But is it a SPY film?

Status
Not open for further replies.
cinealma

cinealma

Veteran
THE LIST IS GONE!

I made an error in judgement as I did not have all the information as far as the thematic rules of Spy Fest. I guess I should have done a little spying myself.

Anyway, I would still like to keep this thread open to have a productive and friendly filmmaking discussion, if we can.


Cheers!
 
Last edited:
I didn't want to be the one to say it, but that list seems about right. However, they're all entertaining and at least incorporated the spying angle to a degree, so I'm ok with it. I think that since the criteria for "spy" was so loose, this was bound to happen. Bottom line: I love em all!
 
As someone on your list, I thought I would respond. I think there was some discussion early on as to what the minimum would be. Someone spying on another person. (nowhere did it say one character needed to be a spy)

I think as creative people some decided to not use such a restrictive definition of James Bond or CIA type spying. I am glad that is the case. I also liked many of the films that had the traditional spy genre.

I think creative choice is good and as long as someone is watching someone without the others knowledge I am cool with it.
 
Yes I strayed a bit from the spy genre but I did adhere to the definition in that 'a person obtaining knowledge from another w/o that person knowing' that was in an official thread. I'll be good next fest, I swear.
 
All the fests here are loose, in other words we allow the filmmakers room to experiment with the "subject matter".

This was "SPY FEST", not "SPYFILM FEST". This is an important distinction in that the films had to have a "spy" or "spy-ing" element, they didn't have to be about a conventional "spy", a la James Bond.

This was discussed in a couple threads early on into the fest, and was verified that it would be ok to have a film where someone was "spying on" someone else, which simply means one person is watching the activity of another person without the "watched" person aware of the surveillance.

Now, this could be traditional dark cover espionage, or it could be a kid spying on his mother while she's at the ATM so he can get her secret PIN code.

Once all the films were submitted, Barry and I reviewed each of them to verify they qualified. If we felt the film didn't meet the criteria of the genre we would have rejected them - this is an important point for future fests. At this point there would be little time to make significant changes before a revised film could no longer be accepted, so if you aren't sure your story will qualify for the selected genre/theme/whatever, it is important that you contact myself or Barry_S and get a confirmation that your story works.

Hopefully that helps clear things up a little bit. Now just go enjoy the films!!

Peace,
Larry
 
Larry:

I didn't mean any disrespect to you and Barry. I guess I was under a different impression of genre expectations, that's all.

Like I said, whether I agree or not with the material, there are a BUNCH of fantastic films in this lot. I go so far as to say quality-wise, this group is perhaps the best DVXUser fest films yet!
 
Edgen, your film is a great example of taking liberties with the "genre/theme". Your film is one I had to wrestle with, because there isn't a traditional spy element, nor do we watch someone being watched.

What settled it for me, however, was the flashback when the guy was shot. Clearly they (he and his wife) didn't know those assassins were there, so the assassins were "spying" on them up to the point of the gun fire.

When telling a story you get to decide if the audience knows as much as the protagonist, or if they know more than the protagonist. This is an example of spying going on, involving the main character, but we don't know it until the "hit" at which point we, the audience, become aware that surveillance of some kind was going on because clearly the man and his wife were unaware of the gunmen.

cinealma said:
didn't mean any disrespect to you and Barry. I guess I was under a different impression of genre expectations, that's all.
Click to expand...
Hey, no worries...it is totally fair to raise a concern if you have one. I was just giving the response based on how the determination was made.

Certainly if someone feels a film really doesn't belong, they are welcome to make that case...just be aware that myself, Barry and Jarred have final say
060.gif


Peace,
Larry
 
In Briefcase everyone was watching everyone surveillance cameras everywhere thats seems pretty spy to me.. but not James bond like, Just plain ol spying.. I really tried to make this spy like I SWEAR I did !MOM! it was totaly spy right? ..mom?

man I am at work...
 
Dustin R. Rogan said:
noticed our film didn't any of your lists....:crybaby:
Click to expand...

Hey, there's no crying in baseball.. er.. I mean filmmaking. :)

Dustin, I haven't screened your film yet. I'll get there. Kind of going in alphabetical order for the most part. I am looking forward to seeing all of them.

Cheers!
 
cinealma said:
Hey, there's no crying in baseball.. er.. I mean filmmaking. :)

Dustin, I haven't screened your film yet. I'll get there. Kind of going in alphabetical order for the most part. I am looking forward to seeing all of them.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

thats what I thought and i saw Spies Girls...and Sp comes after Se....so yeah thats why I was crying (jk) :D
 
Dustin R. Rogan said:
thats what I thought and i saw Spies Girls...and Sp comes after Se....so yeah thats why I was crying (jk) :D
Click to expand...

