Rebekah Louisa Smith, The Film Festival Doctor

  Welcome back, friends, to our podcast, Unlocking Your World of Creativity. And here we are at episode 296. And right before I introduce today's guest, I'd like to tell you that tomorrow I'll be posting a playlist of Christmas holiday songs, a wide range of artists. These are not the tired songs you're going to hear on the radio every five minutes.

These are some new fresh holiday songs so come back tomorrow for that. And of course, that means we're approaching our milestone episode 300. We'll have a reunion of guests planned. So you won't want to miss that. So it's a great time to subscribe to the podcast on any of your favorite apps.

We're on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon music, Audacy, iHeart, All the podcast apps. So be sure you subscribe now. So let's bring in today's creative guests. We're going to talk about strategies for winning awards, ways we can adopt a winning mindset, and especially for us creatives, ways to build resilience in the face of obstacles and rejection.

And my guest is Rebekah Louisa Smith. Rebekah, how are you? Hi,

good, thank you. How are

you? I'm terrific. Rebekah is an award winning film festival strategist. She's founder of the Film Festival Doctor. I love that twist that we need a bit of a doctor attention to our film festival strategies for sure.

What inspired you, Rebekah, to really venture into this idea of film festival strategies? Not just entering, but entering to win.

I began my current film, predominantly producing film festivals. That's how I got into the area. It was all by accident as well. I didn't plan to get into that world of film festivals.

It just happened, but all for the right reasons. And one of the things I noticed was that I asked filmmakers what they liked and disliked about film festivals, just for like my general research, because I was really loving the, producing the festival. I love all that world. It was like, My home, my second home.

And they all said, Oh we love festivals and we love going to them, meeting new people, winning awards getting our films seen, having fun. We actually don't know how to get our films into festivals. There's nobody we can turn to, to ask. So we're just hoping for the best and seeing what happens.

at that time. This is back in: 2010

So I was like I'm going to start this company up. So I did my research and there was one person who was doing it at the time, not anymore, but he was doing it and it was a kind of a side gig. But I thought there's plenty here to develop and it's a great model that he's got. And I thought, I'm going to make this scene, I'm going to make this service, which is probably seen as like a luxury service, having a festival strategist by your side, and make it into a more mainstream and essential part of the distribution process for films.

And you started your career in the UK. You're based in Dallas now. Tell us about that journey and what you've learned from the various creatives and filmmakers because you must have seen some connecting of the dots, but also, things that jump out is here's what's working, here's what's not working.

Here's what we need to focus on. Here's what we need to eliminate all these kinds of things. What have you seen?

So I've seen since I began this company to, to, to present day there's been a surge of film festivals. Some are really good and really important. They're really important for the community, for the local, for the locals, for the industry where they are.

And then they grow and grow because they're very committed people that are doing it because they want to celebrate film. And it's not a business venture, but there's also been a lot of festivals which are making money through doing these like online award festivals, which aren't really festival.

A festival is like a physical event where people go and watch films, discover filmmakers, celebrate and, come together and have organic networking and strengthen their careers, and get confidence by getting the film out there. These online award festivals. They're scams because you just buy an award.

It means absolutely nothing. No one sees the film. We didn't even get watched. So we, they say, all right, it's a comedy, let's give it best comedy. They're not the best things. And I want those like literally banned, but unfortunately that's not going to happen because of, bigger fish don't really do much about that in terms of like certain platforms, but there you go.

But that is one of those things I've seen a surge in. So I always say to filmmakers is please ignore when you see them come your way, if you see them and it sounds tempting to stay strong and follow the strategy and stick to the plan, which is why it's very important. That one has a strategy and understands what those red flags are and how to avoid them and how to remain focused.

So that's been the biggest thing I've seen. I've also seen an increase in films, like there has been so many more films made and that is due to changing technology. I have films that come my way that are shot on a mobile phone. And look quite good, like Tangerine, broke that mold of this is what you can do on a mobile phone before, like there's an iPhone 13.

