BEFORE YOU SCHEDULE:

2) Line up your groups and videos and establish a minimum of commitment for everyone involved to be able to pull off the show. Maybe some groups can decide later which videos they want to show, but you will need at least an hour worth of video to watch if nothing else is planned. Don't screen too much. Shoot for 1 - 1.5 hours.

3) Who will be the Host or Master of Ceremonies (MC)? Are there related events to this show? What can she ask people to support or do after they leave your show? Get flyers and fact sheets for upcoming events and related issues to hand out to people as they come in, to pass around during the MC's intros, or to simply have available at a literature table.

SCHEDULING THE SHOW:

Links to other lists of venues:
Flicker's Venues for Experimental Film Video Showcases
NAAMC's Directory of Exhibition Space/Programs

2) Talk with the Artistic Director or some other point person who is in charge of scheduling. It may take months in advance to get a slot and to be included on the venue's calendar, their advertising, and other outreach. Or you might not care so much about that (although good advertising greatly improves attendance) and can negotiate for a show on an off-night when they have nothing scheduled.

3) Determine the due date for submitting a description of the show for use in the venue's calendar and/or on their website, if they have these resources. Include at least one compelling graphic (often a still from the video itself if you have some accesss to that technology) that describes the show or issues involved.

3 WEEKS BEFORE SCREENING

2) Fax press release to local media. Be sure to include your suggested donation amount for admission (we always say "No one turned away for lack of funds," and we mean it). You can also say something like "Sliding Scale, $5-50."

- some calendars want to know if the venue is Handicapped Accessible, or other details.
- you might also want to suggest to the local media some way that your screening might qualify for coverage by tieing it in with recent or upcoming political actions or events.

3) Make Internet and e-mail postings:
- visit http://Protest.Net
- build an email list of interested people and organizations if you do regular screenings. You can surf around a bit on the internet for some local organizations to Spam, and you can make a Sign-Up Sheet for your audience to get more info in the future. Be sure to ask for Name, Phone Number and Email Address.
- these days, postal mailings may be more expensive than they are worth unless you are an organization with some cash flow.

4) Explore other ways to announce your event. If you're doing it in the San Francisco Bay Area, ask to have it announced on the VAN Hotline: (415-789-8484).

5) Discuss serving refreshments with a local Food Not Bombs group or your friendly local health food store (like Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco) if the screening is about an issue they might support. This is also another way to raise money if you charge for drinks or snacks. Sometimes the venue itself has this covered because it can be so valuable.

5) Make invitations to groups who might have appropriate tabling material available. Find out if you need to have a table or space made available for them.

2 WEEKS BEFORE THE SCREENING

2) Post flyer at local media and arts centers early on. For Example:

- Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC)
2727 Mariposa, San Francisco
415-861-3282 phone
415-861-4316 fax
bavc@bavc.org
www.bavc.org

- Film Arts Foundation (FAF)
346 9th Street (Folsom/Harrison), San Francisco
415-552-8760 phone
415-552-0882 fax
filmarts@best.org
www.filmarts.org

3) Fax or post flyers at local organizations and non-profits that would support the event: environmental, labor, community, human rights, etc.

4) Begin flyering of the town or neighborhood the event will screen in.

1 WEEK BEFORE THE SCREENING

2) Confirm times and responsabilities with people involved in the screening. Who runs the projector? Who collects admission? Give them the basic schedule of the night and remind them to show up 45-60 minutes before the show to help set up (depending on how much they are involved). Determine who will stay to help clean up and gather your materials.

3) Begin saturation flyering. In San Francisco, target politically active neighborhoods. Focus on coffee shops, cafes, bookstores, community centers and health food stores. Telephone poles and walls are okay, but get pulled down or covered up quickly. You should check them daily for replacement.

4) Phone calls: call your friends, activists, everyone you know to remind them about the show. This works. Make a follow up call to your local media contact if this is truly a newsworthy event.

SHOW TIME

2) Audience usually begins arriving 15 -30 minutes before show time and (in San Francisco) often for 30 minutes after. Figure on starting show about 10 - 20 minutes after scheduled time.

3) You are the bottom-line for the show. That means you need to stick around to help clean up coffee cups and newspapers and other trash left on the floor, that you make sure you get the money from the staff person or volunteer who was doing the door, and that screening room chairs and tables are in order.

... But don't forget to chill out and meet some new people - screenings are great for networking and socializing. Have fun, that's half the reason to do another one!

*Video Curation, Venues and Promotion Links:

Last updated on 25/FEB/04

Give feedback to:
Video Activist Network
PO Box 40130
San Francisco, CA 94140 USA
(415) 789-8484
info@videoactivism.org