The Method Fest 2008
Timeline
June– September 2007
• Festival ad placed in Calabasas Chamber of Commerce Directory.
• Press Release sent out to all media including newspapers, magazines,
and internet sites to announce the dates of 2008 10th anniversary
festival, March 27- April 3, 2008.
• Signed agreement with Marty Lieberman as new Sponsorship
Coordinator for the festival.
• Updated Call for Entries Form.
• Attended Economic Alliance Valley of the Stars event to meet with
prospective sponsors and to be honored for accomplishments of our festival.
• Renewed agreement with www.withoutabox.com and opened Call for
Entries for 2008 festival.
• Press release announcing opening of Call for Entries sent to media.
• Press Release announcing Call for Entries sent to entertainment
Industry.
• Call for Entries Press Release send to Economic Alliance of the San
Fernando Valley to promote to their members.
• Sending Press release and Call for Entry PDF to film schools around the
United States and internationally. Also sending to film societies, and filmmaker/actor groups.
• Met with Van Nuys/Encino Rotary to present information on the festival.
• Attended community mixer at The Rack presented by Jeff Hoffman
involving many local businesses. Also, Calabasas and Woodland Hills Chamber members.
• Sending information on our youth education programs and youth
middle schools with film/media programs.
•
Updated the Method Fest website to include New Call for Entries andother information for the 2008 film festival.
• Festival ad production and placement in the Fall issue of Filmmaker
magazine.
• John Anderson secured as head programmer for the 2008 Method Fest.
• Don Franken attending World's Biggest Mixer at Shrine Auditorium to ID
sponsors, and restaurant partners for The Method Fest.
• Contacted designer Erin Rea and discussed art theme / look for the
2008 festival.
• Creation and production of the new 3-fold brochure on the festival for
sponsors and entertainment industry.
• Creation of new sponsorship brochure, other buy-in materials.
• Beginning of sponsorship activities.
• Meeting(s) with the San Fernando Economic Alliance to discuss the 2008
Method Fest. The Executive Director of The Method Fest is now expected to be confirmed as a new Board Member of the SFVEA.
• Meeting with City of Calabasas to discuss plans for the 2008 festival.
• Sending proposals to resign major 2008 festival sponsors
• Targeting other potential festival sponsors.
* Attend Chamber
• Attended the CineVegas film festival where we met with filmmakers,
other entertainment industry, media, and sponsors regarding the festival.
• Attended the Los Angeles Film Festival and met with prospective
sponsors, studio/mini majors, media, and filmmakers.
• John Anderson, our head programmer, and likely, Don Franken, will
attend the Toronto Film Festival to scout and to acquire films for The Method Fest.
October
in Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.
• Meetings with Chamber of Commerce, other local groups to define goals
and our working relationship on Method Fest in Calabasas.
• Meetings with possible local site coordinators/venue managers.
• Meetings with possible volunteer coordinators. Meeting with candidates
as local technical/operations people.
• Meetings with the Edwards / Regal Theaters, the Motion Picture and
Television Fund, and Viewpoint to determine screening sites.
• Meetings with the Commons.
• Meetings with other prospective venues for festival events.
• Meetings with Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, other possible Method
Fest hotels. Site visits and meetings with local restaurants.
• Meetings with Pierce College, Cal State Northridge regarding
participation and working relationship with The Method Fest.
• Design and print new festival postcards, business cards.
• Method Fest participation in Pumpkin Festival in Calabasas.
• Add key advisory board members from entertainment industry, key
actors. Also, add key local business leaders.
• Meetings with local companies as prospective / repeat sponsors
including banks, car dealerships, local real estate developers, entertainment related businesses, and others.
• Meetings by festival staff with our key film programmers.
• Meeting with FilmFinders / Withoutabox, a film tracking company, to
bring them aboard again as a sponsor of the festival.
• Plan details of Sundance/Method Fest participation.
• Meetings and finalization of new Method Fest publicist.
• Meetings and finalization of festival celebrity coordinator.
• Production of new Method Fest highlight video for prospective sponsors.
Calabasas.
November
• Identification and contacts with Method Fest Special Awards / tributes recipients.
• Nail down of restaurants for Method Fest functions.
• Finalize plan for educational program for the schools. Have this begin at
the start of the new semester following Christmas vacation.
• College Outreach program: Targets USC, Art Center, Loyola
Marymount, Pepperdine, UCLA, Chapman Film School, Cal State Long Beach, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
• Method Fest Education Committee--targeting involvement by the high
schools and youth students.
• Method Fest Advisory Board meeting.
• Attending Hollywood Film Festival and also, AFI Film Festival to meet
with entertainment industry and identify prospective sponsors
• Finalize and activate media partners.
• The Method Fest will attend the AFI Film Festival and AFI Film Market.
The Film Market will be an opportunity to secure films for Method Fest.
• Method Fest Chamber Local luncheon or cocktail reception introducing
some of the key businesses, Arts Patrons, and others to Method Fest. December
• Sponsorship activities.
• Attendance, holiday events, Charity event in the area.
• Begin finalizing actors/people we are honoring – Lifetime Achievement
Award, Indie Supporter Award, Casting Director Award, etc.
• Finalize screening venues.
• Finalize venues for non-screening festival activities.
• Finalize Method Fest party at Sundance.
• Prepare ads for Variety Sundance issue and Daily Sundance paper.
• Send invitations for Method Fest party at Sundance to key media,
industry, filmmakers.
• Finalize securing equipment deals with Sony, with NEC and Christie,
Aarmadillo, Wexler, Modern VideoFilm and others as needed for the festival.
• Media push leading up to Sundance.
January 08
• Sponsorship activities.
• The Method Fest Party and presence at Sundance to create "buzz" for festival.
• Finalize music program, non-screening venues, special award recipients,
equipment. February 08
• Late entry deadline.
• Start to lock in films.
• Finalize seminars, workshops, panels.
* Sponsor meetings
* Attend Chamber functions and other local events to promote the
festival.
* Finalize honorees and arrange details for them at festival
• Design and production of festival banners / flags.
• Festival ads for Daily News
• Sneak Preview Party – announcement of festival lineup.
March 08
• Staff and volunteer meeting.
• Production and printing of festival schedules.
• Production and printing of festival posters.
• Get all sponsor ads and logos for festival program.
• Production and printing of festival program.
• Festival ads for Daily News, L.A. Times, Variety, LA Weekly.
• Films to media for reviews.
• Calabasas community preview – joint mixer with Chamber of Commerce
• Films to jury.
• Festival trailer produced, distributed to Regal, Laemmle.
• Advance tickets on sale online.
• Production of awards.
• Production of festival T-shirts, hats, pins.
• Filmmaker Kickoff Reception, March 26.
• Opening Night, March 27.
April 08
* Thank you letters to sponsors
* Sponsorship reports for sponsors
* Festival report to City
