For those who have been following Sam on Twitter, you’ve probably seen talk of the UK screenings of Emulsion, an independent film he starred in. Fans not lucky enough to live close enough to get to one of those screenings have been clamoring for a chance to see it. US fans now have a chance to make this happen. After a concerted email campaign, Tugg added Emulsion to its database of films.

This means that anyone can set up a local event to show the film. To make it actually happen though a minimum number of tickets will need to be sold. (That number varies by venue.)

So there are a lot of people scrambling around trying to set up events and I’ve been monitoring and participating in a lot of conversations about this, so I thought I’d share what we’ve figured out so far. Feel free to offer suggestions and I’ll update this document as we figure out more of what works and what doesn’t.

Step 1: Coordinate with your local people. 

If you don’t already belong to a local Outlander fan group, now might be a good time to join or start one. For a list of the groups I know about, go here: http://www.outlanderhub.com/browseall.cfm?typeid=8 (If you have a group, I’m missing, submit it as a link on the side.)  Work with your group to figure out who will actually set up the event, since if you set up multiple events for one area, it will probably be harder to get critical ticket sales. I’m going to refer to that person as the group rep.

Step 2: Set up a Tugg account and find theater choices

The group rep should set up an account on Tugg, which is fairly simple. If you then go through the process of creating an event it will ask you to choose theaters and ask your zip code. It will then provide a list of available theaters. Copy that list.

Step 3: Ask group about theaters and dates

You can then post a poll in your facebook group using the ask a question feature using the different theaters as options. Do the same thing with potential dates and times. I started with a quiz about days of the week and afternoon or evening first and will work to specific dates next.

Step 4: Set up the event

Once you’ve reached as much of a consensus as possible, set up the event. There are various options on the page such as whether you want this to be a fundraising event and if you have other activities planned, so you should discuss these with your group as well.

Step 5: Get the word out

Now you need to make sure the tickets get sold. Well, we’re all used to badgering our friends to read Outlander, right? This time you’re just asking them to come to a movie- should be easy. 🙂 Tell everyone about it. Get them to buy tickets, make a big social event of it.

Step 6: Have a great time and share your experiences

It should be a lot of fun to get together with friends and fellow fans. Afterwards share your experiences with other fans. What worked? What didn’t? What would you differently next time? So we can learn from each other and be prepared for the next movie we need to do this for. Heart of Lightness, maybe?