PDA

View Full Version : Concerning teasers/trailers: Please read (3/7/09)



Jason Ramsey
03-07-2009, 07:21 PM
Ok, guys. There has been a little confusion on this, so please check this out.

This is the first time we have allowed outside promotion and/or teasers/trailers for your festival entries.

As such, after some concern, I've checked the rules, and it appears that perhaps we were not as clear as we intended to be. Perhaps implying more than we explicitly stated.

The rules state:

No actual footage from the final entry may be published in any form prior to March 13, 2009.

the implications were more than that, but we did not state our intentions clearly enough. So, exactly what is stated above is what you should follow.

If you put footage in a teaser that was an alternate take, or something that did not make it into your final film, then you WILL be ok FOR THIS FEST. That was not the intention, but we did not state this clearly enough.

I would recommend, however, that if any footage from your teaser is TOO similar so as to be a gray area, that you might remove it from your teaser/trailer so as not to cause confusion. *

Thanks. If anyone has any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to ask here or contact me privately. We aren't trying to axe people here as we were not clear enough in our stating of the rules in my opinion.

BUT. IF YOU DO HAVE ANY ACTUAL FOOTAGE FROM YOUR FILM IN A TEASER OR TRAILER THAT IS PUBLISHED ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET, YOU NEED TO REMOVE IT NOW, OR RISK DISQUALIFICATION. THE RULES ARE STILL VERY CLEAR IN THIS REGARD. NO ACTUAL FOOTAGE.

Hope that clears things up.

*EDITED TO ADD: i.e. an alternate take, or alternate camera angle that is potentially not CLEAR that this footage is not from our actual film.

later,
Jason

Rodney V. Smith
03-07-2009, 07:33 PM
Thanks for the clarification Jason.

Are you going to change the rule in the future to state that if we want trailers then we should shoot something completely separate from any scenes represented in the movie?

Jason Ramsey
03-07-2009, 07:36 PM
Not sure what we will do for future fests. Will either broaden the use of trailers, more clearly state what is or is not acceptable, or just forbid the use of them... not sure.

I don't quite understand the function of them with 6 minute films, but with outside promotion now allowed, I can see how they could be useful.

But, whatever we decide on for next fest, will be clearly stated from the get go :)

Later,
Jason

Rodney V. Smith
03-07-2009, 07:53 PM
Okay good to know. It's actually been useful for outside promotion, getting people interested in the film enough to visit the boards. Also useful if any of us intend to go forward to other film festivals. one of the things that withoutabox always asks is if there is a trailer for the film.

so creating a trailer kind of get us a little ahead of the game in that respect. good practice, good advertising... how can you beat it?

We just have to learn to READ and FOLLOW the rules a little more stringently.