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In other blogs and podcasts on this site, you can find case studies of how other Community Hosts have gone about organising their LMFF Film Events. And when passes go on sale in October, Community Hosts will have access to more assets and guidance which many found useful last year.
Here though, is a one-stop summary for how it will roll out:
What can you do Before you buy your Community Pass?
We recommend you start talking to friends and possible venues about your film night. Here's three things that you can crack on with:
Test the idea with your friends, club members or local community - Why not ask the question in a Facebook Group? Is there an appetite for an Adventure Film Night?
If there is then start to think about the logistics. The most important thing is the venue. Venues can include climbing walls, parish halls, community cinemas - we have examples of all of these on our Community Events page. You also need to check it has a licence to screen films (most venues will) and public liability insurance is in place.
Naturally, you are going to need a screen and projection equipment - there is probably time to sort this out but it's worth thought at this stage - for example, your venue will need to have room for a screen where the lowest bit can be seen from the back row - it drives people mad if they can't read subtitles.
If you can reserve a date with your preferred venue many months out then do it!
What happens when you buy your Community Pass?
Community Passes are £50 each. Normally, Community Hosts aim to cover this through ticket sales along with any other costs. £50 is great value. Community cinemas can pay £100-£200 to pay a film licence for one night. Some hosts aren't worried about the £50 - they may see it as a worthwhile investment to have people come to their venue, or they may settle it personally as their way of chipping in for the fund-raiser. It's up to you, but deducting the £50 Community Pass fee from your revenues is perfectly acceptable in fund-raising.
When buying the pass you will need to provide some very basic information - the organisation you are representing and the organisation you are fund-raising for are the key bits. At this stage we don't need to have dates, venue, ticket info or any other information - you can add this later when you're ready.
Your confirmation email will provide a link to a Community Host Assets page where you will find various checklists, some assets like our logo, and support information. When the event gets closer this is also where you will find film posters and stills for any artwork or social media you may wish to create.
Note: Your pass buys you 3 hours of film footage. That's a lot for one evening, so you may not use it all. Or, you may split it into more than one event. You can also show the footage more than once. Your only restrictions are that your events are within the dates of our Festival Fortnight (Feb 28 - March 16 2025) and that you are always in the same venue.
How does the Film Selection bit work?
The first thing worth remembering is that because it's a festival, we receive films right up to early February! When you are making your selection you might want to leave some room for late additions because sometimes these can be the most exciting as they may not have been shown anywhere else yet. Your film selection will be a work in progress between January 1st and up close to your event.
On January 1st 2025, you will be sent a link to start previewing the films and noting the ones that you like. This is when you start to build your playlist. You can see at a glance how long your reel is as you build it up. You can add and remove films as you go until you are happy with the reel. You can also change the order of the films.
If that all sounds like too much work you can always choose one of Recommended Collections. This might be an oven-ready list of Climbing films, for example, or perhaps a more general selection we have made for our own screening. There are shortcuts, if you are pushed for time.
We realise this late arrival of some films might present some marketing challenges - you may think that your audience would want to know all the films before buying a ticket. Our recommendation is that you start selling tickets without knowing your films. Why not? You can tell them that the films will be named in due course. Also, you don't have to name all your films at once. A good tip is to name a couple of short films early on so people get the idea of the kinds of films on offer, but let them know the final programme will be announced soon. Every time you add a film to your programme, it's an excuse to send out a reminder. Building the programme up like this can build excitement for your event if you play it right. Also, don't be afraid to change the film line-up if you change your mind for good reason.
How do I get my LMFF Community Event Film Reel?
You only get to push the button once, so make sure you are 100% happy with your chosen films. You don't want to be too early that you miss out on last minute films you would have gone for. You also want to leave enough time to test the reel and feel comfortable with it. There is no need to push the button more than one week before your event in our view. After all, you can still watch all the films online if you're uncertain.
Once you push the button it will take a little time to render, then when it's ready you will get an email and you will be able to download it - once - so make sure you are on the right device. Of course, you can drag it on to a memory stick but otherwise no copying is permitted. We also ask that you delete the file after use.
The reel will be the films in the order you have asked for them, but we will also have added our logo here and there and a couple of small clips within your programme to give it some polish.
What else should I be doing between now and then?
Marketing: How are you going to let people know about your event? We will have it on our site, but your most powerful marketing will be done by you.
Ticketing: Figure out what is a fair ticket price and how people will buy their tickets. Some hosts use a platform like Eventbrite, others are lucky enough that their venue can do it for them, others might just sell tickets on the door. You also need to think about whether or not you want to have the emails or names of the people coming, because you won't get this on the door, and a platform or venue may need to hold details from you for data protection reasons.
Local businesses: It's worth having a think if there are any local businesses in the adventure space might help you out with a raffle prize. These can help with spreading the word too!
Community Hosts have access to online guides and tips, and even each other if they want to share ideas in our Facebook Group. We are aware that running a film event for the first time can be daunting, but we will help as much as we can. Good luck!
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