We’ve tried to make this site as simple and straightforward to use as possible, while still giving you a lot of great resources and functionality. Here are a few tips to get you started.
The Calendar
The events calendar is available to anyone, whether you are a registered member or not. Click the ‘All Events’ link under the ‘Calendar’ tab to access the current month’s calendar with all upcoming events. If you’d like to see only one specific type of event, such as Casting Calls or Screenings, just click the appropriate link to pull up the calendar with only that category showing.
Any day on the calendar that has events scheduled will appear highlighted. Click on the date and the list of all events happening on that date will appear below the calendar. All events will have the basic info about what it is, when it’s happening, the venue, and organizer (if that information has been provided.) At the bottom of each event, there’s a ‘Learn More’ link that will take you to the regular website or Facebook page with more information.
You can easily add any event to your calendar or Google calendar by selecting the appropriate link at the bottom. Below that are options to share the event page on our website via social media or email. Finally, type in your address to pull up Google Map directions to the event venue (opens in a new window).
Searchable Member Directory
The member directory is a listing of all registered members. The main directory page is a listing of all current member profiles, but it is easily searchable by using any of the fields at the top. Use the top search bar to do a general search for a member by name, or use the dropdown search menus to find members by Languages spoken, gender, areas of expertise, race, height, or union affiliation.
This makes it super easy for other members of the film community to find artists for their upcoming projects. If you need to find a screenwriter, editor, or director, just select the appropriate fields and search under the Areas of Expertise menu. If you need an African-American SAG-AFTRA actress who is 5′ 10″ and speaks Spanish, just select all the appropriate fields under those search menus and a list of all members meeting your criteria will appear below.
Registration
It is free and easy to register for the site. Simply go to https://clevelandfilmcollective.com/register/ to start your profile. Enter your name, social media channels, contact info, websites, IMDB page, bio, and more on the registration page. Add as much or as little information–though, the more complete your profile, the better chance you have of promoting your work and networking with other members. Don’t worry if you don’t know all of the information on the registration page when you’re signing up, you can always add to this later.
When you first register, your membership will need to be approved by a Cleveland Film Collective staff member. This is to cut down on spam registrations. We try to approve memberships as quickly as possible, generally within 1-2 business days. Look for an email sent to the email address you used to register letting you know when your membership is approved.
When you log in, you’ll be directed to the Member Dashboard. Here, you can view or update your profile, update account info like your email or password, view the calendar, submit events, and join groups. You can update your profile image or cover photo on your profile page.
Groups
Registered members can join any of the groups. There are various groups devoted to different filmmaking topics. You can even create a new group of your own! This is a great way to connect with other members, ask questions, or offer your advice and support to other members.
Submitting Events to the Calendar
Coming soon! Submit your own film events so they appear on our calendar. All events are reviewed to make sure all of the relevant information is included, and then they are approved by Cleveland Film Collective staff. We try to approve events as quickly as possible, generally within 1-2 business days.
When creating your event, make sure you give it an appropriate title that will make it easy for people to know what the event is–for example, “My Awesome Film – Premiere Screening”. Include all of the relevant details in the section below the title. Further down the page, select the Event Attendance Mode (physical, online, or both), Time and Date, Health Guidelines (covid/mask protocols) and more. If the same event is happening across multiple days, you can select the Repeating Event option along with start and end dates.
Under Location and Venue, please first look under ‘Select location from list’ to see if your venue already exists. If so, simply select it and all of the info will appear. If your venue isn’t currently in the system, add it by selecting ‘Create a New Location’. On the popup page, enter all of the venue info including address, contact info, website, and upload an appropriate image for your venue. Once your venue has been selected or added, toggle the ‘Generate Google Map from the address’ and “Show location information over location image’ buttons to the ‘On’ position–this will make it easier for people to get to your venue.
Under Organizer, try to ‘Select organizer from list’ first, and then if the organizer isn’t currently listed, you can ‘create a new organizer’ the same way you created a new venue. On the popup screen you can include the organizer name and contact info, website, and a logo (preferred) or representative image. Adding an organizer is completely optional, but adding it will help to promote them. Once the organizer has been selected or added, check the ‘SEO’ button to the ‘On’ position to help with search engine marketing.
Under User Interaction, you can either leave the default or select one of the other options. This will change how the event initially appears on the calendar page.
In the Learn More Link, insert the URL of your event website or Facebook page/event page, then move the ‘Open in new window’ button to the ‘On’ position.
If you have a related event already on the calendar that you’d also like to promote on this event, select it by pressing the ‘Add related event’ button. This will add the ‘Related Events’ section to the bottom of your event, and link to your other events.
Next, scroll back up the page to complete the sections in the right hand column for your event. Add an Event Image–such as a poster or graphic. Horizontal images tend to work a little better. This will appear as a large image at the top of your event, so make sure the image size is large enough to ensure a good quality. If you have additional images, include them in the Event Extra Images section below that.
Further up the right hand column, you can skip everything up until the Event Type Categories section. Here, select the most appropriate type for your event. Try to only select one type whenever possible, unless your event truly falls under multiple categories (for example, a film festival that also includes a convention). Feel free to add any appropriate tags for your event, though this is completely optional.
Finally, when everything is complete, press the blue Publish button. This will add your event to our queue for review and approval. Once your event has been approved, you will receive an email at the email address you used to register for this site.
Questions or problems?
If you have any questions or problems regarding your account or the site, send us a message on the Contact page and someone will be happy to help you out!
Good luck, have fun, and enjoy being a part of our awesome Cleveland film community!