Withoutabox is now free to filmmakers. No restrictions, no tokens... free.

Check it out! (http://www.withoutabox.com)

Is it a festival or "just another" site to host your movies?

Neither. It's a festival submission service. Many festivals don't accept direct submissions any more; now filmmakers must submit their films to festival submission services (of which Withoutabox is the largest) and the festivals themselves cull their selections from their service's library.

That is great news. How'd you hear about it, John?

And one has to wonder--how are they making money without submission fees?

<<<-- Originally posted by Robert Knecht Schmidt:
... Many festivals don't accept direct submissions any more; now filmmakers must submit their films to festival submission services -->>>

MMMM...The first impression I get from this system (not WIthoutabox, but from the whole process on itself) is not good to my eyes.

Could anyone enlight me on why is this working like that? and what are the not-so-obvious benefits or disadvantages of these system?

It´s that coming from a music "industry" background I allways beware of the "middle man".

It's understandable to be suspect of what amounts to no less than a revolution in the festival process, but once one looks into what a festival submission service actually is and what it does, it's easy to see why there's a need for such a service.

Withoutabox saves work for filmmakers (who are spared the torture of submitting endless application materials which usually ask identical questions to all the festivals they try for, as well as duplication and postage costs for press kits, which can add up to thousands of dollars) and festivals (for whom Withoutabox simplifies the process of wading through submissions).

Withoutabox doesn't control who the filmmakers submit films to or who festivals must accept submissions from; it merely centralizes and streamlines the submission process, while at the same time trying to remain adaptable to the needs of every festival.

Still, I'm not sure how they're doing it for free. Are they merely relying on fees paid to them by festivals?

That's right, Robert. As you said earlier, it's by far the biggest now and is receiving funds from festivals... so they've dropped charges to the filmmakers themselves.

Federico, Withoutabox.com is endorsed by "Final Draft"...and if you look at the list of participating festivals, you'll see that it is the genuine article.

Here are the benefits to both the filmmaker and the festivals:

THE OLD WAY: (Disadvantages)
TRADITIONAL PAPER PRESS KIT

Paper production stills and resume photos must be digitally scanned before graphic designers can paste them into festival catalogs, websites, or advertising.

Only one festival judge, staffer, or designer can look at your paper or CD-ROM press kit at one time. It must be either passed around or re-copied.

Retyping names, synopses, and biographical information leads to typos that later appear in print.

Clutter, clutter, clutter. Festival offices are piled high with large dog-eared envelopes spilling their contents onto the floor, stuffed in crates, and filed in cabinets.

THE NEW WAY: (Advantages)
WITHOUTABOX ONLINE PRESS KIT

Digital production stills and resume photos are ready and waiting in the precise formats needed by graphic designers. Online Press KIts save festivals time — and time is money.

Online Press Kits are available to everyone at a festival with security access to your submission, simultaneously, and from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.

With cut-and-paste, Online Press Kits eliminate embarrassing typos. Information comes directly from the filmmaker unmediated.

Withoutabox Online Press Kits are always "fresh copies" available at the festival's fingertips, conveniently bundled with ther rest of your online submission.

All right, thanx for your answers...
As long as it´s free, or less expensive (in time, money and/or results) than the DIY approach, it seems like a good deal.

I´ve allways hated paper and stamps anyway...

I have just finished using withoutabox.com to make my press kits. This service is saving me a ton of money by allowing me to go paperless. I was able to upload a couple of digital stills from my shorts and type in all my films vitals to create the press kits. That info is saved, so that when I submit to another fest the saved info is used again.

I recommend it....

I just joined, and I think it's awesome. I've read all the FAQ, and I'm impressed.

Murph

We're using Withoutabox. Although I agree that the 'middle man submissions'
thing seems pretty ugly at first glance. Many festivals are going this route
to streamline the process, because when you get some 5000 submissions,
you have to have a least a couple of &%#@ filters to ween it down.

However, unlike AMAZON.com and other
corperations who take/make most of the money without doing a GD thing
except have you run their database addition script,
Withoutabox provides a very good service . . . even if you do pay for their
next higher levels of service.

PS There is NOTHING wrong with someone making money who provides
good service to a client. Hey, that's what keeps us ALL in busness right?
What pisses me off is when companies Amazon take
50% PLUS a dollar just for the
right to _list_ your product on their *way too bloated* website.
They provide no promotion, labor or anything else and make all the money.

I checked it out, looks like a useful site... thanks.

--Ralph

wow, very interesting idea. I never knew something like this existed. Great find, thank you!

John,
I used withoutabox this past april to submit my short film NYLON to 15 festivals, it's a great service, unfortuneatley my short did get accepted by anyone. Resfest is in Osaka now so I'm heading out there tonight to see the surf doc. John, how's it like being back in the states?

Hey Rik,

Good to hear from you! Sorry to hear about "Nylon"...just keep submitting it. You know how that goes...no one wanted to release "Brazil" either.

How is it to be back? It has its ups and downs. I'll send you a followup by email tomorrow--don't want to digress so drastically in this thread.

Aw come on, you can't screw a company for providing something cheaper than what you paid months or years earlier. If that was the case we should all swear off pretty much every company out there. Especially those danged computers that seem to be cheaper 2 days after you buy them.