In consideration: the unexpected costs of independent filmmaking

Some 2010 festivals recently started taking submissions, so I did a few more rounds. New additions in bold.

• Austin
  
• BendFilm (Oregon)
  
• Big Bear Lake (California)
  
• Charlotte
  
• Chicago International
  
• Chicago Underground
  
• First Take (Georgia)
  
• Landlocked (Iowa)
  
• Maine
  
• Midwest Independent (Chicago)
  
• New York
  
• Rhode Island
  
• Sacramento
  
• Sausalito
  
• Slamdance (Utah)
  
• Stony Brook (New York)
  
• Sundance (Utah)
  
• Toronto

Also, the tally came down to this:

• 5 submissions (NY was free, shockingly): $172.66
  
• First-class mail shipping (e.g. the cheapest): $8.99
  
• Estimated cost of blank DVDs and cases: $8
  
• Total: $193.65

And, of course, I could calculate the cost of the other fests, but why bother? To shoot, Transmissions cost around $150. Today's online submissions and postage cost more than that.

Just a few more 2010 fests that I'll enter when they come around: Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, SXSW, and New Directors/New Films (New York). By that point, I wouldn't mind spending gobs of money traveling to some festivals instead of shipping off money to get burnt.