So now there's there's even equipment made for mobile phones and there's categories that are mobile phone films. Quite interesting. VR has become now a thing at festivals, never used to be. Episodics and web series are on the rise, in certain territories, they're more popular than others, but there's a nice big mix of variety than what there was previously.

And it's exciting to see so much more creativity. That's terrific.

And what sort of films are you working on now, trying to get out there on the circuit?

Yeah. So we've got a lovely I like to say portfolio, people say it's slate, but either way, we have a great slate of films. So we have feature films, documentaries, short films, we have a VR project, unproduced screenplay and episodic.

So I'm very excited about all of them. And two of the films that what I represent and what I consult on have become also qualified. The Oscar qualifying awards at festivals this year. So now they're obviously submitted and hoping it's cross for nomination. We've got a lot of films from South Africa because I do a lot of work with South African filmmakers, people of color, and one of those films actually won the Oscar qualifying award at Chicago children's festival which is excellent.

And the VR film is really interesting. That's like an immersive experience of watching. It's very spiritual piece and it's immersive because you're. Encouraged to eat ice cream when you see it, because for the sensory experience. So that's really exciting. That's just come in a few about months or so ago.

So put on the circuit right now. Our documentaries are really good. We have a documentary called Texas Music Revolution that is looking at predominantly it's actually shot here in, in Bikini. So it's near Dallas. And it's about this wonderful radio station putting on a a gig during a time when the Texas weather gets a bit crazy and it has interviews with legends of country music and also Kiefer Sutherland, who came to the Woodstock Film Festival with us this year, did a brilliant performance because he's also a singer, is a country singer.

And he's incredible. The film's really interesting too, because it talks a lot about the history that you didn't know of this genre of music and how big a deal Dallas is to help him put it all together. So nice, different, various mix, we've got lots of dramas and all different phases of their campaigns.

Some are, halfway through, some are just beginning, some are at the end. So it's exciting each year to have that different

flow. Yeah. It's what a diverse portfolio, as you say, it's a great slate of films. And Rebecca, the success mindset of filmmakers, they almost have to, and I know one of your techniques is vision boards, which I totally love and embrace.

And I'm thinking about, you've got to see yourself in Park City, Utah. You've got to see yourself with the people networking. You've got to see your film in the theaters. You've got to embrace what it feels like to be a winner. How do you integrate Obviously you're looking at practical business skills and, filmmaking creativity aspects.

But these more mental, almost spiritual techniques to foster their personal growth, how do you put all of those together?

So the way I do it, it's a little bit different to say how other people might do a festival strategy. But I take into account, the key thing, which is what the filmmakers want to achieve with their film.

The key goals. Recommendations of festivals, the right list of festivals is the key thing. But I want to also add another layer to that, which is looking after the mental health. Because this journey is a marathon, not a sprint, but it can really test filmmakers in terms of emotional stability and then obviously mental health.

And the big thing that triggers it is when they get their rejection letter. Because rejection is part of the process. You're going to get rejected from a film festival. You're not going to get into every single festival you submit to. I mean it's not, it's just not going to happen. Because there's so many films that get submitted.

No film gets into every single festival. There's always going to be some it won't get into. For many reasons. But it's how people cope with the rejection. So I say to them, look, this festival strategy, Is the right roadmap for the film, the right kind of festivals recommended here. And what I suggest you do in between waiting for notifications to come in is learn how to ground yourself and how to approach a rejection letter and to remember that in the world of festivals, very rarely nowadays, is it because they didn't like the film it's because of.

There was not enough room to program it, political issues, sponsorship a regional requirement. Maybe it wasn't going to click with the audience. Maybe there's a film that was similar and it was just having to toss a coin. There's many reasons why, but do not take anything personally. So I give them a little toolbox and ask them to read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

And that's a great book because it tells you how to not take things personally or to assume, because that's really crucial when it comes to the world of film festivals, especially to never think, Oh, they didn't like it. They didn't like me. It's a bad review. It's probably the opposite. So to never think that because it can take you down like a downward spiral and also give them a toolbox of vision boards and EFT, so emotional freedom technique, which is just how to, tap on the body, the trapped emotions that might come out when the no comes in.

