Making your comedy

Sperm & Eggs – What I learnt from self-publishing

By Paul Angliss

Did you know that in the animal kingdom, ‘the seasonal synchronisation of libidos exhibited by the big litter strategists is rarely observed in human society? Except, that is, in the transient communities formed on Club 18-30 holidays’? And that ‘a man will feel the urge to play the field. Or, in the case of Norwegian men who entertain multiple partners living in communities distributed along high-sided sea inlets, an urge to play the fjord’?

The above are excerpts from my first foray into self-publishing a book, Sperm & Eggs, a kind of satire of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. These I cobbled together with a bunch of other stand-up type observations to fit a narrative, an exploration of a questionable theory, a proposition that the behaviour of men and women is determined by the behaviour of their respective gametes, their sperm and eggs. It’s presented as an accessible-to-the-masses revelatory Jordan Peterson or Richard Dawkins blockbuster, turning on its head what we know about ourselves. Supplemented by illustrations that have only a tenuous link to the subject matter, Sperm & Eggs is a triumph of style over substance. In essence, it is a parody of the bestseller non-fiction genre. Furthermore, Sperm & Eggs is reassuringly gender apolitical, more of a comment on the absurdity of life.

I initially released the book as text only without illustrations. Despite finding an amazing influencer in sex historian, Dr Kate Lister, on Twitter and her retweets of excerpts from the book going viral, book sales on various publishing platforms were low.

A few years later I wondered if an illustrated version might be a better sell. I have an old mate and ex-work colleague and fellow substandard impersonator of Des Lynam, Simon Thompson, a fantastic illustrator, portrait artist and book designer, who shared the same sense of humour, liked the book and agreed to illustrate and design Sperm & Eggs for a 50/50 share in any royalties we might earn from the relaunched illustrated title.

We wanted to see if there was an alternative to Amazon’s self-publishing service – Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) – for creating paperback, hardcover and ebook versions of your book. However, our research showed strongly in favour of first-time self-publishers using a company that squirrels vast sums of money into offshore havens and offers bathroom facilities for its delivery people in the shape of repurposed Evian bottles jettisoned onto hard shoulders. KDP allows you to choose which genre your readers will search to find you so that you can, as we have been, in the top 20 bestsellers for the rather niche genre, ‘Theories of Humour’, but 2,000 plus in the wider genre ‘Satires’. KDP also allowed us to set a publication date in advance so that we could plan a book launch campaign promoting the book on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

All very well EXCEPT in our case when we wanted to delete my original text-only edition of Sperm & Eggs so shoppers would buy the new, illustrated version instead of the old one by mistake. KDP won’t let you delete a title, but ‘unpublish’ it instead. To do this, you have to request KDP to unpublish your book using the email address you set up your KDP account with in the first instance. 40 emails later and it was confirmed that the email address associated with my KDP account was someone called Sharon. Either our account had been hacked or Amazon had some malfunction in their system. Had she known about it, Shazzer might well have experienced Imposter Syndrome.

Simon and I took a calculated gamble by taking out a full-page advert in Viz, the readership of which we thought would be a targeted audience. It was worth a punt, especially as we had timed our launch for 6 weeks before Xmas. So far, we have seen only 19 sales in total. We still have faith in the book and I’m looking now to try and find influencers who might endorse Sperm & Eggs. You never know what might spark sales, what might be the toilet scholars next must-read.

Sperm & Eggs is presented in three volumes. The first is Sperm & Eggs – Attraction, covering the initial phase of the sex cells herding the procreators together. The second is Sperm & Eggs – Interaction, the third is Sperm & Eggs – Relationships. They are a must read for those who wish to know why they do what they do and then blame something else.

Sperm & Eggs – Attraction can be found now in paperback and hardcover versions here on Amazon.

Why You Need A Comedy Writing Partner (And How To Find One!)

Comedy writing partnerships just work.

Going solo doesn’t mean you can’t write great scripts but it’s going to be a whole bunch harder. Then again, it’s also very hard to find someone who you connect with, both personally and creatively.

