That festival is almost here again. It's a curious amalgamation of film fest and film market. So whilst the jury is giving out prizes to the films in competition, and whilst there are screenings of films in various categories, projects - whether in pre-production or post-production - are being pitched, bought and sold.

If you're a typical bfm reader, you want a piece of the action. So, how do you get the best out of Cannes, if you're full of talent and ideas but short on dosh and contacts?

Now we all know it's an expensive place. £1 for a coke, and hotels that have a daily charge equivalent to the yearly budget of a local authority.  But you can do it the lo-budget/no-budget way, just as you can make a film that way.

First, let's look at travel. You have low budget airlines like Easy Jet that fly to Nice for a cheaper rate than scheduled airlines. Their prices range from £90.20 return to £270,depending on whether you go a couple of days before and come back before it  finishes, or fly out when it starts an back when it finishes. There is Eurostar, which will take you from Waterloo to Nice via Paris or Lille (approximately 6 hours from Paris to Nice) for prices ranging from £129 to £169 return. You can leave the UK at 9am and be in Nice by 8pm later that day. And it's a fairly comfortable journey too. Next, lets look at where to stay. If you can't afford the Petit Majestic or Carlton, its worth checking out the smaller, family-run places that are a l 5-20 minute walk from the main boulevard, the Croisette. Contact the French Tourist Board for a list and get dialling.

What about eating? First, make sure to pack a small travelling kettle that allows you to switch currents to continental voltage, and packets of the kind of instant foodstuff that you just have to add hot water to. Don't forget the teabags and instant coffee! Then, avoid the bistros, restaurants, and cafes along the Croisette. A short walk up the side roads opposite the Croisette, along boulevards which run parallel and have smart designer shops is a fast food outlet which, being French, has fried food that is expertly seasoned, and salads that have great dressings. You can feed yourself there for £5-10 per day. Especially if you top that up with fresh fruit, bread and cheeses and pates buyable from the North African shops that you'll stumble over if you keep walking further away from the Croisette .

What about the pitching and the schmoozing? Get hold of the Product Guides published by magazines such as Variety, Screen, Hollywood Reporter etc. Find out who is going to be at Cannes, and the kind of product that they want to buy or sell. Normally, people are advised not to go all the way to Cannes just to see their compatriots, rather to concentrate on movers and shakers from other territories. bhn would suggest you do a bit of both. There will be people from Blighty [UK] who you wouldn't ordinarily get to meet. Target anyone who might beinterested in your product. Make your lists, and if possible, do your introductory phone calls beforehand, setting up appointments at Cannes with the most receptive. Get your package together. Your business cards and letterheads saying Producer/ Writer/Director. They can get you accreditation to the festival and market areas - which will let you into screenings, seminars, and get you various useful freebies. Have your little package ready: a treatment, a four colour one-sheet with a strong graphic on one side and a synopsis and principle talent on the other, your showreel and of course, your pitch!

Networking? Lurk at all the watering holes, hand out cards like mad, and collect as many cards as possible. You will not bump into any big shots unless you sneak on to the right yacht, or hillside villa. But you will be mingling with their foot soldiers, who will be on the look out for the right pitch package or showreel. Dress? Well, one evening outfit just in case the yacht beckons, but some basic black outfits, and some "I'm-too-cool for-school" shades, never go amiss.

When you get back to Britain, do your follow up calls to all the people whose cards you collected, after, say two weeks.

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