Film Threat Back Talk

Lune12 · 03-30-2004, 04:14 PM

Is this the film festivals dirty little secret...get thousands of indie filmmakers to pay $40+ to submit a film...review maybe 10% of the screeners ... then send a mass email thanking everyone for their contribution & better luck next time.

As an independent filmmaker, it's frustrating to research fests, send in applications, w/fees (and often promotional materials) ... only to have an insider reveal that most fests don't even watch the bulk of the screeners that are received.

Obviously it's the applications that pay for the festivals' operating costs ... but isn't it simple courtesy for festivals to at least have a lousy volunteer watch a required minimum of 2 minutes of each “application paid” screener?

I'd like ONE festival to step up and demonstrate how they are able to review all the submissions. I bet they can't. Do the math.

So once again...how is a struggling nobody supposed to get to the top of the heap?

Just wondering....

Jane
www.brosgrimsideshow.com

Whitegrl · 03-31-2004, 08:19 AM

Then there are the fests that only take shorts done by the children, spouses or siblings of famous people... And the fests that solicit mountains of entries when they are only going to run six shorts during the entire fest... And the fests that all seem to take the same five films...

Lune12 · 03-31-2004, 09:55 PM

I've noticed that too.... All I'm asking for is to be reviewed for 2 minutes. I don't think it's that much to expect that my film be watched ever so briefly for a $40, $50 and $60 submission fee. (What IS the submission fee paying for anyway? Throwing a sticker with a film's ID number on my vhs can not possibly cost more than $10 bucks.)

And why aren't organizations like the IFP advocating for basic festival guidelines & standards? This would be SO helpful. Any fest with a submission fee over $10 should have enough staff to review each submission. And if each submission does NOT include a minimal review, then the festival should be required to state that not all submissions will be reviewed.

Is basic honesty and disclosure too much to ask? I know I would appreciate a little accountability on this.

Good Ole Flopp · 03-31-2004, 10:43 PM

decent rant, i'd give it a 7/10.
could've been more angry and less reasonable.

overall 6/10 since you didn't put it in the rant section, lol

Lune12 · 04-01-2004, 05:51 AM

Point taken. I'll have to work on my rant.

Rory L. Aronsky · 04-01-2004, 06:11 AM

Quote:

overall 6/10 since you didn't put it in the rant section, lol

Since this topic deals with a film festival issue, it's fine in this section of the forums and I see no reason why it needs to be moved to the "Rant" section.

Good Ole Flopp · 04-01-2004, 09:31 AM

unless someone here runs a film festival, this thread is singing to the choir.

sounds like ranting to me

GiGi · 04-01-2004, 09:37 AM

This might make you feel better.

Ok, imagine you are running a big time, or even small time film fest. You have a staff of volunteers and are flooded with 500 or even 5,000 submissions. You have about 6 weeks to watch all these, narrow down finalist, before announcements. Bottom line, our precious work is forgotten.

I'm not saying this is right, it really sucks, but I can understand it. Most certainly, just sending it in won't always get it noticed. Chris Gore has a well written festival book, with insider info, on tips to getting your submission noticed. I suggest you check it out. Also, go the extra mile and hire a publicist to do some campaigning for the festival(s) you want to get into. "Primer", the Cinderalla film made for 7 grand that swept Sundance didn't just send their film in. I read an article where the filmmaker hired a publicist to get it a little well deserved attention, and look what happened!

I do think it sucks that the Indy Film festivals are flooded with movies that have even 5 million dollar budgets and a-list stars. But, I guess from their end they are trying to draw attention to their festival to sustain it.

good luck to you and don't give up. Just try new stategies and I bet you are surprised!

sonnyboo · 04-01-2004, 09:41 AM

A film festival is a business.

If someone submits a film that has a name star, or a film that the public has a chance of hering of (IE George Lucas in Love or 405 the Movie) - then the film festival directors will probably pick that movie over an obscure DV short by someone from Iowa.