So at this point we’re going to hand you over to one of The Comedy Crowd’s favourite writing duos, Joanna Tilley and Krysia Pepper, to give some insight into:

– Why it’s important to write in a partnership
– How to find one
– Their latest comedy idea involving gerbils
– How their creative process works
– How to get noticed

One of the above is fanciful, the rest are crammed with good advice… and this post writer has overstayed his welcome so let’s get into 5 mins of top content…

Q&HA! The Question Tools For Comedy

Get inspiration for your comedy writing from Chris Head, comedy coach, teacher and author of “Creating Comedy Narratives for Stage & Screen” in engaging 10 minute episodes. Each episode gives you a question to chew over that will inspire. Produced in association with Comedy Crowd. Comedy Crowd listeners can receive discounts and special offers on Chris’ acclaimed courses and one-to-one coaching.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple and Amazon!

———————-

ONE-TO-ONE COMEDY DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

Chris can work with you on your comedy writing (stand-up, sketch, sitcom and more) and can also coach performance and speaking.

10% off your booking by entering COMCROWD when you fill in the enquiry form.

More info https://www.chrishead.com/directing.

ONLINE SKETCH COMEDY WORKSHOP

Live interactive Zoom course

Join a great group and get inspiration and learn techniques for writing (and making!) TV, Social Media, Live and Radio comedy sketches – you can focus on the areas that most interest you.

£10 off by entering COMCROWD when you fill in the booking form. (Normally £125)

More info & booking https://www.chrishead.com/post/write-inspired-comedy-sketches-zoom-course

STAND-UP BEGINNERS & IMPROVERS LONDON COURSE

If you want to try stand-up in London, this is an inspiring, friendly place to learn how and to develop your creativity and performance skills in ways you never thought possible.

Pay FULL FEE (£250) and enter code COMCROWD to receive a free 30 minutes online one-to-one session on your act

Course info:

6.30pm – 8.30pm,

Mondays 9th January to 27th February 2023*

@ Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 4AF

* no class 20th Feb half-term

And THE SHOW is 3pm on Sunday 5th March @ Museum of Comedy, Bloomsbury, LONDON

Full info & booking https://www.chrishead.com/post/about-my-stand-up-comedy-classes

TikTok: Dos and Don’ts

by Ailish McCarty (@thesleepycomedian)

Hey everyone! Very excited to be submitting pieces to the Comedy Crowd, a fantastic platform that encourages creativity and showcasing comic talent. I’m writing a series of how comics can increase their brand online through my own trial and error. Tiktok has managed to outshine Instagram in terms of online content and can be a very powerful tool when it comes to approaching promoters and agencies. The thing to keep in mind about your Tiktok channel, is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. You will need to post a couple of videos a week, and the platform boosts creators that engage with other pages in order to boost a community online. Be patient and its better to put an idea online than to be quiet.

Ailsih McCarty – @thesleepycomedian

To get the ball rolling, I’ve listed a couple of do’s and don’ts when it comes to Tiktok to help comics boost their exposure on the platform.

DO’S

  • Unless you have been living under a rock in the last year, odds are you’ve heard of TikTok. It is a video editing application that sky rocketed in the pandemic. The app promotes short videos in order to enable users to scroll through their for you page and absorb higher amounts of content. If your videos are 7 seconds long, it has been proven that Tiktok will push your video to reach more users
  • The algorithm changes constantly. This is because recreations and sounds that go viral have a short shelf life. If you notice a sound is trending, make notes and see if you can hop on the trend while the algorithm is pushing it. If you hop on a trend too late, you will not have the same exposure as early initiators
  • Do engage with the comments on your videos. This tricks the platform into thinking that your video is topical as it is reporting high levels of activity (comments), when all that you’re doing at the end of the day is thanking people for watching your content. TikTok boosts all activity when it comes to engaging with your community, so remember to like the comments and reply to them
  • As I’ve mentioned, building a community is at the forefront of Tiktoks platform. Leave comments on other users videos and follow friends. This leads TikTok to avoid perceiving your account as a bot.
  • Use the same username as your other socials so that its easy for people to find you on Instagram, twitter, facebook and Youtube.

