How to Host Film Festivals Online & Make Money?

Amongst the many industries which got hit by the pandemic of Covid-19, there are film festivals as well. Yet it was able to bounce back with the backing of video streaming platforms. 

Yes if you are wondering how might it work for real then you must know that some of the world-famous film festivals ran their edition during the pandemic on streaming platforms only.

This might have also led the film festival circuits to the realization that they have now extended their red carpets to the screens of many people who might have been interested but stopped by the logistics of a physical edition.

In essence virtual film festivals have positively caught on. And they are here to stay!

Why Enter Yourself into a Virtual Film Festival?

As a creator or not, a suspicion tends to arise in their mind, when trying something new: why go through the trouble of it or is that really necessary?

But the awareness that a film festival is rather a communal celebration of works of their peers should put their mind at ease and in fact, get them thinking about applying to one of them.

The set up of a film festival also brings to spotlight (pun intended) all the varieties spread throughout their community. 

This could work in favor of keeping a check on the trends going on within the circuit.

An Objective Summary of The Benefits:

Now let us look at all that a film festival could provide to its community under a much commercial light,

• It assures them of a community to back the point of their interest in the field.
• It shows them a way to even gain a gratuity for their works in the form of prizes from contests.
• It highlights a filmmaker’s presence amidst the pool of sponsors, advisors and critics present in the film festival. 
• It gives them a dedicated forum for some or all of learning, recognition, monetization and inspiration.

Tips On How to Make A Strategic Entry

You think you might send in your short film to a film festival? But then you have started getting fierce about winning it?!

Here are some assistive thoughts to work around the uncertainty creators might experience during the application process,

•  Creators may want to make an early bird application since there is a price difference attached to late applications, generally speaking.
• Creators may want to be choosy about the film festivals they might apply for since some festivals impose the restriction of not accepting entries applied elsewhere.
• Creators may also want to be choosy with the film festivals for application since otherwise it might dig deeper into their pockets.

The Foundational Technology Behind Virtual Film Festivals

Now coming back to the wonder of virtual film festivals, and how they have been getting on. 

There requires a special platform much more than a common video streaming platform to bring out virtual editions of film festivals let alone the top film festivals in the world.

Take the case of a platform to support this argument. Say, GUDSHO which is a premium video monetization platform that extends an extensive set of features that might interest film festival organizers to partake in its platform.

The platform has a “soft spot” for film festivals going far as to make features appreciable in their perspective. To note one or two, “Special Screening” can be availed to put out special shows within a certain edition of the film festival.

Like such others could especially benefit the film festivals going online in recent times.

A Closer Look At Streaming Film Festivals Online 

The film festivals who take things up online devote their efforts to a video streaming technology that is well-defined in the form of a video streaming platform for film festivals.

Certain expectations come with picking a custom platform for film festivals. These surround various aspects of the business operations of its enterprise.

There will be needs such as monetization, library management, security, marketing amongst others

And the platform, without fail, must attend to every one of these. That is how a successful online movie festival can be pulled off.

GUDSHO: A Platform For Launching Online Film Festival Channels

We heard GUDSHO once before but now let us dive deeper into the offerings of this platform to the world of film festivals around the world.

Monetization firstly, the platform opens up four means of revenue generation- subscription-based (svod), pay per view (tvod), donations and sponsorships.

In recreating logistics of physical film festivals online, the platform makes it possible for not just critics or elite few to rate & review the films being circulated, rather the audience can too.

To hold the audience’s interest, the platform offers only high-quality, high-speed streaming that is compatible with any device. 

GUDSHO’s range of features & tools to further support virtual film festivals are aplenty and left to be discovered by you. But the important takeaway is that the platform shows special interest in this sector.

Just as you would enter GUDSHO, you can get to create your own channel with top features right from streaming to provide uninterrupted videos, channel management, video monetization, video security, and video analytics.

All you need to do is to signup at GUDSHO and then starting exploring the platform for increasing ROI rapidly. Along with channel creation, you can find lot of other options in settings such as checking your subscribed channels, following channels, watch history, etc.

The age of internet has given the power of independence in the hands of individual creators and talents. People who want to share information, art or other content on internet are completely free to do so. With the right tools, sharing and making money from any sort of content has become easy, affordable and accessible.

In GUDSHO, creators can take charge of their careers, and start publishing content without getting into any sort of periodical contracts. This great accessibility is put in the power of individuals like content vloggers, influencers, creators, etc. 

Choice of Video Content Delivery

There are two ways to take the film festival to your audience, say via an on-demand pathway or a live streaming counterpart. They two are unique and vouchable in their own separate ways.

Or if you are fixated on making the best of both these devices of streaming movies online then you may very well employ them both in your enterprise to see their combined returns or even to show your enterprise as a flexible one.

Now let us discuss each of them individually and in elaboration to an extent,

Film Festival Online via On-Demand Streaming

The most common form of video streaming can be touted as On-Demand Streaming.

Perhaps since the targeted audience is not on an urgent timeline to consume the content, rather the video contents are available for a relatively longer while.

This might also provoke the possibility of a longer period of monetization for the contents described therein.

Film Festival Online via Live Streaming

Live streaming can lend an edge of liveliness to the video streaming aspect of the enterprise. 

This will work in favor of bringing back the nostalgia of offline, on-ground, physical film festivals. 

You can almost reimagine the same gallant theater, glamorous professionals of the film industry visit year on year to convene in celebration of the impactful works released that year.

You might still reimagine this within the confines of a live-streaming schedule of a film festival. 

Steps of Similarity Between The Two Streaming Techniques

Now for both these pathways of streaming the steps to reach the target endpoint are almost similar except for one last point,

1. The first step is to create a website and an accompanying app.
2. The second step is to fit the newly formed website & app with elements befitting your enterprise which would be Film Festivals.
3. Then you would upload all the video contents to these.
4. Later you would have to lock down on a monetization model you are sticking with to monetize your film festival monetization platform/channel.
5. It is also commendable to aim for a wider reach for your contents with the help of multilingual audio and subtitle possibilities.
6. Not to mention you must make your business’ presence felt online to reach somewhere in revenue.

So then what’s left to concur is that the stakeholders on both sides of the streaming venture are at an equal advantage with respect to the streaming technique chosen. 

And their differentiation in the turnaround can be brought on by employing the most beneficial ideas in all aspects of the enterprise.

In conclusion,

We are at the end of this discussion engaging the idea of setting up a monetization channel for virtual film festivals.

We also saw that many festivals are now moving towards the virtual arena owing in a big amount to the pandemic and in small amounts to the futurization of the modern world.

There were even a few pointers on film festival submissions set up for success and the benefits of applying to film festival awards in the first place.

Nevertheless it must be noted that the transition has been one taken to by many which goes on to say that the future of film festivals may be virtual but definitely at least with a touch of hybrid.