Up the Ante for HDSLR Feature Fest

[Nitsuj]

Okay hear me out. I believe, and I could be wrong, but I believe that the people running dvxuser.com would like to see dvxfest go up a notch. And I also believe they might want to see it go into the realm of a feature length festival. I have also seen many posts that HDSLR's are not good for feature length features. I say nonsense if you ask me. So here is what I propose... dvxuser.com hosts the first feature length festival online with HDSLR's. I'm not saying it will always be just HDSLR's from here on out, just the first one to kick it off. Who knows, it might be a hit. Of course not everybody would get in because think about it... does everybody get into the Sundance festival? So you gotta be good ya know... and it's gotta be an HDSLR to prove to the world that it can happen. I don't know, just throwing something out there. I suspect I will get 2 replies saying... "Won't work" or "Been tried." but I don't know... I've been drinking Rum tonight and reading a lot of "You can't make a feature on and HDSLR! You are insane!" posts tonight. Maybe I will get stuff thrown at me but I think it is bound to happen at some point and dvxuser could be the first. Just a thought.

[Barry_Green]

Of COURSE you can make a 90-minute feature-length production on an SLR. It'll be a lot more work than with a cinema camera, but of course it can be done.

A feature film fest? That'd be about a thousand times more work than our existing short film fests, I don't know whether that's in the cards or not...

But DSLR? For one, I think it's a phase. I don't think DSLR is the future, I think the video camera companies will eventually put the guts in a proper video camera and people will go flocking to that. Three years from now it seems likely that nobody will really be talking about DSLRs vor video unless it's the very most budget-stretched; just like everyone wanted a DVX/HVX and there was a brief fling with the HV20 (great quality at a cheap price), and there's pretty much *no* chatter on the HV20/30/40 anymore since the DSLR took its place, I think the DSLR is going to meet the same fate as soon as there's a proper video camera equivalent. And I think that's not more than a year away. Whether it's from Red or one of the majors, it's gotta happen.

[Nitsuj]

Hehe well first let me emphasize the fact I was several glasses of rum and soda into that post. However I was serious about it really. I'm not sure it would be a good idea being an online festival though. It would probably most likely work better like a traditional festival by sending in your DVD and getting a screening at a specific location. But it was just an idea thrown out there really. I guess I'm more of the type that says "It can be done!" after I've just been told we've been surrounded.

Okay so sure it could be a phase but so was the XL1 and so on. They all have their mark in history. I'm not talking about all that though. I don't care if the camera is the way of the future or anything like that really. I mean if there isn't a fest for it I wouldn't lose sleep over it. However how cool would it be to have a fest like that? Think how cool it would be to generate buzz over it and see what happens. Like I said just throwing that out there.

[jasonthewho]

I believe Zak Forsman was making a feature, Eloquent Graffiti, on a DSLR, and I'm sure plenty of other people have done so, or are doing so.

However, a DVXuser feature competition? Never gonna happen. How much time are you going to give? Or is it just a standard, yearly entry festival? That kind of defeats the purpose. Is it still voted on by members? Who's going to want to watch 30 features and vote on them? (If there's more than 2 entries)

By all means, make a feature on a DSLR. Features have been made on worse. But don't expect DVXuser to make a festival for them.

[jasonthewho]

I just realized how incredibly late I am to this conversation. Ah well.

[Nitsuj]

Hehe very late. ;) Oh and wasn't saying to make one on the spot because that isn't going to happen. I was more or less saying that if people already have theirs made and are trying to get eyes on it. Just like other festivals that accept features. But this is a dead horse brought from the grave.

[Bigmagic]

I think something like this could be done by the members here. Lets say ten filmmakers put up $100 dollars or so each. They are given one year to make their feature. Once done the ten films are voted on by the members. The money could be turned over to the site to pay for the costs of the legwork to find donations for prizes or find a place to premier all ten entries. As to which ten would be allowed in the criteria could be something like.

A. A finalist in a dvxfest(just an idea)
B. A teaser/trailer contest to determine contestants?
C. A collaboration of filmmakers(still 10 films just more people involved)
D. A drawing

There would be no refunds if the film wasn't completed and all ten films would screen at the end of the fest. It could even become a yearly DVXUSER meet and greet event. If needed the entry fee could be higher even up to a grand. Just my .2 cents.