DON’TS

  • In the previous section, I mentioned jumping on trends in order to get your video boosted on the platform. Avoid creating a page where all you’re contributing is miming. This lowers the value of your content for followers – diversify. Post your own content as well as trends
  • For the love of god – don’t tweet on TikTok. It is a video platform that promotes, you’ve guessed it – VIDEOS! If you want to post pictures, go to instargam or Twitter
  • Don’t post reaction videos unless you have a following over 20,000. Nobody cares
  • And last but not least, don’t lose hope in going viral. I was using the app for 18 months and following these steps before I got huge exposure. Be patient and be consistent

In our next blog post, I will discuss hashtags, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Check out Ailish’ superb comic stylings on her TikTok account – @thesleepycomedian

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How To Edit Comedy

This video, by Sven Pape of the excellent ‘This Guy Edits‘ YouTube channel is an incredibly valuable insight into comedy creation through the eyes of an editor, specifically Roger Nygard, who has worked on ‘Veep’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.

He talks about a number of key lessons for editing comedy, and many of these should be considered throughout all stages of the creative process:

1. Yes, and…
How to apply the rule of improv to make sure you explore all options for creating the funniest scene.


2. Setup is primary
When a joke isn’t working, the problem is almost always in the setup, not the punchline.


3. Plot over jokes
Funny moments that emerge from situations are far more impactful than a nicely writen quip or pun.


4. Faster is funnier
Why pacing is key, and usually the faster the better. There’s a great example from Veep in the video.


5. Find the button
The button is the biggest moment of the scene, and it won’t necessarily come at the end of the script. The scene needs to be structured to optimise it.


6. Trim the fat
‘The enemy of comedy is the unnecessary pause’ says Nygard.


7. Cut Wide
Wider shots give greater possibilities for reaction and body language, but there are also times when you want to cut closer.


8. Feature every frame
In particular, how to frame a punchline to make sure it lands.


9. Keep it real
Why it’s so important to achieve authenticity in the final cut.

Signed up to The Comedy Crowd Newsletter? Weekly articles like this, plus all the latest opportunities, delivered straight to your inbox, here.

Intern Animator Wanted

We are looking for an aspiring animator intern to develop a comedy project. This is a paid role at student intern rates for 5/6 hours per week that would be ideal for someone looking to gain experience alongside their studies or work. Details below!

Role: Animator intern – animating comedy content for distribution across multiple digital channels

Requirement: 2d animation experience including working experience with Toon Boom. Interest in comedy and keen to develop new ideas,

Time commitment: 5/6 hours per week

Duration: Ongoing from Feb 2022 for minimum of 3 months

Location: Remote working

How to apply: Please email a CV and brief summary about your interest in comedy to “theccteam@thecomedycrowd.com”, subject: “Intern Animator role”. Deadline is 31 January 2022.

How To Handle A Heckler

This video, by the ‘Comedy Without Errors’ YouTube channel is an equally informative and entertaining piece on heckling, and how to respond.

It profiles the different types of people who heckle, and the varying responses that can blunt them. Weaved in are some classic examples of comebacks, ranging from the ‘meet fire with fire approach’ to the the more subtle but utterly devastating deconstructions of those rudey shouter outers.

As the creators says ‘defeating a heckler is less about shutting them down, as it is about keeping the rest of the audience on your side….’

Producing a live comedy show

By Paul Holliday. I’m excited to be producing my first live comedy show, ‘A Little Bit Sketchy‘. And at the Lowry no less! It’s been quite a trek to get the show up and running and thought to share a few bits of my experience.

Click here to read more »

Producing Your Own Script – A Comedy Crowder’s Story

Hi. I’m Ed, I wrote my short Mockumentary script “Country Lines”, then recruited a team and project managed the process until the film’s release a few days ago. You can watch the film here. I’m going to try and talk through the pro’s and con’s of making your script, why I think it’s ultimately a good idea, along with some “quite good” advice about what I learn during the process.

Tell me a bit more about you, Ed.

Well, I’ve been writing comedy scripts for about 5 years. Taking courses, entering competitions, doing the odd smart phone character piece, you know the like. About two years ago I set myself the challenge of making three short films with all the stories set in my home county of Shropshire. I’d call the faux production company “Shropshire Investigates”, with the three films all being mockumentaries. Sounds alright so far. A bit This Country, but all good. I wrote and brought to life the first script – About two siblings inheriting a farm with a small, skeleton crew.

