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festivalgenius.com Help
Welcome to festivalgenius.com, the largest and fastest emerging community of independent film fans, filmmakers and festivals. We have compiled a list of common questions to help you setup your account, use the features of the site, and of course, buy films.
If you're a filmmaker, you'll find answers to your questions about how your film can be published on festivalgenius.com. Finally, if you're a festival staff member and interested in what Festival Genius can do for your festival, you'll find answers to some of the most common questions. If you have a question and you don't see the answer here, please visit our Community Help Forum. If you still can't find the answer you're looking for, please email us at help+www@festivalgenius.com.
We are eager to know what you think about the festivalgenius.com community. If you have comments or suggestions for improvements, please use the Feedback Widget on the left, or email us at comments+www@festivalgenius.com.
Contents
1. Why is festivalgenius.com different than other websites dedicated to independent film?
2. How do I register for festivalgenius.com
3. How do I find movie listings, showtimes, ratings, reviews and filmmaker blogs?
4. What are the festivalgenius.com custom video feeds? How do I get one?
5. How does festivalgenius.com create recommendations for me?
6. How do I find top rated films?
7. How do I find filmmaker and filmgoer blogs?
8. How do I rate or review a film?
9. How do I create my own blog?
10. How do I invite a friend to join festivalgenius.com?
11. How are ratings calculated for 'Top-Rated' films?
12. I am a filmmaker interested in festivalgenius.com, how do I get started?
13. I am a festival interested in the Festival Genius Festival Community, how do I get started?
12. Troubleshooting...
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is festivalgenius.com different than other websites dedicated to independent film?
The festivalgenius.com difference is our ability to customize your experience on the website. We've spent nearly two years working with film festivals, filmmakers and film fans (over 2 million of them) to develop technology that understands your likes and dislikes. We use this information to create custom video feeds, full of trailers, video clips and shorts we believe you'll enjoy. We also use this information to recommend films you'll like; in short order we hope to help you discover your next favorite film.
The most important thing you can do on festivalgenius.com is interact. Rate and review films, watch video clips and give them a 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down,' add screenings of local independent films to your personal calendar. The more you click, the more we learn... the more we learn, the more valuable we can make your experience.
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How do I register for festivalgenius.com?
On the home page, click on 'Register' located at the top of the right side of the screen next to the 'Log in Here' button
Enter your information in the form:
1. Email Address: Enter your email address. This is the email address
to which all festivalgenius.com emails will go to.
2. Desired Screen Name: Choose a screen name. Your screen name will be the name
others see on your reviews. It does not have to be your actual name.
3. Zip Code: Enter the zip code in which you reside.
4. Password: Choose a password that you will remember. This password
is kept confidential.
5. Confirm Password: Re-enter your chosen password for confirmation.
5. First Name: Enter your first name.
6. Last Name: Enter your last name.
8. Read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy for festivalgenius.com and check
the box confirming that you have done so.
9. Click the 'Register' button.
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How do I find film listings, showtimes, ratings, reviews.
Search: If you know the title of the film, type any portion of the title in the search box and press "enter". If there is only one matching title, the movie page will appear. Each movie page has a video player with trailers, pod casts, and assorted video clips. You'll also find upcoming show times at festivals or venues near you, ratings, reviews, filmmaker's blog and audience comments. If multiple movie titles contain the search word, a list will appear. Click on the name of the desired movie to access that movie's information.
Browse all Movies: If you do not know the title of the film, you can browse all film listings by clicking the "films" tab at the top of the screen in the navigation bar. From the list, you can click on a movie listing to access the movie's information page.
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What are the festivalgenius.com custom video feeds? How do I get one?
festivalgenius.com prides itself on having lots of high quality videos for you to watch. We publish multiple videos for each film, wherever possible including:
- Trailers
- Pod casts
- The first 15 minutes of the film
- Digital downloads
- Streaming video
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How does festivalgenius.com create recommendations for me?
festivalgenius.com stores each and every click you make on the site! We pay attention to what film pages you view and how long you view them. We pay attention to which films you rate and review and where you're contributing content such as comments. We also look at how frequently and recently you've explored a section of the site. When we add all this up, and apply our secret sauce, we're able to create accurate recommendations that introduce you to great films.
