From: Adam Hyman (email suppressed)
Date: Thu Jun 04 2009 - 09:31:09 PDT
Hi all,
I actually think it might be of use to start listing festivals with such
abhorrent screening practices. It's just wrong to screen from the preview
DVD.
But mea culpa: One time I had to ask as it was international, and we
couldn't afford the shipping. My request was rejected, as it should have
been, and we didn't screen the work. I learned my lesson. But the
economics of the situation forced me in that one case. I hope I will have
the money to afford the shipping to screen it in the future.
Programmers who don't realize the difference between a print (of a work shot
on film) and VHS or DVD dub of it shouldn't be programmers.
On 6/4/09 8:44 AM, "Anna Biller" <email suppressed> wrote:
> I have had the same experience: not hearing that a film was selected
> and finding out only by looking at the website. Also, yes, they often
> will screen from the preview DVD when you applied to screen on film. I
> used to bring my own 16mm projector sometimes to screenings when I
> found out they wanted to screen on video; sometimes I've hired my own
> projectionist for 35mm in another city when the festival didn't want
> to bother although they had a 35mm projection booth. But of course
> this is ridiculous. Once I applied to a festival and sent them a
> print, and found out they were screening from the preview VHS tape. I
> traveled to the festival and asked that they use the print, and they
> (the programmers)! were unaware of the difference between a print and
> a tape, so I had to explain it to them and they seemed put out by my
> request. We had to dig around in the office and locate my print, they
> dug up an extra projector, and we got a really surly volunteer to run
> it. I used to think it was not worth it to screen if I couldn't screen
> on film and would withdraw my film if possible if they said they had
> to screen it on DVD, but it increasingly is a losing battle. The worst
> thing is that the programmers often don't seem to recognize an
> important difference.
>
>
> On Jun 4, 2009, at 1:58 AM, Peter Snowdon wrote:
>
>>
>> Here's what worries me, tho: roughly half the festivals that have
>> screened a film of mine this year have asked me whether I am happy
>> for them to screen from the preview DVD -- and one or two have even
>> insisted that this is the only thing they can do, even tho they had
>> seemed to offer other screening formats when I applied. Has anyone
>> else noticed this trend?
>>
>> Peter
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