Now it was time to make the second film. I’d had the warm up of the first, this next one felt proper. I wanted to move things up a gear. The running time went from six to eleven minutes, I’d direct, there’d be a bigger crew, with a more complex set of scenes too.

But let’s rewind. You may not be as gung-ho as me, so here are some…

Issues to consider before making your script.

Our friends running the Sitcom geeks podcast have regular discussions on the pro’s and con’s of producing your own script. I’m sure they won’t mind me saying that the conclusion is generally not so positive as there are all of a sudden too many uncontrollables which might tarnish an otherwise good script. This is a huge consideration and here are others too:

Time

Writing a good script, even if it’s “just” a short film, takes long enough. It’ll take that time again, plus some, before your film is actually released.

I began writing my script at the end of 2019, and it’s finally out now (March, 2021). But many factors can play into how long it takes to make your film. Such as; script completion time, aligning many diary’s for rehearsals and filming, the potential abyss of the edit, your main prop; a tractor having a flat tire, a global pandemic, etc.

Money

We’re not talking about getting your mate to film you on their iPhone and knocking it together with iMovie. Money will definitely be a consideration.

There’s a big debate on your local actors and film makers Facebook pages about not paying much (or just expenses) for a film crew. I completely get that it’s an issue that needs to be treated with respect. See what you can afford, be upfront about it and if the script is good enough, you will be surprised the quality of talent who want to have their name attached to your credits

The Other Variables

Going back to the Sitcom geeks point made earlier – why risk your perfectly good script by getting half a dozen others involved who may unintentionally dilute the quality of the portrayal of your script? Well, yes, this can certainly be a gamble. But if you do a solid job of recruiting your team, getting the best crew you can, even with a small budget, then you will all of a sudden have a lot of talented people who will be pushing for this film to be a success.

My reasons for recruiting a team and making my short film.

Maybe some of these will resonate with you.

  • Getting a broader look at other departments involved in producing a film

I think this will be invaluable experience for me going forward. I was living a very sheltered life as a solo writer.

  • Networking

Living in Shropshire (Up to Birmingham, turn left, keep going, just before Wales) it’s hard to find other screenwriters or similar creatives

  • Fulfilment

When constantly writing scripts and sending them off, not hearing, or even if I did hear feedback, it never felt like there was a fulfilling end to all the work I put in. With this film I feel like I have a proper finished piece of work now. Like a painter, or a brickie.

  • Marketing myself

It really does all depend on the final piece being a fair representation of your work. Or better than fair, ideally. If so (and it’s a big if), then there is no doubt a film is a far better and easier way of bringing attention to your writing.

Recruiting your team

Other than your script, recruiting your team will be the most important factor in making your script.

Tom, our Director of Photography, was recommended to me. He was brilliant, as were all the team. Looking back, one of the most important pieces of knowledge Tom brought to me, was the use of a “casting call” document. This was an imperative tool in recruiting the team.

A casting call essentially gives all the details about your project such as the genre, planned dates for shooting, estimated running time, expenses paid etc, along with a kind of pitch document about the premise, story line and characters. This is the bible document that I used to send to people who would then have all the details needed to decide if it was something they would want to get involved with. Mine was fairly short at 2.5 pages and I’ be happy to share this with anyone if it might help.

With Tom on board and after spending a bit of time getting the casting call right, I set about using this document on the Comedy Crowd TV site (whoop), which is where I recruited one of the actors from, Sean – he messaged me after reading my project page on CCTV. Actor recruitment websites are really useful too (surprisingly enough) It was all pretty easy to set up the adverts and they are free too. The two or three sites are all similar and ask the same questions. With a bit of luck, actors will then apply for your role as you then look through their profiles. Our actress, Amber came through one of these sites.

Finally, social media. I mainly used Facebook, but I can imagine other socials may be useful. Facebook has lots of groups set up for actors and film crew members who are looking for projects to get involved in. Our music composer came through posting on one of these groups. Again using my casting call document… Have I told you these casting call documents are a good idea?!

I was amazed that we had over 30 applicants for the three main acting roles. All had sent in self tapes for certain lines within the film. I had such respect for their efforts. I gather that although my casting call document was really fantastic, that number of applicants was not actually uncommon for other film makers.

