You did it! You spent all this time working on the short film of your dreams; the story rocks, the storyboards are now ancient history, the sets look great and the characters are modeled, rigged, and even animated! You've spent months at the computer and just as long at the editing station. You've tracked sound, tweaked the lighting, rendered it all out... ran it all the way through to the final cut. You're done... right?

Um... well... no, you're not.

Anyone who is passionate about entertaining knows that to tell a good story you need three very crucial things: a story to tell, a medium, and an audience. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the end product (be it a film, a song, or a painting) that we forget it amounts to only two thirds of the equation. Even the best stories can be left to the editing room floor, or sit idle somewhere far away in piles of DVDs still in their shrink wrap. So what is the solution to get those DVDs into the hands of the right people? Promotion.

What is promotion?

Large studios have entire departments that oversee the promotion of their films. Marketing directors and public relations people work tirelessly to get the right people to the right events to get the right exposure to get those DVDs out the door and into your DVD player. But you are an independent filmmaker, not a large studio. You are the marketing department, and the public relations person, and the manufacturing and distribution departments. You will soon see that there is a lot that goes into getting your story out to the masses. Congratulations on finishing your short film, now you are ready to get to know what puts the "Business" in "Show Business."

Why do I have to promote?

You may be sitting on a gold mine with this short independent film you've finished, but there is one simple fact at this point: no matter how loud you can yell on high, people don't know anything yet about your little pot of gold. Although it may seem like you are tooting your own horn at this point, you need to make this film available to the people you intended it for. You need to tell people about it, as many people as you possibly can. You also need to show it to influential people, the people that have the resources and the power to tell even more people.

So how can I promote this short film of mine?

Well, there are a myriad of ways to promote your short film. The most obvious and traditional method is by submitting your short film to film festivals. Film festivals offer the opportunity to reach an audience who is enthusiastic enough to give your film the room to speak for itself. People go to film festivals to be entertained and to see the films that everyone will be talking about next season.

Submitting films to festivals is the perfect way for independent filmmakers to promote their film, because by pooling entry fees and sponsorship funds, these festivals can offer marketing and publicity that filmmakers alone would not be able to afford. Festivals also draw film buffs to communities that can benefit from the increased exposure and tourism. Film festivals are a winning combination for all involved, but there is a hitch for you, the independent filmmaker: you have to make the cut.

How do I go about submitting my film to film festivals?

Step one: Research, research, research.

Submitting your film to festivals can be both a tedious and time consuming process, and without researching your options, it can be completely overwhelming. There are hundreds if not thousands of film festivals worldwide, and finding the festivals with the right fit can be quite a task. Obviously you will want to submit to the festivals that you have heard of: Ottawa, Annecy, Sundance or Cannes, to name a few. But a little research will point you towards festivals that may best suit your film, and that you may have more luck getting into. Do you have a film about Bluegrass music? Submit it to the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Horror? Check out the Chicago Horror Festival that runs in the beginning of April. Finding festivals that suit your film is a great first step, but how are you supposed to find these obscure opportunities? By using our trusted friend, the Internet, of course.

Start your search by brainstorming all of the film festivals that you would like to submit to. Remember, you have just poured your heart into this film, so now is not the time to be modest with your aspirations. Now is the time to think big, and one nice benefit to that is often large festivals do not require a submission fee, since they are not expecting to generate revenue from the filmmakers, but rather from ticket sales. They may, however, require this to be your world debut, so now is the time! Do you want to do the same thing Ron Howard is doing? Then go fill out an application on the Festival de Cannes website (But if you did a short... submit it to the Short Film Corner instead.) Heck, why don't you submit it to Annecy, Sundance, Ottawa, and SIGGRAPH. The application is the first step you will need to take, and since your film has not yet had its world premiere, you might as well give it a shot at the big time! I mean, who knows, perhaps you are the next Brad Bird. Just don't forget that this is a long shot, and prepare yourself for the shock if you find that you are among the thousands of other filmmakers that don't make the cut. Once that is over the real fun begins, finding the film festivals that you have a real chance of getting into.

Where can I learn about film festivals?

With all of the details about film festivals being scattered all over the net, it sure would be nice if some friendly independent film buffs put together a website to keep it all organized for you. Oh wait, someone already did that, and the result is www.withoutabox.com.

The great people at www.withoutabox.com have compiled an extensive list of film festivals all across the world (over 2,300 to date), and have greatly simplified the submission process for over five hundred of them. Not only can you find the film festivals that will accept your film length and format (shorts or features, 35mm or Digibeta, MiniDV to DVD to QuickTime, the options are staggering) but those that have the niches or even acceptance rates that you want to target.

Instead of wading through thousands of websites, filling out applications, distributing Press Photos, Reference Stills, Resumes, Synopses, Tag lines, Trailers and Press Kits, www.withoutabox.com lets you put all of this information together once, and submit it to any festival you wish, with the click of a button. It's like the common application for college, and it makes the process much simpler.

One thing to keep in mind is that just because your film passes the length, casting, format and niche requirements does not mean that your film will be a perfect fit for each and every festival. You will still want to do some research before you plunk down your application fee (expect to pay $5 to $50 per festival in application fees.) Some festivals can guarantee a large audience, and some festivals are looking to make a profit so they can make it to next year. You will still need to do your research, find out which festivals are more established, and therefore give you more exposure for your money.

Step Two: Submit it, mail it, and hope for the best.

Once you've found that perfect festival, the one that will launch your film into the limelight, just clicking "submit" sets the wheels in motion. Then it is as easy as labeling a "judging copy" of your film with the assigned tracking number, and sending it off in the mail. The hardest part has yet to come: the waiting.

If you are accepted, you will most likely get an email, but some festivals will even call you to welcome you to their event. You will need to supply the festival with your film in its highest quality format, but you should get that back. You may also need to provide your updated biography or flyers or posters, if you have them.

All that is left at that point is to see if you can be there when it debuts! Better go and make those transportation and accommodation reservations!

While the creative decisions may be behind you, the business of making your work available to the general public is still very much ahead of you. Enjoy the journey!

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Taylor Mahony is in charge of the Maya tool set for AnimationMentor.com students who choose to animate with the computer, and is also a fourth term student of AnimatonMentor.com. Taylor created his short film "Anomaly" in record time, and has done well at film festivals. "Anomaly" is available for public viewing on his website: taylor.mahony.org/3d. Watch next month as Taylor discusses alternative methods for promoting your film.