The First Rule of Film Club

Two years ago Benjamin Bottorff asked me to give a keynote speech at the European Student Film Festival in Annecy via Geneva.

There were, I would think, between 150-200 students and lecturers like  Michael Shevlin and  John Maxwell in the audience. The main thrust of my speech was the importance of networking. I did of course say that Facebook was a great place to do this.

43 of the students took this to heart and sought me out on here and we became virtual friends. However the one who has constantly kept in touch is Yasmina Sophia Gomez.  She made a point of visiting me last night on a short trip to London. She asked in such a polite way I just could not refuse. 

  

She is now eighteen and earlier this year won a few thousand euro in a competition. Rather than spend this on sweets and boys she is using it to make an ambitious documentary. As her winnings were not enough so she worked weekends, school holidays and nights undertaking an array of jobs to earn enough money to travel next to Spain, India, Japan and many countries in South America filming all the way. 

I will make sure Yasmina's doc will be seen by the right people. 

She brought with her last night  Sophie Block a very good friend of hers who is from Switzerland but wants to study film in the UK. I put her in touch with several people who work for various film schools. It was easy for me as I know them. 

Yasmina will go far in life, as well as on her forthcoming trip, because she has learnt The First Rule of Film Club !!

The First Rule of Film Club is - NETWORKING !!! 

The Second Rule of Film Club is - always tell people what you are doing.

The Third Rule of Film Club is - remind them all the time of who you are and what it is you are doing.

It is so easy to network via Facebook.

There are so many opportunities in the real world too. So many of the many Facebook pages set up for filmmakers and actors organise events. Go to them if you can. You will always meet someone interesting. 

I always do !

I have employed people via Facebook, raised others funding via Facebook, found actors work or agents etc via Facebook. I have introduced so many to others via Facebook and found films to distribute or co-produce.  It’s the easiest networking going but so many That I meet from talks I give or at events do not use it efficiently or worse still do not use it at all. 

There are so many very helpful people out there running Facebook pages or websites that are there to help. 

USE THEM !

Those of you who know me will know that I am a huge fan of the Galway Film Fleadh which has the most all inclusive networking environment of any film festival anywhere in the world. Those who work it well have raised finance at this event. However so many Irish filmmakers I know never go. 

As my wife says, its always the women who are proactive in the film and TV industry. Never the men. She has employed so many women who have contacted her in the past but no men ever write to her. 

It's true. I have written about this before. Of the 2-300 actors and actresses I have met in last five years I have mentioned to them all about Sarah Berger's So & So Arts Club. Around 40 women have joined it, but only 2 men. It's only £30 a year to join as has done so much for so many.

Many of these women have been in important plays or TV productions because of this association with Sarah's club. However there are some who joined paid their £30 and expected to become the next Colin Firth. They have never been to any events or shows or festivals organised by the club. The agent's directors, casting directors are not coming to you, you have to go to them. 

You can't be dealt the winning hand if you are not at the table. 

What are young men doing ?

The women will leave you all behind at this rate. 

© David Nicholas Wilkinson. 2016. All Rights Reserved.