There is a better chance of selling tickets to the more famous stuff. It looks better in the print ads - all of which cost money.

I get rejected ALL THE TIME. Do I think that they do not watch screeners? Yes, sometimes, but then there are festival (like INDEPENDENT PICTURES in Cleveland Ohio) that religiously watch every tape submitted and write a PERSONAL reject letter with some kind of note on their particular movie.

It's hit & miss. Yeah, some fests never even get to putting the tape in the VCR. Others do, and you might still get rejected. Get used to it. Keep at it.

To me a bigger rant is a first time film festival with no prizes or affiliations with anything major charging over $25 for an entry fee. What kind of crap is that?

Lune12 · 04-01-2004, 10:19 AM

Hmmm. It's kinda hard to complain about 5000 submissions at an average of $50each. ($200,000)

Is it that impossible to get volunteers to watch 2 minutes of each film and rate them on a slip of paper (multiple choice) in five categories? In fact festivals should be GRATEFUL for the heaps of piece of crap submissions that pay the bills and that they barely have to watch.

I think a minimum viewing requirement would address the situation ... and might even overturn a shiny little diamond or two in the sun, so to speak. That's what I'm sayin'.

I'd like to invite interested parities go to http://www.brosgrimsideshow.com and watch the on-line trailer for my doc on an authentic 1920s circus sideshow. I've love for you to email me and tell me whether it would be worth 2 lousy minutes of your time and $50 to review...

I'll throw in one of my sideshow postcards to anyone who responds. Sound fair?

Jane

http://www.brosgrimsideshow.com/movie.html

FilmDallas · 04-01-2004, 10:59 AM

While I can understand taking some short-cuts in making festival selections, if a festival doesn't review a submission at all, they should refund the money to those who didn't get reviewed.

Keeping the money without reviewing the film at all would be taking the money under fraudulent circumstances. Having to prove such a thing from the filmmakers' standpoint would be extremely difficult, but if the people running the festival are honorable, they should return the money on their own.

sonnyboo · 04-01-2004, 01:40 PM

I'll continue to play Devil's (Robert Redford's) advocate here.

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, arguably the largest and most submitted to film festival in the world only recieved a total of 3,389 submissions (2,532 American and 857 international), to participate in this year’s Festival and they only charged $35 entry fees.

Most of these other festivals do NOT get 5,000 submissions, especially not the ones who charge $50 per submission.

Which film festivals did your insider tell you did not even watch the entries? I'd like to know who to avoid. You're going off on a rant, but not even helpig to WARN any other filmmakers. Make a difference - HELP the situation and not just complain. What festival was it?

GiGi · 04-01-2004, 02:09 PM

Ok doodes, don't take it so literally!

I was just throwing some numbers out there, I do not know for certain. Ok, something to consider (just playing devils advocate here)

3389 films x 2 hours viewing time = 6778 hours of film.
100 volunteers could watch 33.39 movies in roughly 6 weeks.

So, it's do-able, but that's a lot of viewing time. Does anyone know how many people they have at Sundance to screen movies? This is in additon to whatever sorting system they have, notifications, looking at press info, reviewing of films for final selection, eek. So THAT I can understand.

But, true, a festival that only gets a couple hundred films, everyone should be viewed. I read somewhere you can ask to get festival fees waived. Might try it, just a suggestion!

Lune12 · 04-01-2004, 02:18 PM

Ok. The Ann Arbor Film Festival did not watch my film. $30 early deadline fee. I am not miffed because my doc wasn't programmed. I feel ripped off because it wasn't even reviewed. That's the gist of it.

Lune12 · 04-01-2004, 02:22 PM

And in the notice for the Ann Arbor Film Festoval, they said there was something like 3000+ entries. Fees range from $30 to $40.

Not trying to rip on all fests, btw. I know programmers try their best, and that the fest are great forums for indie films to be seen.

But I think it's time forn reasonable practices and standards to be set. Do any of the newly elected IFP officers have anything to say about this?