How To Prepare and Take Care of Yourself During the HollyShorts 20th Anniversary Edition
Written by The Film Festival Doctor, Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith
The Film Festival Doctor, Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith (instagram @RebekahFilmDr)
This year is a big year for the HollyShorts team as they turn 20 years old! And for those of you who were selected, it’s going to be one big, long birthday party jam-packed with daily screenings, panels and parties. The festival runs for 10 days in the heart of Hollywood at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatre. Also, 4 filmmakers will become eligible to submit their film to the Oscars when the winners of the Oscar Qualifying awards are revealed.
All the above is super exciting and extremely rewarding for a filmmaker. Having a film invited to screen at HollyShorts is an amazing achievement and a breakthrough in your career. Out of 6,100 submissions, 415 films and Podcasts were selected, which means that 5,685 "not selected" emails were sent to filmmakers who were not able to be part of the festival. By having a physical presence at the festival and partaking in all of the events and screenings, you can make connections and build relationships with top film industry professionals and organizations such as Stage 32, Alta Global Media, Kodak, and Panavision.
HollyShorts is so much fun, and I look forward to connecting with you while I’m there. Come and join me on Friday the 9th August for the ‘Power of Women’ panel that I’ll be speaking on with several other inspiring and talented ladies at Japan House.
If you will be attending the festival, it’s important to plan ahead and prepare yourself. Although film festivals are fun, they are also the equivalent of going to work; they’re not relaxing holidays (even if you have to fly into glamourous Los Angeles!). They can often be very intense and highly pressured events since a filmmaker is presenting their work and may feel judged and/or feel pressure to level up in their careers. There’s a lot of things happening which can take a lot of time to process and can subsequently take their toll on a filmmaker’s mental health.
Below are my top tips to help you take care of your mental health during a film festival.
1. Never Assume Anything - Keep your eyes and ears open while attending a film festival to allow new opportunities to be presented to you. Assuming that things will go a certain way and that people will think certain things is not a healthy mindset to have. Relinquish the need to be in control, and instead be open, curious, stay grounded and relaxed. Lots of great networking opportunities happen all the time during HollyShorts, especially after the film screenings, panels and Q&As.
2. Don’t Create False Narratives - Try not to allow your mind to create and engage with false stories that are full of fearful and anxiety-inducing reasons why people might not like your film or that nothing will happen for your career while you’re attending the festival. Believe in yourself and feel confident in your film. You are guaranteed to always make some great connections during HollyShorts.
3. Feel the Feelings - Feel the disappointment of not winning an award and/or if someone is not complimentary about your film. Process the disappointment and know that winning doesn’t validate you and that everyone has different perceptions, taste and film preferences. Take what they say as constructive feedback.
4. Take Time Out - Film festivals tend to start early and finish very late. And the opening night of HollyShorts always ends in the early hours of the morning! Take a few hours out from the festival and go to a Gallery or Museum or, even better, go to a wellness spa and meditate (plenty of these in LA and Santa Monica) or just chill out and do nothing so you can refuel and recharge for the evening’s events.
5. Use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) To Help With Overwhelm – There’s always a lot happening during a film festival which can often feel overwhelming. EFT is an alternative treatment for emotional distress. It’s also referred to as ‘tapping’. Tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system. EFT focuses on the energy hot spots in the body to restore balance to your body’s energy. A good place to start is to ‘tap’ your shoulders once or twice a day as this is a common area of the body where there is an imbalance and the energy can be blocked. When using EFT, it is always a good idea to say an affirmation to train your brain to believe what is true, for example, ‘’I am undefeated’’. By stimulating this area of your body and saying the above statement, it helps you to significantly reduce stress levels.
6. Enjoy! – The final tip is to simply enjoy the festival – if you experience an anxiety or panic attack during the festival – review these 5 key points above to help ground yourself.
You can also DM me on Instagram @rebekahfilmdr if you need someone to talk to if it all gets too much. You can also connect with me and learn more about what I do here - www.thefilmfestivaldoctor.com