So that’s a bit about if making your script is the right approach for you and the recruitment side of things, now for the quick fire round.

Here’s some other tips after making my script

  • Just keep buying the team food and drinks when you meet up. This has served me well in everyday life too.
  • Unless you know a bit about editing, this stage of the process will blow your mind. You’ll feel like you’ve just been shown the internet for the first time. It’s a whole new world and I barely understand any of it still, but I do know editors are very important! Although don’t let that scare you off. Your script can completely change in the edits, communicate regularly with the editor to make sure your vision is followed as best as possible.
  • We had three, three hour rehearsals. They were great fun, and each of the actors had a completely different approach. Work with them separately in between rehearsals. It seems only when everyone is fully confident with their lines does the real chemistry start to happen.
  • Carefully, carefully plan your shoot days. They will fly by very quickly and those little details can easily be forgotten.
  • Performances come across much more relaxed when everyone has settled in. Plan time for warm ups at the start.
  • Get as many team members involved as you can manage! I could have really done with a hand on the shoot day to sort out bit and bobs, props, sound – bloody sound! We missed having a sound pro. That ended up being me. I’m not a pro and those booms are damn heavy!
  • Make sure you have a very supportive support bubble. Due to blessed Covid, we had to change locations which meant turfing my partner and daughter out of our house (they had somewhere else to stay!) for a day and a night. There are peaks and troughs in the project but in general it’s a consuming process.
  • Continuity of set and costume. Be wary of this over multiple days filming.

Thank you reading. I’m always keen to hear from potential collaborators or maybe just to have a chat about some of the above. Here’s my website with further details.

Also, twitter and the film’s instagram.

All the best,

Ed.

To set up a new comedy project and look for collaborators, or to set up your own creator profile and find projects to get involved in, head to Comedy Crowd TV.

O2 and The Comedy Crowd

We are delighted to have partnered with O2 to produce a series of original sketches showcasing up and coming talent from this fantastic community.

The partnership is part of O2’s campaign to “Do more of what you love”.

Living In A Bouncy Castle – Created by Luke Rollason and Kit Sullivan

O2 and The Comedy Crowd have partnered to enable new creators to make five original comedy sketches which are available now exclusively on Priority. They cover a range of topics including ‘When a Group Chat Joke Fails’, ‘When Fans Forget How To Fan’ and ‘ The Ref Who Can’t Stop Running Backwards’.

At O2, we have a long-standing history of working with up and coming talent. Now we’re bringing the comedy to your living room, through this unique collaboration with our partner The Comedy Crowd to share the talents of new comedy creators and help our customers take some much needed relief.

Maya Murrell, Head of Priority

To make these videos we brought together writers, performers and producers from the Comedy Crowd community, matching them according to their skills and comic style. Our unique approach of working with the community means we can produce tailored content quickly, plus it gives new creators the opportunity to showcase their talents. Creators can sign up for their free weekly opportunities newsletter here to find out more about how to get involved with The Comedy Crowd.

Operation Parcel: Sorry We Missed You – Created by Alice Etches

As a new comic used to playing to dusty rooms above pubs with audiences of 8 people, getting this opportunity to create and release my sketch with O2 has been unreal! It’s so exciting that O2 are supporting creators on the grassroots level like this. The whole process has been invaluable and it feels amazing to see my finished sketch on the Priority app!

Jessica Lee, Comedian

Priority is exclusive to O2 customers and brings a collection of invite-only moments to help them do more of the things they love. From exclusive treats and experiences, to early access to the most sought-after tickets in entertainment.

Customers can download the Priority app via the app store, or by texting PRIORITY to 2020. For more information, search Priority on O2 or visit https://priority.o2.co.uk/

To watch the five sketches on Priority click here.

Create Your Comedy With The Crowd

With only our spare time and a tiny budget, we could never have launched our own web series without having the crowd behind us.

Matt Harris – Creator of ‘Comedy Of Gamers’

The Comedy Crowd is all about supporting creators to go beyond an idea – to stop dreaming about the comedy you want to make and to actually do it.

