To me, a festival is like summer camp. There are a lot of people you will probably never speak to again. But once every few years, you’ll meet someone who will end up becoming a lifer. And that’s what this week’s Film Fest Friday post is all about.

1. Festivals are the best places to meet people who will be lifers.

lif·er: lasting a lifetime; lifelong

When you attend a festival with the intention of finding people you can genuinely connect with (rather than finding the next victim to push your film on) it’s obvious. It won’t happen every festival, but you will eventually find someone who “gets”  you. I mean, really gets you. I promise you … nothing will be more refreshing.

For us, one of our favorite people in the industry came out of a weekend in Boulder while we were screening at the Boulder International Film Festival. If you are ever chosen to screen there, you better find a way to get there. You’ll have the best weekend of your life and be in fabulous company. In our segment alone, there were 3 Oscar nominated films. (No need to pack your ego, you won’t be needing it on this trip. You’re just lucky to be there. But do bring a coat, it gets chilly!)

When we met our new BFF in Boulder, we hadn’t seen his film yet (nor had he seen ours). In fact, we all mentioned before the screening that it would be a total buzz kill if we hated each other’s work. I sat in-between the two filmmakers during the screening and clenched my teeth throughout both films. When it was finished, I watched as both guys sighed in relief that the friendship wasn’t doomed to failure due to poor taste and lack of talent. (You can check out what they’re doing at Druid Films here and here … The Academy did and decided to hook them up with a nomination this year.)

2. It’s easy to promote someone else’s projects when you really like them as a person and love their work

We talk about what these guys are up to every chance we get because we believe in what they’re doing as filmmakers.

And that’s what happens when you’re more intentional about building meaningful relationships than whoring out your film. You find people you can really connect with that give you just the amount of hope you need to keep going in this industry. Festivals are the place to make those connections. If you don’t take advantage of that caveat, you’re really missing out on an opportunity to find the lifers you’ve been looking for.

You don’t have to take my word for it. These folks have been around the block more times than I and even they would conquer:

Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Film-Festival-Survival-Guide/dp/1580650570

Sharon Badal’s Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution http://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Upstream-Lifesaving-Guide-Distribution/dp/0240809556/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283971248&sr=1-2

* Tune in next week for practical tips on how to make the most of your conversations during festival weekends!

For many writers, it’s the most terrifying sentence they will ever hear: “It’ll be a great script with a few rewrites.” I can’t even count the number of time I’ve been stuck in rewrites, wanting to bash my head through my monitor in hopes that, as my body convulses with electricity, my brain will somehow meld with the digital script and yield, in my dying breath, a suitable draft. Yet recently, I’ve developed a few habits that have kept my relationship with rewrites at an amiable friendly-enemies status. So, for all you blog-sloggers, here’s my Tips on Rewrites.

Never rewrite before you’re done writing. It is all too easy when you’re working on a script, particularly a feature or anything that takes months to complete, to go back to earlier pages and see obvious mistakes and weak scenes that will need to be rewritten. But beware. That is one of the biggest pitfalls of a new writer. It’s also easy to get stuck on that “important scene.” I know, I know, the whole movie hinges on it being perfect! But for now, the whole script’s existence hinges on it being not perfect. I’m not saying to write crap. I’m saying you need to be okay with placeholders. The most important step in writing a script is to write the script. I have several writer friends who have never finished their first screenplay because they’re stuck rewriting something that doesn’t even exist yet. It’s like trying to build a Lego by taking one piece at a time out of the box at random. It’ll never work. You’ve got to pour out all the pieces at once into a big messy pile, figure out what you’re working with, and then start constructing. Just puke those pages out, sloppy as they may be. You can always fix them with rewrites. Plus, you’ll be surprised with how much gold will end up coming out unexpectedly. Once you have a completed first draft, take some time off, and then begin the rewrites.

Set realistic draft goals. Don’t think you’ll be shooting the first draft. Or even the second draft. Don’t even think you’ll be giving the first draft to your friends. You should only pass out your script when you’ve gotten it as good as you can get it yourself without feedback. Set a plan for your rewrites. Figure out what will be accomplished with each draft. My writing partner and I have a four-draft plan for most our scripts. Granted, we tend to write six or more drafts when all is said and done. But just think of four drafts as the minimum. Your first draft is just to get the story out. If you are having trouble with that first step, I would suggest creating an outline as a sort-of pre-first-draft. I always do. Your second draft is for you. Everything you are not happy with as you reread it. As a side note, it usually helps to take some time off between each draft. A week for a small project, a month for something bigger. Work on another small project, play some video games, go see some movies. Then come back with a fresh perspective. Once you have a second draft (and I don’t mean a polished 1st draft — you need to honestly be willing to cut/add/rewrite entire scenes if need be), then I would find a few trusted friends (not your mom) who will give you honest, perhaps even harsh, criticisms. From these critiques you’ll construct your third draft. Your fourth will be like your second; just for you. Make sure that all the notes you incorporated in your third draft don’t feel inconsistent with your original vision. Make everything shine. This fourth draft is usually the one I would show any perspective buyers, producers, or directors. And I would tell them it’s a first draft. Because once you have a team signed on, the whole process will start again. Bringing us to the next tip:

Learn to filter feedback. Everyone will have their own opinion. Sometimes they’ll be right. But more often than not, they are simply adding another perspective. You will never be able to write a script that the whole production team loves through-and-through. But you can write a script that has something for everyone. The key is learning how to pick your battles and

how to make compromises. If you get the same note from different people, chances are it’s a legit concern. If you get conflicting feedback from two sources, go with whatever you feel resonates with you the most, or try to find a suitable middle-ground. When all is said and done, it’s your script, not the producers’, and it’s up to you to write it. Their job is just to push you to do the best you can. In some cases, you’ll even get notes that you just don’t agree with. That’s okay. You will never be able to incorporate everyone’s notes. Just look at any movie you see on the big screen. There will always be a scene or a character choice or a line of dialogue that you would have replaced or cut. But that’s because that was not your script. Filmmaking is subjective art. The most important thing is that you don’t lose sight of your love; the passion that ignited the script. As long as you hold on to that, you will always find the words needed for a rewrite. And another rewrite. And another….

Ryan Scott Self – Writer of Official Selection, Survival Value and Pure.

www.ryanscottself.com