How to Test Screen Your Film
When you’re about to finalize a film, there’s a lot riding on what others think of the release. Learning how to test screen your film to get some opinions on your film before it’s big release is important to help you determine whether you’re truly “big screen” ready. Hosting test screenings for your big release will help you to get a feel for what others think of your release. Here’s what you’ve got to do.
Make a List of Invitees
Who you invite to your test screen will have a big impact on the feedback that you get. You don’t want to come out with a bunch of feedback that isn’t valuable. The purpose of the test screen is to accumulate invaluable feedback from viewers that you can then use to your advantage. So, who will you invite?
Pros & Average Joes
Consider inviting people that aren’t filmmakers in addition to the filmmakers that you choose to invite. WHY? Because the filmmakers will give you insight on things like color correction, or underlying issues that they see in the actual creation of the film.
Meanwhile those who are NOT filmmakers will likely provide details on things that the average viewer will notice in regards to the film. By inviting both, you’ll get the most rounded details from your test screen.
Generate Hype
It’s also a good idea to consider inviting local press. To do so, prepare a press release that announces the test screening and the details. Send the release to local newscasters, area film bloggers, and digital creators that are most likely to be closely associated with your genre.
Offer free access to the test screen and make sure you tell them what’s in it for them if they come out – whether it’s free food and drinks or something entirely different, make it worth their while.
Provide Comment Cards
There are likely a lot of personal details that you’re looking to hear about your test screening. If you’ve got particular questions about certain aspects of your film, providing your test screeners with comment cards that include a survey with the most important elements that you’re looking for details on included, will help you get the information you need.
Make sure to leave plenty of room for their own personal comments, too. Providing anonymous comment cards for everyone at the beginning will ensure a wider turnaround of commentary.
Including some of the most important questions in a survey will ensure you get the data that you desire. Making it easy on your party is just common courtesy.
Ask for Public Reviews
You’ve gone through the process of figuring out how to test screen your film, you might as well get the maximum advantage from your efforts. In addition to getting feedback on your comment cards, you should also encourage screeners to rate your film publicly.
Rating on public viewer boards, and in places like IMDb or similar public pages will maximize your outcome from the screening.
If you can, make the rating abilities easy for your screeners by providing an automated text message that includes links to the locations for them to send reviews in. Provide a 10-15 minute intermission during the screening and encourage screeners to provide feedback during that time.
Collect Pertinent Data
Knowing how to test screen your film is just the beginning of the process of collecting data that you can utilize to your advantage. Once you’ve got your group there for the screening, make sure that you’ve got systems in place to collect data that you can use for future marketing and promotion of your film once it is ready to launch formally.
Utilize the Internet
Building an email list is an important part of the filmmaking process, and test screenings are an excellent opportunity for you to gather details like email addresses, phone numbers, and personal connections.
Use software, such as Eventbrite or similar options, to collect data from your attendees. Make sure you don’t spam them in the future, but make it known that you would like to add them to your personal email list for future correspondence about the film.
Knowing how to test screen your film is an important step for any filmmaker that’s prepared to launch a film for the first time. The information that you can gather as a result of the screening is invaluable and goes a long way in providing you with the data needed to continuously improve your filmmaking processes.
