From: Roger Beebe (email suppressed)
Date: Thu Jun 04 2009 - 09:43:02 PDT
We might also start a list of festivals that go out of their way to
accommodate odd formats and difficult requests. For example, at the
PDX Fest recently, the organizers were able to help me set up three
projectors so that I could show my new film in the Invitational.
Framework Steve Polta just made the same thing happen in my absence at
ATA for their N.E.W. show last week. I've been making a lot of semi-
annoying requests lately (often with double system sound with 16mm or
super 8 prints), and I've been surprised by how many festivals have
been willing to make those things happen. (Most recently, CUFF, the
$100 Film Festival in Calgary, ICEFest in Iowa City, and Boston
Underground all did this for me.) So as bad as it is to have
festivals out there screening work from DVD, there are still more than
a few conscientious festivals who are working hard to show these films
as they were meant to be seen...
2 cents,
Roger
On Jun 4, 2009, at 12:31 PM, Adam Hyman wrote:
> 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
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.