Its quiet in the fest forums!

[MrFluffy]

Currently there are 17 threads and 2 of them have dropped out. So its very quiet in there.

I have a theory about the decline in interest. When there is a large gap between the end of one fest and the start of the next filmmakers start looking round for something else to do. Then by the time the fest is announced they have either forgotton to come back or started a new project. It gets tedious coming back day after day just to see if the announcement is up and after a while you wonder why you bother.

As film makers we try to get people to visit the site to watch our films and it would probably help increase interest if there were a known date when the next theme was going to be announced.

For example, if when the voting starts a new section was created say
"Next fest will be announced xxxx july".

Then visitors will come back to find the next fest and rules, then everything can kick off. It would be even better if it always coincided with the day the results are announced as then visitors who come to see who won, also find out about the next fest and can think about taking part.

I realise that this will mean the mods deciding on the next theme before the current one ends ands prepping the announcement post but I think it will really help fire up interest again and would be worth it.

What do people think?

[Wilbur Eddings]

My personal experience is as follows:

Rules are difficult to understand without any examples which makes the fear of disqualification a massive deterrent.

It took a build up of courage to enter the fest only to break three major rules before I even started, I have pulled out and feel a lot more relaxed now. hahahaha

I had zero contact with any kind of mod or organizational authority to guide, advise or acknowledge entry to the fest.

The prizes are great, but getting entrants to feel secure in their entry parameters is just as important.

Creatives are a lot more sensitive than people realize.

Heck, I use a pseudonym because my last feature got trashed so badly by critics that I wanted to throw up every time I read a review.

Then again, it may just be me who needs a bit more guidance.

[J Davis]

Maybe if there were a greater number of prizes of lesser value instead of a few expensive prizes then there would be more 'winners' ... this might generate buzz.
Just an idea.

Also I agree on your comment about the complexity of rules.

[Hawk Teflon]

I'm not sure it's the complexity of rules, though. I pretty sure the rules were the same when there were 60+ entries in a couple back-to-back fests. In all honesty, they're pretty simple (6 minutes, no footage shown anywhere, and required element(s)).

The mods don't know if you have a question on something, so if you do ask. If it's really pressing, ask 2 or 3 mods that are over that section.

But to be fair, I have no idea why more people aren't entering.

[Barry_Green]

Well, I for one would be very interested in knowing why more people aren't entering. It's a little puzzling when we have a totally free fest that gives away thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, but participation ends up being so low. Why is that?

So -- if you've entered before, but aren't entering now... why not? What's changed? And what would make you more likely to enter?

[Jason Ramsey]

Rules are difficult to understand without any examples which makes the fear of disqualification a massive deterrent.

Never been our intention, but will certainly take your feelings under advisement, and look into making things more compact and clear moving forward as far as rules are concerned, and who/who to contact if you have questions, etc... We're never out to dq folks, and we always try to work with you... Our first goal is to encourage people to engage in the process. Our next is to make sure, if you made something for the fest, in the spirit of the fest, that it gets shown to the public, and that you have the opportunity to receive feedback from your peers through direct contributions through your thread, and through anonymous rating of the film entries.

----

Personally, I've been thinking maybe part of the problem here is that our rules, and the way we do it, and dvxfest.com, etc is all made for "back in the day", and for folks who were already involved in the fests, etc. New look, new structure, etc I think might make it more approachable for newer members here who may have never participated in a fest, or don't know much about them, beyond a list of filims on a blue page on dvxfest.com

Oh... and for the record. We will do these fests whether there are 2 entries or 100. This is a non-profit endeavor for us, and it's meant for the benefit of the members... So, the fests will be here for whoever wants to participate...

And, even if less people are entering these days, still a lot of people are watching the films, with films still getting downloaded anywhere from 1,000 to several thousand times each.
Later,
jason

[ZazaCast]

So -- if you've entered before, but aren't entering now... why not? What's changed? And what would make you more likely to enter?

