AdFest 2007

Jack, LOL, that's hilarious!!!!

Kholi, I think a lot more work goes into a GOOD 30 second commercial than some folks may realize. Even a GOOD short film, seems to take nearly as much work & care as a feature ... just not as long. Being extremely concise is also going to be a good trick.

If I were to judge 30 second commercials, I'd do them on the following:
40% originality
30% overall appeal
30% does this make the consumer want to use the product/service?

I think an August cut off is perfect to give folks a moment to breath & recover from SpyFest (i.e. spouses/significant others that have to live with us & or put up with us being in these fests), as well as plan & create a well crafted idea.

Since you're not recovering from the last fest, I can see why you think we should just jump in head first & 'get er done', but I think most others are greatful for the time frame in place.
 
Yeah, good point. Although I'm still editing two shorts of my own, one of which has a deadline coming up VELLY soon.

Month n'a half ain't too bad.
 
hmmm. how can i incorporate guns and death into this? just kidding, this is a GREAT idea. Nice job guys. I figured pornfest would never happen anyway.
 
You're right, it isn't easy

You're right, it isn't easy

Norm Sanders said:
JKholi, I think a lot more work goes into a GOOD 30 second commercial than some folks may realize. Even a GOOD short film, seems to take nearly as much work & care as a feature ... just not as long. Being extremely concise is also going to be a good trick.
Click to expand...

That's no joke. A few months back I was challenged with writing a large bunch of mock 30 second commercials for an upcoming project. I originally thought, "how ridiculously simple." I sat down and pounded out the first idea I had. I read it over and thought it was funny and fresh. I was about to move onto my next idea when I realized (much to my surprise) what I had written timed out to be over two full minutes long. Whoops!

I had to go sit down and watch TV for several hours, studying every commercial. It's amazing how much information they cram into 30 seconds! After some time in front of the tube, I went back to writing, this time with far more care in crafting concise material.

It's much harder than it would appear on the surface.
 
Erik dont forget, although its not a film, you can still inject the style and content/subject matter of your choosing. Dont be dissapointed. By the way, theres gonna be a gazillion entries for this because avyone and their mamma can slap together 30 seconds of crap. But there will be a lot of great entries. It'll be tough to judge.
 
jamesh said:
Sorry, this just seems like a pointless homework task to me. I was hoping for another movie genre fest.

goodluck with it anyway.
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This is a rude, inconsiderate, and pointless comment. No one is forcing you to participate in the fests and if you don't like how we run ours, there are plenty of other festivals/contests available for you to participate in.

And, since the point of the fests is to get people out there using their cameras instead of just talking about them, then no single fest is "pointless". If you want to shoot a genre movie, then go shoot one. It doesn't require a fest to make a film, this is just a catalyst for exciting people into making them.
 
As Kholi mentioned, any commercial techniques are acceptable. We will provide the logo no later than Thursday night (hopefully tonight).

James--I intentionally left the format pretty open to give filmmakers some freedom. I think honing your storytelling skills to a 30 second spot is pretty valuable and man, we've been on a steady diet of 6 minute genre shorts for a long time. But if you've got something else in mind that you want to shoot, go for it.
 
The festivals are put together by a lot of people who invest time, money, and energy to put together the best possible community experience, growth opportunity, and structure to help people grow as filmmakers.

Some people are not into horror films but there was still a horrorfest.

This is AdFest, if you don't like it, move along to something new.
 
For those who are discouraged at the idea of a 30 second commercial (BELIEVE ME, I wasn't excited about some SHORT format either, when Barry Green was talking about 2 minutes or less) ....

Consider this: If you're an aspiring filmmaker, then it would be a VERY valuable skill for you to have a short pitch that is PERFECTED. Whether it's about yourself & what you bring to the table, or a project you're passionate about and are trying to get financing, a talent attached, etc. .... you've GOT TO BE CONCISE!!!

A good logline grabs the person by the throat & makes them want to know more, with just 25 words or less.

If you're in an elevator with someone, or just in passing, you've got typically 30 seconds or less. That's a commercial ... about you, your project, etc.

So while this commercial excercise may not be something you'll take on the road with you to pitch yourself or your project, it SHOULD help refine your skillset on grabbing the person's attention, making them WANT you or your project, and doing it in a QUICK and CONCISE manner.

We're in a busy BUSY age with cellphones, emails, and every other electronic gadget that we THINK will simplify our lives, when ironically it just makes us busier ... so people will get bored with you quickly if you don't get to the point quickly, and if you don't REALLY grab their attention & excite them, then someone else will.

So again, back to aspiring filmmakers, this is a perfect excercise that you can apply to your life when dealing with those folks in Hollywood (i.e. NY, LA, or anywhere else that you're looking for money, talent, distribution, etc.).

Yes, your work can speak for itself, but you've got to give them a reason to want to invest their time into watching it (or reading it, if it's a script), and that's where your 30 second pitch comes in.
 
johnlabonney said:
That's no joke. A few months back I was challenged with writing a large bunch of mock 30 second commercials for an upcoming project. I originally thought, "how ridiculously simple." I sat down and pounded out the first idea I had. I read it over and thought it was funny and fresh. I was about to move onto my next idea when I realized (much to my surprise) what I had written timed out to be over two full minutes long. Whoops!

I had to go sit down and watch TV for several hours, studying every commercial. It's amazing how much information they cram into 30 seconds! After some time in front of the tube, I went back to writing, this time with far more care in crafting concise material.

It's much harder than it would appear on the surface.
Click to expand...

right before spyfest i did a 24second spot for the panasonic contest and it was very interesting. I think it shows u what shots are important and which are not. I think its really good at helping make better short films. Especially since most peoples early shorts are way longer than they should to be.
 
When I said "disappointed", I was only thinking out loud about how I'd been looking forward to "judging" PornFest.

I'm not complaining... to the contrary, I'm in for AdFest. 100%

e
 
Does anyone remember the Folger's Coffee commercials? Those were literally 30 second films that people got addicted to with whether people would get together... maybe it wasn't Folger's Coffee....

Still run with it if you like the idea and if you don't then at least work on something else.
 
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