Interview Transcript

I saw that you had about 99 to 100 films at the festival last year, but how many entries were submitted?

We had about 1100-1300 submit last year. That is an average number of submissions. We had about 60-65 in the competition category.

I was looking on your website and I did not see a specific student category. Do you have a student category or do they just submit normally?

No, there isn’t a specific student category. We have had students submit their work, but they just compete with everyone else.

What about papers or presentations? I don’t think I saw anything about those, so do you show presentations or is it just films?

We don’t really have a papers or presentations category, but we have the Speakeasy events. This is where we get industry professionals to come in and have a panel conversation with the audience. 

How many films are you aiming to get and show this year?

We will probably get about 1100-1300 submitted. That seems to be the typical number for the past few years. We will show about 100 again as well. We have different categories for films that are shown. They may be chosen for competition where they are eligible for prizes and awards. We also have invited films which are not eligible for awards. There are also curated films that we choose and tribute films which honor a filmmaker.

What is your pre-sceening process? Do you use a jury panel to pick which films you choose?

We have a director of programming with 2 co-chairs. Then we have about 15 people who balance out the panel. They come from film or academic backgrounds and can judge and critique the films effectively. It is a very time heavy task that they do. Each film is watched by 2 members of the panel then they rotate films. After all the films have been seen they decide on which ones they want. 

What formats do you typically accept for exhibition? I know for the submission process you require a DVD, but is that the same for the actual festival?

We ask for the highest quality they have. We have multiple means of showing films whether it be digital, film, HD, or whatever they need.

Is there any kind of rubric that is used when scoring the films?

There is not really a rubric or set guidelines that we use. 

Are there typically themes that arise amongst the films that are chosen such as political themes, global themes, gender, sexuality, or race themes?

Oh gosh, really all of the above. Lately we have been having a European style theme. The theme is really determinate of the Director of Programming and what their style is. Usually people associate documentary films with advocacy films and while we do have a lot of advocacy films, they are not all solely about that. 

Have you ever done any non-traditional film events like installations or visual sound walls?

No and it’s not something we are really looking for. We really believe in theatrical exhibition of film.

How many paid employees do you have each year and how many volunteers?

We have 8 full time employees, we also have about 20-35 part-time and seasonal employees, then about 350 volunteers that we bring in a week before the festival. A lot of the volunteers are repeat volunteers. We bring them in a week before the festival to train them on the new things we have done to the festival.

Do you have a specific program that you use for trafficking or budgeting?

Actually we are really old school. We still use Microsoft Excel. Everyone knows how to use it so it makes it really easy. We use some programs like Filemaker Pro and Event Bright. Duke Box Office handles all of the tickets and audience so they purchased Audience View for that.

I saw you do year round screenings and events at the Full Frame Theater, but what kind of other community outreach do you use to get the word out? Do you do workshops, or fundraisers, or mini-festivals?

We have a winners series that is shown at the Carolina Theater that is free to the public. We also have free screenings during the festival in Durham Central Park. This is really good for the community because of the food trucks. Local food trucks come to sell their food and we let them keep 100% of their profits. We had screenings for NC Pride and Case 8. About 70% of the people that come to Full Frame hear about it through word of mouth. 

What do your sponsors typically put in their swag bags and who receives the bags?

The pass holders are the main people who receive a bag. The sponsors usually put in promotional items like note pads or t-shirts. We have also had bigger items like iPad covers go in the bags.

Do you provide filmmakers with funds to cover travel or lodging?

It depends. We pick everyone up from the airport. Out of competition participants cover their own travel and lodging. In competition participants get reduced rooms or travel. They pick which they want. 

What kind of perks do your filmmakers enjoy at the festival? Do you encourage them to tour the town or provide them with dinners or special activities?

Any professional guest is allowed to use the professional suite. We also have a shuttle that runs until 12 or 1 to take them back to their hotel if they are out late. We also provide them with a map and suggestions of places they should visit. 

What kind of sponsor or special donor perks do they receive at the festival?

The First Team is a group of individual donors that donate $1,200 a year or up. They are allowed first pick at what tickets they want to buy. They are guaranteed a seat on opening night. They are allowed into the opening night party. They have first claim of seats and use the greenline which allows them to bypass all other ticket holders. 

How long have you been in charge of Full Frame?

I started in January of 2010.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently or better then? 

Pretty much everything. We did a lot of things right, but there are still things that I wish we had done differently. 

What do you wish you knew then that you know now and what advice can you give us?

Bigger isn’t always better. Remember who you are building this on; the community, the artists. Respect everyone. Hire only type A people. That is always the first question I ask people when interviewing them; how type A are you?