A broken screener link, subtitles full of typos or a missing set of stills can undercut a good film before anyone presses play. None of it is hard, but it is easy to forget under deadline pressure. Tick items off as you go, then print the list or save it as a PDF for your producer.
Notes on the trickier items
Screeners
Name the file and the link with the film title and the version date. If you change the cut after submitting, tell the festival instead of silently replacing the file.
Rights clearances
Festival screenings are often cleared differently from online release. A track you can show at a festival may not be cleared for a vertical teaser on social media, so check the license terms before you cut promotional clips with it. The guide on sound and voice for AI films covers music licensing basics.
AI disclosure
Festivals handle AI work in different ways: some have dedicated AI categories, some ask for disclosure, and some restrict it. Read the rules page of each festival, and keep a simple production log of tools and prompts from day one. The guide to AI film festivals explains how to choose where to submit.
When the package is ready, plan your launch clips with the teaser planner.