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Marketing Your Project

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A successful film is more than a great story – it also needs an audience. Whether your goal is film festivals, distribution, graduate school, grants, or online release, marketing should begin long before your film is finished.

Develop a marketing strategy during pre-production, document your production as you shoot, and continue promoting your project throughout post-production and its festival run. Creating marketing materials as you go is significantly easier than trying to recreate them after production has wrapped.

Production Stills

Professional production stills are among the most valuable marketing assets you can create. Film festivals, distributors, sales agents, journalists, and streaming platforms routinely request high-quality photographs.

Designate a still photographer whenever possible and capture:

  • Behind-the-scenes photographs
  • The director working with cast and crew
  • Principal cast portraits
  • Key production moments
  • High-quality frame-worthy images from important scenes
  • Crew working in production
  • Equipment and production value shots

Capture far more photographs than you think you will need. Strong still photography can dramatically improve your film’s promotional materials and festival submissions.

Press Kit (Electronic Press Kit)

Every serious production should prepare a professional Electronic Press Kit (EPK). Many festivals, reviewers, distributors, and journalists request these materials.

A complete press kit should include:

  • Poster or key artwork
  • Logline (one or two sentences)
  • Short synopsis (one paragraph)
  • Long synopsis (one page maximum)
  • Director’s statement
  • Production notes
  • Director biography
  • Writer biography
  • Producer biography
  • Key crew biographies
  • Cast biographies (with permission)
  • Production stills
  • Behind-the-scenes photographs
  • Contact information
  • Festival premiere information (if applicable)
  • Awards and official selections as they are received

Maintain both a downloadable PDF version and an online version for easy sharing.

Electronic Press Kit (Video)

A video EPK is an excellent promotional tool and should be created throughout production. Capture interviews with:

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producers
  • Principal cast
  • Cinematographer
  • Production Designer
  • Composer
  • Editor

Also record:

  • Behind-the-scenes footage
  • Camera setups
  • Lighting setups
  • Crew interactions
  • Time-lapse footage
  • Production meetings
  • ADR, editing, color correction, and sound mixing sessions

These materials can later be edited into featurettes, promotional videos, crowdfunding updates, social media content, or festival marketing pieces.

Poster and Key Art

Develop professional artwork that reflects your film’s tone and genre. At a minimum, create:

  • One-sheet poster
  • Square social media artwork
  • Landscape banner
  • Festival thumbnail
  • Website banner

Consistent branding across all marketing materials makes your project appear more professional.

Trailer

Your trailer is often the first—and sometimes only—opportunity to convince someone to watch your film.

For short films, aim for:

  • 30–60 seconds for social media promotion.
  • 60–90 seconds for festivals and professional promotion.

Avoid revealing the ending. Focus on creating curiosity rather than summarizing the story.

Website

A dedicated website gives your project a permanent online home. Include:

  • Trailer
  • Synopsis
  • Poster
  • Production stills
  • Cast and crew
  • Press kit downloads
  • Festival screenings
  • Awards
  • Contact information
  • Social media links

CalArts students may build a free website using Cargo Collective by requesting a student promotional code through the Center for Life and Work.

One Sheet

A One Sheet is a single-page marketing document that summarizes your project.

Typical contents include:

  • Poster artwork
  • Title
  • Logline
  • Synopsis
  • Runtime
  • Genre
  • Director
  • Key cast
  • Contact information
  • Website
  • QR code
  • Festival laurels (when available)

This document is useful when meeting industry professionals, attending festivals, and networking. Link to one sheet example.

Social Media

Social media is one of the most effective—and least expensive—ways to build an audience before your film is released.

Develop a posting schedule that begins during pre-production and continues throughout production, post-production, and festival submissions.

Platforms commonly used by filmmakers include:

  • Instagram — Production stills, announcements, reels, and stories.
  • TikTok — Behind-the-scenes videos, production updates, filmmaking tips, and short promotional clips.
  • YouTube — Trailers, EPKs, interviews, featurettes, and production diaries.
  • Vimeo — Private screeners, portfolio work, and professional presentations.
  • X — Festival announcements, industry networking, and production updates.
  • Threads — Conversations with filmmakers and creative communities.
  • Facebook — Events, production updates, photos, and audience engagement.
  • LinkedIn — Professional production milestones, crew recognition, and networking.
  • Letterboxd — Build awareness by engaging with the film community after your release.

Crowdfunding and Audience Building

Crowdfunding platforms can raise funds while simultaneously building an audience. Popular platforms include:

  • Seed&Spark
  • Kickstarter
  • Indiegogo

A successful campaign not only finances your project but also creates early supporters who are more likely to follow your film through festivals and distribution.

Email Marketing

While social media is valuable, an email list remains one of the most reliable ways to communicate with your audience.

Collect email addresses from supporters, collaborators, festival attendees, and interested viewers so you can announce screenings, awards, crowdfunding campaigns, and release dates.

Festival Marketing

Once your film begins its festival run:

  • Update your website regularly.
  • Announce every official selection.
  • Share festival laurels.
  • Post audience reactions.
  • Publish screening photos.
  • Thank festivals publicly.
  • Tag collaborators and festival organizations.

These updates help build momentum throughout your film’s life.

Best Practices

  • Begin marketing before production starts.
  • Capture behind-the-scenes content every production day.
  • Maintain consistent branding across all platforms.
  • Save all artwork, logos, graphics, and promotional files in high resolution.
  • Keep your press kit updated throughout your film’s lifecycle.
  • Build relationships with your audience—not just when you need them.

Great marketing tells the story behind your film as well as the story on screen. The audience begins discovering your project long before they ever watch it, and thoughtful marketing can be the difference between a film that is simply completed and one that is widely seen.

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