Filmmaking / Directing : Short Videos to Promote Films by Maurice Vaughan

I promote my two best films through my website. I often share the link in e-mails, Whatsapp and other platforms like Linkedin. I approach my network mainly in writing, sometimes adding a still. YouTube Shorts and TikTok is funny, but for kids. https://www.firestarterfilmstudio.com/about-us/

Oh man, this is such a hard one to tackle. Because I feel like I'd need to promote stuff through every venue available, but at the same time what's stopping me is the knowledge that if I go down that road I won't have time to deal with everything else. Because social media promotion takes up so much time and if you only post every so often then nothing sticks anyway. So you're either all in or not at all or something.

Thanks for sharing how you promote your films, Willem Elzenga. I think promoting films through websites, email newsletter, and platforms is important. And speaking of websites, when I connect with a director, I go to their website to see their work. It helps for directors to showcase their work on social media, but I think websites give directors an advantage.

I haven't thought about sharing projects through WhatsApp. I might can do that with my scripts and other projects. Thanks for the idea.

I know what you mean, Vital Butinar. I don't have time to promote my scripts and other projects on every social media account. I focus on two social media accounts. Stage 32 and Twitter/X. I also have Instagram, but that's mainly to share things about Stage 32 and attend the Stage 32 Community Wrap-Up events.

Something that might help you is scheduling posts ahead of time (like when you're doing something like eating breakfast) so they can post later on when you're busy writing scripts, doing things on set, etc.

Hi!

No, I don't. Again, I will only speak from personal experience here.

I guess if you've hooked up with a studio or production company, and they've helped you make the product, then of course you want little teasers and stuff to promote it. If you don't, nobody will know what it is lol

However--I could be wrong here, but this is my own personal gamble--if you've created a film and it's not that good, and you know it's not that good, you're shooting yourself in the foot by promoting it everywhere. Think about it: you meet a company, and you say you want to direct it, then they'll want to see your work. But if your work sucks, good night.

BUT

Let's say you don't have anything out there. You're a guy who hasn't proven he can do it, sure, but you're ALSO a guy who hasn't shown that he's bad. Read that again. The allure of "Maybe this person might be great if given the chance with a real team" is much better than "Well, he sounded great, but I checked his shorts and everything is terrible. We can't do it."

Again, I'm speaking from personal experience. I tried to make my pilot with a ten-minute teaser and myself as the actor lol It got 20,000 views and people on my Instagram loved it, so why didn't that do anything? Why didn't anyone in the industry take it seriously?

Well, I didn't have a real cinematographer. I had a $1,000 budget. I hadn't researched, educated myself on directing in any way. I didn't even know there were certain dead give aways on camera that showed I was an amateur. This hurt me and put me back years, dramatically.

Then I stopped using the teaser. I promoted it as a project on paper that could be enormous with the right team and made the right way. Now that is certainly getting people's attention.

My last bit of advice is the eye test. Be honest with yourself: when I look at my film does it look like it belongs in theaters with the rest? No? Then it's not ready for the public eye.

Thanks,

"Warren's Finest," Danny Range

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice, Danny Range. Great tip about the eye test!

"I guess if you've hooked up with a studio or production company, and they've helped you make the product, then of course you want little teasers and stuff to promote it. If you don't, nobody will know what it is lol

I see your point, but the teasers and short promotional stuff are to get people to look into what the project is (click on the filmmaker's YouTube channel to find the full trailer, go to the filmmaker's social media to find out more about the project, etc.).