From: charles chadwick (email suppressed)
Date: Wed Feb 16 2011 - 10:09:15 PST
I also identify with Dominic's sentiments. But also I'd have to say that,
for me, festivals are good not only because they bring your work into the
theater, but also because they give you access to the kind of audience that
you want to bring your work to. Youtube is great, don't get me wrong, but it
just kind of gets put out there in the muck with millions of other videos,
most of which are of extremely low quality, so it's more difficult for your
work to be seen in a sense. Half of the time I'll do a search for my film on
youtube by title, and it won't even come up, just a bunch of other videos
that relate to its keywords. Curation allows for a higher level of quality,
and a program that is more focused in terms of theme. Also, I have submitted
to both Images and Ann Arbor three or four times now, over the last ten
years or so, and have never gotten anything in. It's gotten to a point of
absurdity that I'm not going to bother doing it anymore. Maybe images, since
it's free, but Ann Arbor at over $30 a pop? Sorry, not worth it. Especially
if some 22 year old intern is previewing my film. If I pay, I expect a
higher level of consideration than that. I'm going to focus on second tier
and third tier fests from now on most likely. At least with them you get
what you pay for.
-charles
On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 9:47 AM, Seth Fragomen <email suppressed> wrote:
> I agree with Dominic. I think we need community and micro cinemas more than
> ever. It's more or less up to us.
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Bryan McKay <email suppressed>wrote:
>
>> Because watching a film in the theatre still beats watching one on your
>> computer screen? Because YouTube still can't manage to screen 35mm or 16mm?
>> Because you want to support your local arts community? Because the sort of
>> curation that goes on at festival screenings can elaborate heretofore unseen
>> thematic or aesthetic links between disparate works? Because you might
>> actually get a chance to meet and chat with the filmmaker whose work you've
>> just enjoyed? Because having a shared experience in a dark room with a bunch
>> of other people can be a profoundly moving experience?
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 12:22 PM, Matt Helme <email suppressed>wrote:
>>
>>> When you can put your work on-line and have it seen worldwide, why bother
>>> with festivals?
>>> Matt
>>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff-94PXtixo
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* D Dawson <email suppressed>
>>> *To:* Experimental Film Discussion List <email suppressed>
>>> *Sent:* Wed, February 16, 2011 12:11:52 PM
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Frameworks] Current situation with Film Festivals
>>>
>>> I agree with Dominic, I have heard horror stories about festivals
>>> sending home 150 tapes each to 5 individual undergrads telling them to
>>> choose 20 that “he/she likes” no mention of the criteria of evaluation or
>>> the fact that a single person’s judgment might throw off the whole process.
>>> I mean realistically how else are you going to get through 1000-2000
>>> films right?
>>>
>>> Deco
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/16/11 10:38 AM, "DOMINIC ANGERAME" <email suppressed>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I am noticing an alarming trend these days with experimental film
>>> festivals throughout the world. I received a notice from the Images Festival
>>> in Canada that they received more than 1,000 entries for exhibition. I am
>>> sure that Ann Arbor Film Festival received far more entries than the 150
>>> films they are viewing. Since is seems that almost everyone is a filmmaker
>>> these days that the structure and procedures of the major experimental film
>>> festivals should be changed in major ways. Virtually all festivals charge an
>>> fee for entry. 1000 entries can mean $25,000 going to the festivals for
>>> admin/pre-screening, etc. This does not include the donations, governmental
>>> grants, and other sources of income. I used to run a couple of festivals
>>> and understand the purpose of entry fees to help defray costs. However,
>>> since the number of entries for many festivals has risen more than 3 or 4
>>> times the amount the festivals need to consider extending their exhibitions
>>> to accomodate the amount of entries. Most filmmakers are now facing a 1 to
>>> 20 odds of having their films shown in major festivals. This is less than
>>> playing the lottery.
>>>
>>> It is distressing for me, having been making films for more than 40 years
>>> to see the festival situation become so debased. The volume of work being
>>> entered is drowning these festivals in both admin, and creative decisions. I
>>> have served on juries in many festivals and noticed when I looked at the
>>> list of the films rejected by pre screeners that many great films had been
>>> rejected. As a judge I requested to view those rejected and found most of
>>> the films selected by me were shown at these particular festivals. Since the
>>> volume of entered work in most well known festivals far exceeds the
>>> festivals ability to manage this volume, that a new structure needs to be
>>> put in place. This would be a great service to the filmmakers entering their
>>> works into these festivals.
>>>
>>> Dominic Angerame
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
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>>>
>>>
>>> www.decodawson.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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