And most importantly, I think there's actually this next step is. This is like for every industry, not just film, but it's to remove attachment emotionally. And in this case, to see the film as a finished product and not your little baby that's now getting out there. Obviously you care about it, but to treat it as a product and to appreciate that people in the film festival world and.

Sales, distribution, all this kind of thing and PR marketing, they just look at the product and how they can sell it and how they can best get it out there. They don't care so much about the backstory about making it, obviously it's hard to make a film, but it's just important to detach from it and see it as a product that is now getting out there.

So good. And you've captured a lot of these ideas and concepts in your book, Born to Do It, and even the title has this, first of all, you were destined, you were born to do this, but there's also this call to action, do it. How many times do we hold our creativity in and say it's not ready.

I knew they would reject it. I'm no good, but to put ourselves out there and to say, we've got to do it.

That's what we should all do, and it's, that's about belief, so it's really believing that comes to believing in yourself and that, you've made this and it's worthy of an audience.

It's gonna get seen and to just be confident to get it out there and to be able to go on the journey with it. And be able to be open to constructive feedback and to go on the journey and see where it takes you, a lot from festivals, for example, by doing that, we had a client who went to a brilliant festival, the Sedona film festival in Arizona, and he said I've got a new perspective now.

I've had a wonderful time at this festival. I've given him a smoking and drinking for one thing, and I'm just seeing now the appreciation for the film and that I did the right thing by. Just getting it out there and not holding back by thinking it wasn't good enough because I've seen it so many times, I can't look at it objectively.

Now it needs a fresh pair of eyes and that fresh pair of eyes has changed me and also helped me look at the film differently and appreciate for what it is and not to put too much pressure on myself.

Very good. And you speak of this filmmaker's experience, but you've had your own and the fact that you even flip this idea, it's just not a can do attitude, but it really is a mental health issue, isn't it?

And dealing with anxiety and panic attacks as many, including you have, how do we then prioritize and balance? I've got to get this work, and I have this passion for the work and yet I have to have some self care in this too.

Yeah, find the balance is crucial when it comes to being a filmmaker, especially, and the way to find it is to like to have a 50 50 in your life so it can get very all consuming when you're making a film and the edit process the whole lot and festivals can become time consuming too.

Going there, but also doing submissions, organizing them. It's a lot of time. So to do is what I call the 50 50. So spend half the day on the film and the other half of the day is to really get out. The way I do it and say to people is to get out and be with nature. Go for a walk, go for a long walk, do what you need to do, but remember not to.

Get so immersed that it just becomes exhausting and you then get fatigue because we don't need, you can't have fatigue when you're doing film festivals, traveling the circuit, being a filmmaker, it's really important to break the day down. And when you come back from a long walk or just get a time out and not look at it, you become more fresh and.

And rejuvenated and able to carry on. And that's a balance. If you end up doing eight hours straight and feel drained, that means it feels too much like work and not what, you saw purpose and what you should be doing, because you need to take that recharge. It's really important to keep doing that.

So that's how I say to get the balance and to also not keep thinking about the film. So when you've done the submissions. For the film, for festivals, then, detach and then do something else that could start getting you cre, creativity flowing. But just remember that it's safe and it's all intact and things will come together, but not on your timeline.

We don't know when the first invite will come in, when and where that will be. It could be that we get some nos than a yes or yes no or yeses than a no. We don't know, but to remember that it's safe and then to look after yourself and not let it keep bugging you every day and to instead focus on other things.

