Listening to Seth Godin recently in a podcast he mentioned that it isn’t hard to get to number one on the New York Times bestsellers list. This is because it’s a list that’s based on sales — so you can essentially buy 80,000 copies of your own book and reach number one rendering the number one spot of the list a worthless (in terms of merit) endeavor. It means absolutely nothing.

Yet it is an endeavor that does warrant an increase in book sales which is why most authors attempt to do it.

This is also true in filmmaking.

As we enter January — it’s the festival season and two top-tier festivals spring to mind; Sundance and Slamdance, taking place in Park City Utah. The movies that are showcased at these and other festivals go through a political process that often does not involve the filmmakers who made the art.

Instead, it involves the agents and producers in a tug of war over who gets what spot at what screening and who wins what award. It’s very well known how flawed the system is — especially around the awards themselves in that those who rubbed the most bellies reap the most.

The self-congratulatory motions on display at film festivals is a rather sad story for filmmakers who grind away on a daily, weekly and monthly basis for their art.

As a boutique industry, film festivals keep the illusion alive that they are open to everyday submissions from everyday filmmakers. Yet ninety percent of films that are submitted to the festivals aren’t even seen by the judges who are looking for content.

This is because of two reasons — one: they receive in excess of tens of thousands of submissions and can only program in a handful of spots.

And two: in order for the festivals themselves to succeed they need profitable names to appear at them.

And in order to have those names appear on the day, they need to choose films that have the names attached. This boost in popularity also boosts the potential for sponsorship dollars.

It’s a lose-lose situation for those who pour their heart and soul into one great big endeavor to get their work seen.

My advice is to not waste your time on the festival circuit.

Because festivals will take your money, promise you fairness and deliver you nothing.

It’s a broken system that is yet to be corrected.

Festivals are the last bastions of a dying breed of ‘gatekeepers’ living in a society where everything has been decentralized through the Internet. Filmmakers no longer need to seek the approval of any gatekeepers in order to find success in their medium.

Filmmaking is a craft that only sharpens and matures when it’s constantly engaged.

In order to be a successful artist through filmmaking, one needs to apply themselves to the craft daily and one can do this by making a film a day and uploading their work to YouTube.

Yes, this is hard. But who said greatness was easy?

Yes, you will be working alone most of the time — But what better way to focus on each area of the production process than to be in charge of all of it?

The more they work on their craft the more their craft enhances and the more they do not need to seek the gratification of the gatekeepers of film festivals in order to be fulfilled as an artist.

One could achieve a fantastic horror film that could go viral and on par with some of the greatest cinematic works in human history. And it could have been their 500th attempt to do so.

If they have been uploading work daily, their work is perfected and crafted to their specifications and needs (along with the audience they hope to reach).

I’ve often been told that ‘attention is the asset’, and in the world of filmmaking where it’s hard enough to find — you might as well perfect your craft and expose it, flaws and all. Through this, you will find the fulfillment you are seeking when submitting your work to festivals.

The more you work, the better you get and when your work is at a high level (through patience and dedication) your audience will find you and you will achieve what most New York Times Bestsellers will not…

Genuine Merit.