[Frameworks] Current situation with Film Festivals

[D Dawson]

Chris is right,  my anecdote is in reference to the hundreds of festivals
that pop up every year and the growing number of submissions each of them
receive.   There are places and times for undergrads, and as with Milwaukee
Underground, I would assume, a very strict review process intrinsically tied
to the mandate of the festival and the "eyes" of the head programmers.

Deco




On 2/16/11 12:56 PM, "Chris Kennedy" <chris at signaltoground.com> wrote:

> Before we get carried away, Deco's anecdote is describing neither Ann Arbor
> or Images Festival. Those two festivals are still worth submitting to.
> 
> And, I would add, that I've been happily shown at a festival curated
> entirely by undergrads... Milwaukee Underground.
> 
> Best
> Chris
> 
> --
> Toronto/Charlottesville
> 
> 
> 
> On 2/16/11 1:44 PM, "frameworks-request at jonasmekasfilms.com"
> <frameworks-request at jonasmekasfilms.com> wrote:
> 
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:09:15 -0800
>> From: charles chadwick <infiltration834 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Frameworks] Current situation with Film Festivals
>> To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks at jonasmekasfilms.com>
>> Message-ID:
>> <AANLkTikXotzLeYiwvnSHNiFyqpZfrJ9A17s5JQ0eTH0t at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>> 
>> 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 <sef208 at gmail.com> 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 <bryan.mckay at gmail.com>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 <dcinema2134 at yahoo.com>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 <decodawson at shaw.ca>
>>>>> *To:* Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks at jonasmekasfilms.com>
>>>>> *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
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
> 
> 
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