Humboldt Film Festival Part II

1. How many entries did they get this year? For films make sure to ask them to distinguish between features and shorts.
   - Their most recent festival got 99 entries. The year before they received 130. When they had more funding (aka before budget cuts) they were getting over 200.
   
2. How many films do they aim to screen each year? How many papers/presentations do they accept? Again, for films make sure to ask them to distinguish between features and shorts.
   - They said it depends on how long the films are, but usually about 5 each block, so 5-20 total.
   
3. What is their pre-screening process?
   - The class members do the pre-screening. They will watch 3 minutes of a piece and then take a vote to see if they want to continue watching it. The films they decide not to watch will be further reviewed by the ADs so they don't end up tossing what they intend to keep.
   
4. How many pre-screeners do they have each year?
   - There are 20 students in the class, and they all screen the films together.
   
5. Who is typically chosen as a pre-screener?
   - The students in the class
   
6. How do they score entries? Do they use a scoring template/rubric? Are there scoring guidelines?
   - They use a rubric to grade the films. As far as guidelines, they just said that there is a "quality of excellence" they like to see in the film before they will screen it. I asked them what that meant, and they said that "You know a good film when you see one". Hard to argue that. I emailed to see if I could get a copy of the rubric and will post when I hear back.
   
7. Do you have a jury after the pre-screening process has ended?
   - This part was really cool. Each year they get industry professionals to come and judge the festival. There are 2 judges and they pay them a combined $3,000 to come. BUT, they also have the judges do a Q&A with the students in the class when they come. (And I'm sure it adds to the appeal of submitting to their festival) One year they had John Coda, a film composer come to judge. The final night is the "Best of Fest" night, where they play what the judges have decided are the top films.
   
8. How far in advance do they send out their call for entries? How do entries typically roll in? Early?Late? In waves?
   - They normally send out the call for entries in October. They mostly come in late, and in waves.
   
9. How many paid employees do they have each year? How many volunteers?
    - The only people staffing the festival are the students in the class. There are 20 students for both semesters.
   
10. Do you use specific programming, trafficking, budgeting software? Do you like it?
    - The only softwares they mentioned using were Excel and Word. Also Photoshop for posters and advertisements.
    
11. What community outreach do you do outside of your festival season to keep your event on the public's radar and/or to raise funds? (Workshops, mini-festivals, fundraiser dinners, etc.)
    - They have a bunch of different fundraising events including projecting films onto old buildings, a raffle, screen films on campus, have a music/art night event, put on the Rocky Horror Picture Show, brand their own coffee..etc. 
    
12. Do you give out swag bags to visiting filmmakers? Presenters? Guests? If so, what type of items do you include in those bags?
    - They give out coupons and free passes to local restaurants and things to the filmmakers. For the guests, they have a raffle, but it is not free. 
    
13. Do presenter/filmmaker pay registration to attend?
    - No.
    
14. Are you able to provide presenters/filmmakers with funds to cover travel or lodging?
    - They do not provide funds to the filmmakers to travel, but they do get in free.
    
15. What "perks" do your filmmakers/scholars enjoy at your festival/conference? What else do you encourage them to do while they're in town? m(Free dinners, tours, exclusive activities...in Wilm, we'd try to take them to the beach, Screen Gems tour, etc.)
    - They ask around town for free passes/coupons to restaurants and different businesses in town to hand out to their filmmakers. 
    
16. Do you have special donor perks during the event? Or how do you thank them?
    - They thank their donors by displaying each one as a scrolling "billboard" on the big screen every night before and after the festival as people come and go. 
    
17. What do they wish they had done differently or better when they were first starting out? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?
    - Their advice to us was to be very thrifty in the way we use our resources and spend money!
    
18. If it’s a festival or conference that no longer is in existence...why did it end?
    - N/A
    
19. Any other ideas or advice that we haven’t thought to ask about? 
    - They get most of their money from grants, but usually bring in another $3,000 from their own fundraising.
    

Here is a copy of their scoring rubric: