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Gabrielle Free   
The press kit is an information package created to give journalists key facts about your film.  A good press kit generates interest in your film, ensures the journalist gets all the facts right, and helps position your film the way you want it in the media. It is informative, concise and well laid-out, with the most important information up front. It also represents you and your film to the media, so it has to be error-free and professional-looking.
The basic components of a press kit are:
  • A press release
  • Photography
  • Synopses (short and long)
  • Credit list
  • Bios of key cast and crew
  • Production notes
There are plenty of great press kits to be found online, as most distributors post them in the media section of their websites.  (For some examples, see www.mongrelmedia.com or www.allianceatlantisfilms.com.)

Typically, you’ll distribute your press kit via email, but you’ll need hard copies as well for hand-out purposes – especially at film festivals. 

What to include

Press release
The press release is the single most important publicity tool at your disposal.  At its simplest, it contains only the who/ what/ where/ when/ why of your film, plus a contact for more information (your publicist’s phone number and a website address). Provide the name of the film and a one-line synopsis; the names of the director, producer and principal cast; key dates (e.g. any festival screenings); where the film is screening; and what makes the film newsworthy, interesting and unique. 

You want your press release to be clear, concise and no more than one page long. Spell-check and fact-check it as well – it’s  much more difficult to correct wrong information than to get it right in the first place. 

You can send out a release to mark each turning point in the life of the film (e.g. start of principal photography, acceptance at a festival, the day a distribution deal is secured, etc.).

 
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