What is RebFest?

In March 2009, RebFest was deemed the “First Twitter-Based Film Fest” and gained the attention of Yahoo! News in addition to thousands of people on Twitter, Facebook and beyond.  At first, giving a yearly festival for emerging filmmakers seemed like a good way to help them get into other film festivals.  But, times have changed and filmmakers need to adapt.  For years, filmmakers focused all their attention on trying to acquire a distribution deal for their film.  The lucky ones were able to impress a distributor, while the others went home disappointed.  It isn’t the same as it was back in the ‘90’s and the recession is making things even more difficult for independent filmmakers…  or honestly any filmmaker.  It was this line of thinking that gave us insight into what was truly needed for filmmakers and film fans alike: INTERACTION.

There is a film audience out there looking for material.  More people are watching movies and TV now than before the U.S. Stock Exchange took a dip and the government began handing out bailout money.  Think of it this way: The filmmakers are on an island and the audience is on the mainland.  The distributors were boats that visited the island and hand-picked the films that they wanted to transport to the audience.  Now, however, the boats are no longer visiting the island…

What do you do?  Create a bridge.

During RebFest's first online film festival we were able to get a better picture of the habits of those who frequent the Internet and visited our website.  Two basic groups of people emerged: those that went on the web consistently and those who went on once a week, once a month, or even less frequently.  An online event, like a festival, doesn’t work as well as some may think, at least not yet.  To have more consistent web traffic, we need something that builds more buzz around the films and helps the filmmakers create their fan base.  So, we created the 3 Tier System concept.

THE 3 TIER SYSTEM:  Not based on quality, but the length or file size. 

• Tier I: Filmmakers post small video clips (such as teaser trailers, scene excerpts, behind-the-scenes videos and pod casts) about their films. 
• Tier II: If you go into a bookstore, you can browse through the first couple chapters and decide if it is a book worth buying.  Unfortunately, you can’t do the same with films.  But, what if you could open up a DVD and watch the first 5-15 minutes for free and decide if it’s worth paying to watch the rest?  This is exactly what Tier II section offers; in a sense, an “extended preview.”
• Tier III: Pay per view or limited commercial interruption options for full-length films.  After building buzz on RebFest (utilizing Tier I & II) and via other social media networks, the film’s growing fan base will want to watch your entire film… And, now, they can, with Tier III!

While we are re-developing this website, we will also be creating THE COMMUNITY section, which is completely dedicated to filmmakers and their fans.  Filmmakers will be able to interact with each other and with their fans.

John W. Bosley
Writer/Director of AMNESIA and founder of RebFest.com