note: video compressed to iPhone size – full size, HD video available on request

Think about it: if you are considering making a feature length film, it costs money. If you are operating on a short shoestring, finding $100,000 (or even $10,000) to make your dream project will be one of your biggest hurdles. Finding a few hundred dollars (or in the case of many – a few willing friends to work for free) to make a trailer could be much easier.

It’s a little backwards to think of making a “trailer” first, isn’t it? And for the reluctant, sites like this one do accept short films as well, so you could do what Crooked Lane (client) did and make a short that will later become a (wholly different) feature. But I’m thinking out of the box here. Making your trailer first, in the true spirit of the site, also forces you to hone your vision for the full film.

By using a pre-production trailer, made before the rest of the movie, you get an audience viewed storyboard. You can then track the competition and see how your film is meshing with potential audiences. If your film isn’t gelling with people, it will let you know you may need to go back to the script, the set, the character development, actors, etc long before you spend hard earned money producing your vision, increasing your chances of success down the line.

Can you use this concept to run a trailer on your site? Of course you can, and Amy and I encourage people to do so to raise awareness about their film. But running a trailer on your site alone and not including various contest sites like this or content sites like YouTube and Viddler has a few side effects. The first of these is in type of eyeballs. These contest sites draw people who want to play, to watch a few videos to kill some time, and who may not be out there looking at or for film sites. That sounds startlingly like a random movie theater audience, doesn’t it? Think of how much better that will be in getting word out about your film to the non-movie buffs as as the film lovers who seek out new film content online.

The second is in number of eyeballs. It may take a while, using concerted efforts, to build up a following on your web site or blog. That’s fine, fans should be nurtured. But sites like this Trailer Wars and others could bring more numbers of people watching your trailer – doubling up your efforts and having the trailer in more than place will increase your chances of success.

The third is implementation. Implementing a voting system on your site can be a pain in the butt for some people. You can have people vote by commenting, retweeting, sharing on social sites, or if you can afford a web designer or have a willing web smart friend you may be able to make a voting system like these sites have, but all of the solutions can be cumbersome (or cost money). Why not use someone else’s system as a means to your end?

Looking at sites like TrailerWars, you can see the potential of using them in your arsenal. What could the information gleaned by putting your content there do for you as a filmmaker? How would you use it?

SXSW Film: “Social & New Media: The Cheaper Film Promotion Alternative“

Leslie Poston (Uptown Uncorked, Film POP!, Twitter for Dummies Co-Author), Amy Greenlaw (Film POP!), Chase Bailey (“The Libertine”, “Crooked Lane”) and Mark Constance (“Terminator 3″, “Being John Malkovich”, “Losing Jerry”) will discuss promoting independent film. Long gone are the days of small budget Independent films toiling in obscurity. Just like small businesses, Independent Films are embracing Social Media and New Media technology as a low cost way to promote their films. Come listen to our experienced panel discuss new ways to grab eyeballs for your project. VOTE FOR THIS ONE HERE. Get others to vote and comment by sharing this URL: http://bit.ly/sxswindie

SXSW Interactive: “Online Presence: Asset of the Future“

Leslie Poston (Uptown Uncorked, Film POP!, Twitter for Dummies Co-Author) and Jim Keenan (Avaya, A Sales Guy) will be talking about the near future, and how your online social presence will become a must-have asset, a life-long living resume that will determine your success in relationships, careers, education and more. It will break down barriers and create unheard of opportunities – if you leverage it well. This panel is based on our upcoming book: “Online Presence: Asset Of The Future” and will involve statistics, case studies, methodologies and a lively Q&A component. VOTE FOR THIS ONE HERE. Get others to vote and comment by sharing this URL: http://bit.ly/sxswasset – THANK YOU

SXSW Interactive: “Self Hate Isn’t Sexy: Gender, Race & Tech“

Leslie Poston (Uptown Uncorked, Film POP!, Twitter for Dummies Co-Author) is joined by Rakiesha Chase (Social Butterfly Experiment) and other panelists TBA to discuss how gender and race opportunities are two recurring themes in technology. Are we part of the problem, or part of the solution? This panel is about moving beyond the usual “we’re oppressed” quagmire discussion and into real, workable solutions, starting with ourselves as individuals to effect change in tech and social media. VOTE FOR THIS ONE HERE. Get others to vote and comment by sharing this URL: http://bit.ly/sxswsexy – THANK YOU

Please note: we are competing against nearly 3000 other panels for votes. SXSW is a popularity and interest driven contest. Every vote and comment really does matter. Please feel free to tell your friends, your colleagues and the universe about this post and about these panels, and get out the vote. We are excited to go to SXSW with these bright ideas, but we can’t do it without YOUR help!