We do not share any of this information with third parties or partners.
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How do I find top rated films?
Click on the 'films' tab in the top navigation bar. Once on the films listing page, you'll be able to click on the 'by rating' tab to organize the films by rating.
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How do I find filmmaker and filmgoer blogs?
To find a filmmaker blog, search for the film title or browse for the film using the "films" tab. Once on the film's detail page, click on the "filmmaker blog" tab.
To find a filmgoer's blog, search for the user and visit their profile page.
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Rate or Review a Film
On any film's information page, you can rate the film by clicking on the number of stars you deem appropriate. You'll find a rating control at the top of the page near the film's title and towards the bottom of the page, where you may enter a review.
To review a movie, enter a title for your review and review text, along with a rating and click 'add review.' You must rate the film in order to add a review.
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Create My Own Blog
festivalgenius.com community members may create and share personal blogs. If you already have a blog, enter the url for your blog feed under 'Blog URL' under the 'edit profile' tab on the 'your bside' page.
Very simple instructions for creating your own Blogger blog can be found here: Create a blog...
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How are ratings calculated for 'Top-Rated' films?
We use the same true Bayesian estimate formula used by imdb.com to calculate their Top 250 films (described here). This formula takes the average rating for a film, and adjusts it relative to other films based on how many ratings it has, as well as relative to the average rating of all films.
This calculation compensates for the fact that a film with only a few ratings will not be as accurately represented by an average of those ratings as a film with many ratings would be.
For the mathematically curious, the formula for the true Bayesian estimate is:
weighted rank (WR) = (v / (v+m)) * R + (m / (v+m)) * C
where:
R = average for the movie (mean) = (Rating)
v = number of votes for the movie = (votes)
m = minimum votes required to be listed as Top-Rated (currently 3)
C = the mean vote across the whole report (currently 3.8)
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I am a filmmaker interested in festivalgenius.com, how do I get started?
festivalgenius.com provides filmmakers with the tools they need to discover their fans, craft their messages, and sell DVDs and digital downloads of their films. And the festivalgenius.com marketplace has no exclusivity requirements, so no matter where you are already trying to sell your film today, we can help.
In addition to our online marketplace, Festival Genius is a specialty distributor of independent films. Like other distributors, we look to film festivals as the primary source for film acquisition. Unlike other distributors, we also use festivalgenius.com to help us find the next breakout independent feature.
To learn more, download this filmmaker introduction and contact info@festivalgenius.com for more details.Back to top.
I am a festival interested in the Festival Genius Festival Community, how do I get started?
The Festival Genius Festival Community serves over 30 festivals and will serve over 100 by the end of 2007. The Festival Genius Festival Community provides each festival with an interactive website where filmmakers can promote their screenings using trailers, images and blogs, generating that elusive buzz that sells tickets. Additionally, audience members may create their own personal calendars, interact directly with filmmakers and with one another to improve their festival experience. Festival Genius does all the work to customize the Festival Community to match the festival's brand and hosts the site year round... best of all, it's free to all festivals, big and small. Here are just a few of our partner festivals using the Festival Genius Festival Community:
- Philadelphia Film Festival
- Independent Film Channel
- Austin Film Festival
- Sacramento Film Festival
- San Diego Film Festival
- Atlanta Film Festival
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Troubleshooting
I am having trouble registering...
Follow the instructions for registration. If you still cannot register, please contact help+www@festivalgenius.com.
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I am having trouble reviewing films...
In order to review films, you must be logged in to the website. Once you are logged in, follow the instructions to review a film.
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I am having trouble seeing reviews for films...
Reviews will not be available until after the start of the festival.