Forget the S'. What happened to Robin the Spy?? :huh:

I'm dying to see where it places on the list.

I feel...:banned:

j/k




Mike
 
Kyser said:
Forget the S'. What happened to Robin the Spy?? :huh:

I'm dying to see where it places on the list.

I feel...:banned:

j/k




Mike
Click to expand...
its like memories of my childhood come rushing back to me...not being pick on Ricky's kickball team.....aahhhh CAN'T SUPPRESS THE ANGER!!!! lol JK:-BlackEye(DBG
 
I don't think that many have watched my film yet. Maybe because its far down on the bottom of the upload list. However, I would probably fit in the Maybe catagory I would guess.

rich nation

1173983779.jpg
 
Well it was discussed AT LENGTH as to what the requirements were before the festival.

The answer was that it had to do with secretly gathering information

Also as you say - the gate keepers have signed off.

Also, nowhere did it ever say that SPYING has to drive the film. That would be SPY-ING fest.


The other two criteria yeah, have a spy, or have someone gathering information through covert means. That was explicitly stated.


But your definition seems to be so narrow as to exclude the fact that someone at some point gathering covert information by covert means makes them a spy. Whether it was right before the scene starts, or a day or month before. Now if that person is just sitting down having a hamburger with someone and talking about the weather you'd have a point. But if they are dealing with the fallout of said spying and the spy is present then ... how can that not qualify?

Whether they are a little girl, or a cop, or a bookie, or hot chicks on an airplane. Some of your NO list is just boggling especially Ancient Chinese secret. How could there possibly be more spying in this movie?

By even at the strictest interpretation of the definition how you can exclude some of the films on the no list -- unless the only thing that will satisfy you is James Bond, is pretty boggling.

All of these films that I have scene meet the 1st two criteria - have a spy or have spying. And some even meet your extra caveat that spy-ing drive the story.

SPY FILM: NO
Ancient Chinese Secret
A film SOLELY driven by a guy that goes on a mission to infiltrate and obtain secret information from an underground organization. How is this possibly not spying?

Briefcase
A film where EVERYONE is being surveiled by EVERYONE else and false allegiances are formed all to OBTAIN the contents of a Briefcase? How can this possibly not be spyfest.

Cristo
It's a secret organization ... is one of them a spy? I think the girl at the end is a secret operative. Seems like that would fit SPY fest, if not SPY-ING fest. But would definitely fit James Bond Fest.

Ecclesiastes
Freeze Frame
Frozen River
Glass Jaw
Hoffnung

Imprint
Information is obtained and secretly shared on a person, the person is then observed covertly to ascertain information - namely the best time and place to kill her.

In The Machine

Schittekatter
There is absolutely a spy here and what drives the story is figuring out who it is. He is in the act of actively covertly gaining information about the others when he is discovered.

It definitely meets the criteria of having a spy, and having to do with covert information.

How ON EARTH can you claim a film with a guy wearing a wire IN THE SCENE does not have a SPY in it? Again. The FIRST TIME i have seen SPYING must drive the film is in YOUR post.

No even say that was somehow EXPLICETLY stated before the fest - the actively driving thing ... if gathering the information is the OFFENSIVE, then my short deals with the DEFENSIVE - the guys who have been spied on as they actively try to route out the leak. Wow what a narrow definition you see even of this notion if you cannot tell the story from the perspective of the spy-ee, rather than just spy-er.

Without Provocation
There is a little spy here that's leaking information throughout.

The ones I didn't comment on I have not seen yet.

What do you hope to achieve with this discussion?

Do you feel frustrated because you restricted yourself unnecessarily? (I haven't seen your movie yet.) I mean what's the point?

I busted my ass to make a movie that I was excited about that fit within the contest requirements and the people that run the contest agree that my movie qualifies.

It's very frustrating to me, and it concerns me greatly, that you would imply that people should "consider in voting" your narrow interpretation of the fest, which is CLEARLY not shared by the contest runners.

My understanding is that the idea is to inspire people to go out and make a movie they care about and have them curated around a central THEME. Not a plot driver.


:confused:
 
not that it matters, because I think any film that is up for viewing has "made the cut" for being a spy film, but as larry pointed out in the official rules:

This was discussed in a couple threads early on into the fest, and was verified that it would be ok to have a film where someone was "spying on" someone else, which simply means one person is watching the activity of another person without the "watched" person aware of the surveillance.
Click to expand...

and in my film, my spy definitely covered the above criteria
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top