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 295 Location: cardboard box

America: sit down and shut up eric, just except it, Hector is right and always will be because he is british,

Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 405 Location: Sydney, Australia

Shutup you stupid POM
(It's an Australian thing)

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 7:37 pm

Now that everybody has shut up, lets get back to the topic: presenting your film project to the public.

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:02 pm

hey! Pom is a New Zealand thing not an Australian thing

you Ozzies must have stolen it Laughing

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:18 pm

Lets all agree that it's both. I looked it up, it is used in both Australia and New Zealand.

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:56 pm

I thought that we were having a slanging match for a second here.

I wouldn't even dare to get involved with this cos knowing me I would say something that would straight away be turned on it heads right back at me.