But it’s hard. We know. It’s why we started this community. To make anything more ambitious than a smartphone monologue (and we’ve seen some good ones of those) you need people who bring skills but who also share your vision, and that’s really difficult. Get it wrong and you plough time and money into an endeavour that never lives up to your expectations. That’s so disheartening, but it doesn’t need to be.

The Comedy Crowd is a community full of people like you. People who have great ideas and want to see them happen. Helpful, friendly, funny people with a diverse array of skills, and we’ve created a platform that brings this Crowd together.

The team at The Comedy Crowd adopt an innovative approach to collaboration. Their platform has put me in touch with some fantastic and brilliantly funny creatives. The Comedy Crowd’s platform has allowed me to pursue my own creative endeavours, and I will therefore forever be indebted to them.

Connor Kent – Creator of ‘Box Of Charms’

It’s called Comedy Crowd TV. Creators create a project and call out who they’re looking for to help make it happen. Here’s a list of all the roles available:

  • Producers
  • Directors
  • Writers
  • Director of Photography
  • Editor
  • Sound Editor
  • Composer
  • Actor
  • Animator
  • Voice Actor
  • Marketing / Social Media
  • Graphic Designer

Comedy loving folk can then scan through the projects, filtering by the role they’re looking to fulfil, and then contact the creators directly through their project page.

Calvin and I started our collaboration by comparing Comedy Crowd profiles and finding a project to work on together. At every step of the journey we found other Crowders coming to our rescue with their feedback, encouragement, time and skills, helping us make our work better and get our show made.

Matt Harris

Whether you want to create your own show or get involved in an existing project, now is the time to get involved. To search for current projects click here or set up a new project and get help from the Crowd.

Thinking of Entering a Film Festival? Read This First

By Peter Wright

There are now more film festivals inviting your submissions than ever before. They give filmmakers the prospect of reaching new audiences, awards and recognition, access to the industry and cash prizes. But there are also costs, not only financial but also in terms of time and sometimes exclusivity rights.

To help you evaluate the festival option we interviewed the founder of Festival Formula, Katie McCullough. Festival Formula create bespoke strategies for filmmakers to take their film through the circuit in the most effective way.

Katie McCullough and Ian Bignell of Festival Formula

Tell us a bit about your background and why you started Festival Formula.

I actually started out in writing and went to Bournemouth University to obtain a useless degree in Scriptwriting for Film & TV (which at that point was the only designated pure scriptwriting degree in the UK). But the upshot was I made loads of close friends but also it started me on the path of what is now Festival Formula. We had to do work experience and because I don’t live in London I didn’t want to pay through the nose to do a free job, so I found somewhere close that I could drive to which was the home of the Blaine Brothers – Ben and Chris. The first thing they did was sit me down and explain that I would never be asked to make the tea, and that I was to be given the company credit card and their back catalogue of short films and my task was to find film festivals to submit them to. What then happened is I poured over rules and regulations because I was spending someone else’s monies so I wanted to know that it was worth it and the film suited. Since then I’ve acquired an encyclopaedic memory of festivals all over the landscape, a large slate of films that we look after, and that was coming up to 16 years ago. One of the main reasons I started the company? Because it was evident that filmmakers needed help and they didn’t have the patience to do it themselves (or the know how).

What do people get out of entering festivals? What is the benefit of doing it?

It’s down to what you expect, managing that expectation, and utilising what does happen. We always tell filmmakers that just because you’ve gotten accepted to a festival it doesn’t mean all doors will suddenly fly open… But if you’ve made your festival choices wisely and they are strong and legit festivals, you can then knock on some doors to show that off and it can help. It’s the same way of looking at an agent, just because you now have one it doesn’t automatically guarantee work – you still have to work at it. The main benefit is showing that you’re creating work, that you’re reaching a wider audience and you’ve proved your idea works. And if you have the time and budget then you can also travel with the film too and that’s an experience.

Should you enter festivals with a submission fee?

Absolutely. No one runs a film festival to make money, that’s the first thing to learn. And if they are making money from a film festival then the chances are that they’re not a legitimate one or they’re scrimping on much needed areas. Festivals have costs that would make filmmakers weep – venue hire, projector hire, location insurance, alcohol permits, transcoding costs, staffing costs, data storage facilities, fuel costs for shuttle buses, advertising, programmes…. And so on. What I would say is be cautious of *how* much you are spending. There are some great festivals out there that are FREE, a few Euros or dollars, then there are some brilliant festivals out there that carry a higher cost. It’s more to do with how much budget you have to begin with as that will dictate how you spend it – if a singular submission fee is going to rinse your budget then think twice.