I'll bite... but first let me just say, it ain't over till the deadline comes. I think there will be more entries when the final bell rings...there always are. I've seen a change in that people used to start threads and keep production blogs on their progress..added pictures here and there and talked about how they pulled-off that impossible shot. Those days seem to be gone and now everyone waits for the final day for the 'surprize' affect. (I think) It's become more of a competition and less of a bunch of filmmakers cheering each other on.

Now... for me, it's very tough to get BTS stills, let alone video...and I have no urge to be in front of the camera either...so I'm not a fan of the required BTS video. I'm a one-man-band and it's tough to get your Craigslist actors (for little or no pay) to show-up at the location (which can also be tought to get most of the time) and remember their lines, let alone interview them. I'm loading the truck, setting-up lights and trying to get the camera settings right...all the time organizing and trying to direct the action.

I know I'm not the only one going through this...and if it wasn't for the support of this community...I don't know if it would be worth the effort (I know I'm not winning anything in these fests..that's for sure)...but it sure is fun! These fests MAKE you get off your arse and actually MAKE A FILM, for better or worse...and I thank DVXUser for that.

....now if I could just find a few people in my area interested in filmmaking....

You could always take the K.I.S.S. approach like other fests:
1. Genre
2. A line of dialogue
3. A prop or location

Just a thought.....

[MrFluffy]

Now... for me, it's very tough to get BTS stills, let alone video...and I have no urge to be in front of the camera either...so I'm not a fan of the required BTS video.

Its even harder for me. There are no others taking part in my film at all (apart from my wife who ran the motion capture rig for an hour). So my BTS will just be, well, me using a computer. Its gripping stuff, you'll be on the edge of your seat!

[MrFluffy]

Jason, according to the rules for the current fest:

UPLOAD INFORMATION

Upload information will be made available about a week before the submission deadline and will remain open until the deadline passes. Upload as early as possible in order to have time to adjust if you have a rule compliance violation.

And here we are a day before the deadline with no upload information. This is why the DVXFest is not being taken seriously. Its not as if this sort of thing is a one off. If you want the festival to be taken seriously then you have to actually treat is as a serious undertaking and do what you say your going to do, when you say your going to do it.

At his rate the upload will have closed and the deadline passed without anyone uploading any films!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Well, I for one would be very interested in knowing why more people aren't entering. It's a little puzzling when we have a totally free fest that gives away thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, but participation ends up being so low. Why is that?So -- if you've entered before, but aren't entering now... why not? What's changed? And what would make you more likely to enter?

I would like to comment on this. I've entered quite a few of these and even pushed Zaza to enter despite his concerns with the BTS requirement. I'm glad he persevered. My biggest issue is the lack of Mod presence these days. Questions get asked and largely go unanswered. Even in the rules thread. Certainly that should be monitored a little better.

Members have occasionally been picking up the slack the last few Fests by answering some of these queries but when there is no 'official' directly related to running the festival around to answer questions it really gives the Fest a different feel. Now I know you guys are busy, I get it. But certainly someone could keep an eye on things a little better. I love these festivals and I've participated in more than my share. But it just seems like things have changed.

I remember the > 60 entry days and I also remember the mods being more present. My second gripe is the rules. Far too complicated. Give a genre and one stipulation to keep people from using past shorts in the fest. That's it. The BTS should be optional.

My last minor point is the voting. I was shocked to see in the ScriptFest voting that a Mod removed members votes when they voted for their own work. Maybe pleasantly surprised is a better term. Why members and their crews are still allowed to vote for their own films is beyond me.

A simple crew list would suffice. Anyone related to the film can't vote for their entry. I applaud Scriptfest for making that change. That last one has always bothered me a little. I think that's it. Not bashing the Mods here, you guys do a great job overall. But when the deadline is a day away and the promised upload due last week is nowhere to be found a quick post would alleviate a lot of concerns.

Yet we have to hear about the delay second hand via another member who took the time to PM a Mod.