Film Festival Shirts for Staff, Volunteers and Merch

At a film festival, the shirt is how a lost filmmaker finds the right theater and how a ticket holder finds help. That means staff and volunteer shirts should be built for being spotted in a dark lobby and a crowded street. Festival merch is a separate job: something filmmakers and fans want to keep. Start here: custom volunteer shirts.

Staff and volunteer shirts

• The role on the back, big. STAFF, VOLUNTEER, CREW or ASK ME, 10 to 12 inches wide, in block letters. People find help by the back of a shirt more often than the front.
• A color that stands out in low light. Theaters are dark. Black shirts disappear. Bright colors like red, gold, white or a strong festival color are easier to spot.
• Festival logo and year on the front. Left chest or full front.
• Color-code roles. One color for staff, another for volunteers, another for tech crew. It helps managers too.

Sponsors on volunteer shirts

Volunteer shirts are often sponsor-funded, and a sponsor logo on the sleeve or under the back role text is a fair trade. Keep the role text the biggest thing on the back. Our guide on sponsor logos on event shirts covers layouts.

How many to order

Wait for volunteer sign-ups to close, then order exact sizes. With no minimum, there is no need to round up to a case count or guess a size curve. Add two or three extras in common sizes for last-minute volunteers. Our post on ordering volunteer shirts has the method.

Festival merch

Merch is for attendees and filmmakers, and it should look like something they would wear after the festival. Ideas that sell:

• A clean tee or crewneck with the festival logo and year, with a small design and a good color
• An official selection design with laurels, for filmmakers whose work screened
• A tote bag for screeners, programs and swag
• A cap with a small embroidered mark

Only use film titles, stills and artwork you have the rights to. Original festival artwork is the safest choice.

Selling merch without inventory

Festivals can sell through a hosted store where each piece is made when it is ordered, with no boxes of shirts to buy up front. Put the link and a QR code on programs and lobby signs. Nothing is left over when the festival ends. See QR code merch for the scannable approach.

Timeline

• 6 weeks out: lock the logo, order a sample staff shirt and a merch tee
• 4 weeks out: merch store live, sponsor logos in
• 3 weeks out: volunteer sign-up closes, order shirts
• 1 week out: sort shirts by role and name for check-in

Is there really no minimum?

None. One piece is a real order at normal pricing, with no small-order surcharge and no setup or digitizing fee. Every piece is made to order and ships in about 5 to 9 business days, and that window is the same for one piece or a few hundred. On eligible garments, volume pricing applies automatically once you order enough of the same item, usually starting around 25 pieces.

See the merch in real life

Real garments, printed and embroidered to order.