What are the best festivals for new comedy filmmakers?

Whilst there are some comedy specific festivals out there on the circuit, there aren’t a whole load of them. But what we’re seeing is the appearance of comedy specific categories within a traditional festival, but also those that pick the theme of comedy for their upcoming edition. For comedy specific festivals I would recommend LOCO London Comedy Film Festival (UK) and Just For Laughs Eat My Shorts (Canada) for sure.

LOCO are the festival partners of The Comedy Crowd

Are there timeframes to be aware of and exclusivity / premiere requirements to think about?

After doing this for 15 years there have been so many changes, and one of the major ones is the idea of online versus offline exclusivity. Going back even just 5-7 years there were not a lot of festivals who would consider films eligible for submission if the film was online. Whereas now a lot of festivals don’t mind if it’s online (and some even have separate categories to accommodate for them) but it still isn’t a blanket shrug from festivals. There are still those that do mind (and they mind a lot!) which means that some filmmakers don’t consider that when it comes to launching online as well as heading on to the competitive circuit – they often find out they can’t submit to a festival they really want to till after they’ve launched online and have been ruled out.

Unless you are aiming towards the higher-tiered section of the circuit (like Locarno, Berlinale, Venice, Cannes) then premiere status is less of an issue. If festivals outside of those more industry prolific festivals mention a premiere it’s generally on a smaller scale – Tribeca needs a New York premiere, Edinburgh International needs a Scottish premiere (for a UK production), St. Louis International needs a St. Louis premiere, Indie Memphis needs a Memphis premiere and so on. I would always recommend a filmmaker understand if a festival has a premiere requirement before they submit as sometimes you can waste money by submitting to somewhere that you don’t realise you’re not eligible until you’ve parted with cash. And you’re not going to be able to get that back due to reckless stupidity.

What mistakes do people typically make when entering festivals?

They don’t understand *why* they’re submitting there. And they often aim too high. We are forever telling comedy filmmakers that Berlinale are really not a comedy focused festival… So getting filmmakers to look at the festival in question’s previous line-up goes far. Sometimes filmmakers are doing it out of other filmmakers’ habits. Like Sundance. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to submit there, but no one can tell me what screened there last year and why they think their film fits. It’s a weird rites of passage; know why you’re submitting because you are spending your money there. That and not reading rules and regulations; if they don’t accept mockumentaries then they don’t accept mockumentaries, if you submit to a different category because it’s cheaper it doesn’t bode well for you, if you don’t get accepted by the festival DO NOT email them and tell them they are wrong. People in the film festival world talk, and reputation can precede you – whether that’s good or bad is up to you.

Tell us about a great example of a comedy film that has done well on the Festival circuit – what did the creators do well?

We have several clients that have done well, but one that I do always like to reference due to many different factors is HANGOVER FOOD by Ross McGowan from Deadline Films. The film was made for £400 in a flat with a small team and when I watched it, I just found everything about it brilliant from a festival circuit perspective. It was well written, funny, extremely well performed, and just over 10mins. Everything that just sings well on a festival circuit. The way that we look at it is like this – festival programmers are wanting comedy shorts to break up a more serious programme, or just cheer up an audience. So when we have something fall into our lap that fits that bill it’s so much fun to see it travel. And this film did brilliantly. It shows that you don’t need a massive production budget, or fancy equipment or big names – you just need a tight script, strong performances and confidence in the execution. This screened at 14 film festivals including Another Hole In The Head (USA), Hamilton Film Festival (Canada), MONSTERFEST (Australia) and more. It kept picking up awards left, right and centre including Best Foreign Short, Best Dark Comedy and Audience Choice Awards. And those kind of awards mean the most as it’s come from the audience so it’s recognition from pure punters which is what everyone should strive for.

To learn more about Festival Formula visit www.festivalformula.com and for a list of festivals accepting comedy submissions check out our Opportunities Hub.