Submission fees continue to rise at Spanish festivals, and especially at European ones. We could talk about an oil-stain expansion, a term used in the business world to describe slow but deep market-entry strategies in a specific market.
We are facing a radical change that cannot be reversed.
Once a festival introduces a submission fee, which allows it to control the flow of submissions and obtain its own independent source of income, it is very difficult for it to remove this fee in the future.
The growth in festivals with submission fees, in countries like Spain where there has been little development so far, can only increase.
The evolution of submission fees in Spain
To analyse this oil-stain growth, I have reviewed the figures in my database from recent years, based on the year of the submission deadline, the deadline.
Up to 2013, festivals with submission fees were isolated cases, around 5 to 10 festivals at most, and we did not submit to them. In those years we did not pay submission fees, not even to festivals in the United States.
From 2014 onwards, the trend begins to change with 12 festivals; from here on, the growth does not stop.
In 2015 I have 23 festivals noted down, almost double the previous year; in 2016 around 45; and in 2017 the biggest growth so far takes place, with 82 festivals.
This year, 2018, which has not yet ended, there are already 115 festivals. These figures are not fully up to date, so this number may increase.
At the moment, many types of festivals already have submission fees, both small and larger ones. If you are going to start circulating your short film now, it is not advisable to avoid paying submission fees if you do not want to miss opportunities.
In our case, we have increased our investment in submission fees every year, as other expenses, such as 35 mm prints, Betacam and DVD, have gradually disappeared.
A new market
As soon as the new generations of producers and directors begin to see festival submission costs as normal, the emergence of new festivals with fees will be even easier and faster.
We are therefore witnessing the birth of a new market.
If the budget for paying submission fees is limited, and more and more festivals charge them, we will see new competition between them, since it is not possible to submit to all the festivals we want.
Festivals will have to look for differentiating elements, as competition is created, entering a new way of relating to each other and, in turn, with directors and producers.
This new market involves significant figures; let us do a quick calculation.
For example, if this year we reach 120 festivals with fees, each of them receiving an average of 500 submissions, we would be talking about around 60,000 paid submissions. Applying an average fee of €5 for each one, we would be talking about €300,000 at the very low end: 120 festivals charging €5 and only receiving 500 submissions each.
An increase to 200 festivals would raise this amount to €500,000, and if the average fee price doubles—something I am sure we will see in the coming years—we would already be looking at a market that will generate one million euros, in Spain alone, and only taking into account an average of 500 short films submitted to each of the 200 festivals in this example.
In Spain, more than 900 festivals are held and more than 1,000 short films are distributed each year. We are looking at a market with very strong growth potential.
At an international level, the submission-fee market moves millions of dollars, with festivals such as Sundance receiving around 12,000 films and an average fee between $30 and $60. There are thousands of festivals worldwide charging submission fees.
Submission fees in your festival distribution strategy
If you are distributing your film right now, there are some considerations worth reviewing to deal with distribution with submission fees:
#1 Take advantage of early deadlines. The usual submission-fee structure, especially in the United States, is early, regular and late. Each has a different date and price, and between early and late prices can double, so over a one-year distribution we can be talking about a lot of money saved just with good date planning.
In the case of Spain, we still do not see this structure much, but at the pace we are going, it is only a matter of time before festivals start adopting this scheme. It allows prices to be increased and avoids receiving most submissions on the last day.
#2 Take discounts into account. Many festivals apply discounts to fees, especially when several short films are submitted. You can also obtain fee-payment exceptions in special cases. In this regard, I believe it is best to contact the festival before paying a fee, especially to understand its discount policy and fee-payment exceptions, in English waivers.
In addition, American festivals place great importance on the alumni concept: directors who have participated in previous editions of the festival and are part of its community. They have special discounts and in many cases it is not necessary to pay fees. Therefore, if you are circulating your first short film, paying fees at festivals of this type can be an investment for the future.
When we are dealing with a more mature market, such as the United States, it is possible to negotiate better with festivals and obtain discounts. In the case of the Filmfreeway platform, it has a specific page with festival discounts, and it recently created Filmfreeway Gold, with discounts at many other festivals by paying a monthly or annual fee to the platform itself.
Curiously, as the market in Spain and in Europe has not yet reached the same level of maturity as in the United States, it is easier to negotiate a fee with a festival in the United States than in our own country.
#3 Watch out for fake festivals and pseudo-festivals. The development of this market and the increase in payments is also a breeding ground for the proliferation of fake festivals and pseudo-festivals, created with the sole objective of charging submission fees.
To avoid these cases, review festivals carefully and try to contact them before paying a submission fee; the response you get can help you tell them apart and see whether it is worth paying the fee.
Do you usually pay submission fees? If you have any experience you would like to share, you can do so in the comments.