10. Inquiry letters — ready to send

Inquiry letters — ready to send

Four templates. Keep them short. Every one of these people reads dozens of emails a day and the ones that get answered are the ones that are specific, professional, and easy to say yes to.

10.1 Venue: four-wall feasibility inquiry

Send this first, before you contact any studio. Subject lines matter — "Four-wall inquiry" tells an events manager instantly that you're not booking a birthday party.

Subject: Four-wall inquiry — all-day repertory marathon, [Month Year]

Hello [Name],

I'm organizing a single-day repertory film marathon in [City] and I'd like to ask whether [Theater Name] four-walls auditoriums for public, ticketed events.

The concept is a [five-film Hammer Horror program drawn from the 1970s / Shyamalan retrospective / Blumhouse horror block], licensed directly from the rights holders, with tickets sold to the public. I'd be renting the room and handling the film licensing myself rather than booking from a pre-cleared title list.

Specifically, I'd like to know:

Do you four-wall for ticketed public events, and will you exhibit an outside DCP under a license I hold?

What is the all-in day rate for a 12-to-14-hour block including projection and front-of-house staffing?

Is there a food-and-beverage minimum, and does it apply to a four-wall?

Is the auditorium DCI-compliant, and can your booth ingest a drive shipped to you in advance?

Seat count, and any restrictions on operating hours or overtime?

What insurance certificate and limits would you require from me?

Target dates are [Date A], [Date B], or [Date C] — I'm flexible and happy to take a weekday if that's easier on your schedule and your rate.

Happy to jump on a call. I've run [brief credential: prior events, film society affiliation, or "this is my first event, and I'm working with [co-presenter]"].

Thank you, [Name] — [phone] — [email]

Why this works: it identifies you as someone who already knows the difference between a four-wall and a private rental, which immediately routes you to the right person instead of the consumer rental web form.

10.2 Licensor: availability and terms inquiry

Do not send this until you can name a venue, a date, a seat count, and a ticket price. A booker cannot quote you without those four facts, and asking without them marks you as unserious.

Subject: Repertory booking inquiry — [5 titles], [City], [Date]

Hello [Name / Bookings team],

I'm programming a one-day repertory marathon and would like to inquire about theatrical availability and terms for the following titles:

[Title 1] ([Year])

[Title 2] ([Year])

[Title 3] ([Year])

[Title 4] ([Year])

[Title 5] ([Year])

Event details:

Venue: [Theater Name], [City, State] — [X] seats, DCI-compliant

Date: [Date], single day, one screening of each title

Admission: $[X] all-day pass, $[X] single block — public ticketed event

Estimated attendance: [X] ([X]% of house)

Presented with: [co-presenter, if any]

I'd be grateful for:

Confirmation that these titles are available theatrically on that date in this territory

Your terms — percentage versus minimum guarantee, per title, and whether a multi-title or season rate applies

Whether a DCP exists for each title, the format and aspect ratio, and whether it is encrypted

Shipping and handling costs, and your lead time for delivery

I understand nothing is confirmed until a licence is signed, and I will not advertise any title before that point.

Thank you, [Name] — [organization, if any] — [phone] — [email]

Why that last line matters: premature advertising is one of the fastest ways to lose a licensor's goodwill. Saying it unprompted signals that you know the rules.

10.3 Sponsor / co-presenter pitch

This is the general version. Section 18 has eleven targeted sponsorship templates for labels, media, podcasts, merch brands, local businesses, co-presenters, donors, follow-ups, and recaps.

Subject: Sponsorship — [Event Name], [Date] at [Theater]

Hi [Name],

On [Date] I'm presenting [Event Name] at [Theater Name] — an all-day, [X]-film [Hammer Horror / genre] marathon on the big screen, licensed and projected properly, for an audience of [X] people who have chosen to spend twelve hours in a theater with other film people.

That's a very specific crowd, and it overlaps almost perfectly with [Business Name]'s customers.

I have three sponsor levels:

$250 — Supporting. Logo on the program and event page, mention from the stage, 2 passes.

$500 — Presenting Partner. Logo on the poster and on screen between films, table in the lobby, 4 passes.

$1,500 — Title Sponsor. "Presented by [Business]" on all marketing, on-screen credit, lobby presence, 10 passes, and first refusal on the next event.

In-kind is equally welcome — [product for the lobby / prize for a raffle / printing / a shared social push].

Can I buy you a coffee this week and walk you through it?

[Name] — [phone]

10.4 Press and podcast pitch

Subject: [X] hours of Hammer Horror on the big screen — [City], [Date]

Hi [Name],

Short version: on [Date] at [Theater], we're showing [X] Hammer horror films from the 1970s in 35mm/DCP, back to back, from [time] to [time]. Licensed prints, real projection, one day only.

[One sentence on why it's a story: no one has screened these theatrically in this market in decades / the restoration angle / the guest speaker.]

Tickets are [$X] and the crowdfunding campaign is live at [link] through [date]. Happy to send poster art, stills, and a full program, or to come on the show and talk about it.

[Name] — [phone] — [press kit link]