I know over my career, I can't tell you how many creative award shows I might've entered. One, a lot of time, two, a lot of money. And yes, the plaques are great to get, the trophies are great to collect but you're talking about something here, and I'm just curious, I've never engaged, an award doctor award consultant, and I just wondered if that might help with the detachment, is to have someone else take a look at this, instead of, as you described it, my baby.

You know that I'm trying to it's not a pageant. It's an award show, exactly you can detach from it Do you think that helps?

It does because we tend to come on board a lot of the time people will come to me with a finished film or a film that's almost finished And then obviously we have emotional detachment.

We don't attach to the filmmaker the client We haven't seen the film or the script we're coming on, with a fresh pair of eyes. So that's a really good thing. And also what we do to add another layer to that is we're coming we're coming from the point of view and giving feedback from the perspective of a film festival programmer.

And they watch films very differently to how mom and dad and the milkman would watch things. So we're coming in a very specific way that gives very specific feedback to shape what is festival life. I've got one client at the moment who's saying everyone says it's wonderful. I said yes, because that's because they're cast and crew and it's the family.

They're not festival programmers. These people are very different how they watch things. So it's important to accept the feedback that we give. So we're coming from a different angle. And it helps a lot. It does help a lot because people, as I say. During this time is when they get, they can't see what the film is and what its drawbacks might be as being told it's fantastic is not helpful, but we're not going to do that.

I'm going to just take the money and say, it's wonderful and get extra funds. We're going to be very honest and say, this is what it can do. Here are the obstacles, here are the advantages, here's what you should, where you should place the film. And. It's about acceptance because obviously this is a different world and it's important to maybe able to transition to that world.

And the way you can do that is by letting go and having that balance.

Yes. And you've put your book and a lot of these other resources on your website. And I wondered if you'd share with us how we find these

resources. So it's all on my website, and the website address is thefilmfestivaldoctor. com.

Fantastic. My guest has been Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith. Thank you. Rebekah, it's just been such a great honor talking to you. And I wondered if you would leave our listeners because you've said these principles extend beyond just filmmakers, obviously, almost any creative endeavor, any creative practitioner could benefit from them.

I wondered if you could give us a bit of encouragement and inspiration. Let's say we're working on this project. It's on our desk right now. We've been in the studio, wherever our studio is working on this. And where can we take it from here?

So the next step would be before you do any submissions to festivals or to distribution companies like Netflix, for example, or iTunes, or it might be, or you want to get it seen, the first thing to do is to get the all important objective feedback and that will then shape where best to place it.

So before you do anything is to let go and show it to people who don't have any attachment to you and to get that feedback that you need to help you on the next step. If you run before you can walk, that can. Really build up more emotional difficulties and mental health issues. So for example, if you're like I want to get now Sundance, Camberlain, all these kinds of big boys.

Hang on, have you got a film that those kinds of festivals want that they're interested in? If so, then that's, we can start making a plan to to approach those festivals, if not, then it's going to be a different plan, but still rewarding. It is important that you do the first thing first and get the feedback.

And you know exactly then how to approach festivals and where to place it without going around in circles and getting demoralized.

I think that's a great punctuation point on our conversation, Rebekah. Objectivity. The fresh eye, the new perspective.

The fresh eye. The fresh eye.

So we've been talking about strategies for winning awards and ways to adopt this winning mindset.

And of course, building resilience in the face of even rejection that the obvious and eventual rejection that we've all experienced. Rebekah, I can't thank you enough for the conversation and sharing your experience.

Thank you. It's been great to connect with you today and it's very nice conversation.

Thank you. Yeah,

thanks. And again, Rebekah website is thefilmfestivaldoctor. com. So listeners come back again next time. We're going to continue our around the world journeys. We'll have in the new year. A poet, a violinist, an architect, we're looking at creativity from all angles and what we need to do to get inspired for new ideas, but also organize ideas.

And of course, gaining the confidence and often the connections to get our work out into the world. So come back again next time. I'm Mark Stinson and we'll be unlocking your world of creativity.