QuestFest - Official Rules - Please read carefully

Ok, so my short pitch got a tentative yes but they want more details. My pitch clearly gives the theme so what exatly is it that you guys actually want?

All this does is put me off doing this. I'm a software engineer who makes films for fun. Why should I have to tell them all of story before I make it? This is not Fun!

Maybe you should post up some examples for the non-professionals to read, rather than make us guess. Not everyone on here is even remotly interested in getting hollywood contacts.
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Don't freak out guys... geez... If you get put off that easily... well, then...

You sent us two short sentences... We asked you for more information and you sent us the exact same thing??? You serious? come on, man... You can do better than that.... take a breath... give it anothere shot. two sentences ain't gonna cut it. they were two good sentences, but we are looking for more like a short paragraph.
 
Jason I hope you guys don't take the fun out of the fest. First we have to please the mods? Think about it. First all we have to do is write up a pitch and make it sound really awesome. You,sorry, the studio gives them the "green light" and we can make whatever we want after that right? Will you later say "wait you did not follow your pitch close enough you are out"

I say pitch the pitch idea.
 
We're looking for more like a paragraph on these things, not 15 words. Think back of a DVD for an idea.

If we ask for more information, don't take it personally. Explain it to us like we are 12 :)

Don't be afraid to give away details of your story. We won't leak anything out :)

We just want you to think a little. We want to be able to feel very comfortable that the theme is central, and not just a part of your story, or an afterthought. We don't really have any interest otherwise...

The "pitch" is just a word. The definition of what we mean by that is in the rules. If you are going to write an entire script and/or shoot a whole movie, writing a paragraph that meets our requests shouldn't be that much of a burden. If it is, then working through the pitch process will only help you in the end.

"There is a guy named x... he is looking for y... will he find it?" is not enough.

Hope that helps clear it up a bit for you guys that aren't clear on it.

Don't stress over it. It's not a big deal, and we are asking a lot of people to elaborate or answer questions for us, etc... Remember, we know nothing about your film other than what you tell us. We may "get it", but we'll still ask for more, b/c we want you to make us get it. Not us fill in the blanks.

later,
Jason
 
Zim said:
Jason I hope you guys don't take the fun out of the fest. First we have to please the mods? Think about it. First all we have to do is write up a pitch and make it sound really awesome. You,sorry, the studio gives them the "green light" and we can make whatever we want after that right? Will you later say "wait you did not follow your pitch close enough you are out"

I say pitch the pitch idea.
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Dude... you guys are making it too complicated. NO... WE WON'T... Unless you make a completely different movie than what you pitched us. Just show us in the clearest way possible that you understand the theme, and that the theme is central to your story. Period. challenging you a little does not = no fun... well, maybe for some of you it does....

Or, if you guys prefer, we can put in the requirement that your character must say x,y,z, or that you must have some random object in your film..... (and that is rhetorical... does not require an answer)

later,
Jason
 
I don't see what the big problem is about pitching! If you know the story, you know the theme, you know what you want, the vision, etc. you should easily be able to write a paragraph about it! It's such a simple task! It's good practice for when you sit down and talk it through with your cast and crew... Come on fellas, just get it done so you can go out and make your movies! :)
 
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Here is the most important question you guys and gals should ask yourself when thinking of the pitch and your story:

What is at stake? The stakes should be very high... Either great reward for succeeding in the quest, or great peril if they do not succeed.

What is at stake? This should always be the first question you ask of your main character(s). This is especially true with QuestFest.

What is at stake? If the stakes are not high, then there isn't much of a quest.

later,
Jason
 
3 pitches, and a skeliton treatment and no green light. Its not FUN by any stretch of the imagination.
 
MrFluffy, I sent you a copy of my pitch. Hope it helps. It's really not that hard once you know your story and what they're looking for. And liek Jsaon says, what the stakes are.
 
Fluffy is almost there... He sent me his skeleton treatment, and then I knew what was up. Now, I can see.

For the record, two of your pitches were the exact same, and the third was born out of frustration :)

Anyways, I'll get one of the other mods to write some info up that may help those of you who are feeling a little uncomfortable with the idea or confused by it.

We aren't trying to filter anyone out. On the contrary, our goal is to have as many folks as possible in the fest. But, we also want everyone to go in on solid ground, and make sure that everyone is on the same page with regards to the theme.

If you are one of the one's feeling a bit overwhelmed by this new part of the process, don't. Just relax, and feel free to ask questions. We will help you in any way possible. We aren't just going to kick someone to the curb. We want everyone to be as successful as possible, and have fun, but to also take your craft seriously. A good many of you will not have any trouble at all. Some will, and we will help you through it. It's a new element, and there will invariably be some growing pains as a result... But, we do ask you to embrace it as it will (in our opinion) be good for the fest on the whole come three months from now.... we shall see anyways. But, until then, just roll with it, and don't get discouraged. It doesn't have to be difficult.

later,
jason
 
hey Jason, have u guys ever thought of making a "beginner fest" for new filmmakers ( like myself) to drop premiere there FIRST film for you guys?? That way it would be easier for people like myself to feel comfortable in that I'm competing with someone on a similar level.. (although, I am not afraid to go up against an established filmmaker.. I like competition) Just a thought.

anyways, I do not have 50 posts yet but hopefully i will by the time this things goes down. could I submit an outline OR do I have to wait til I hit 50 posts? I would like to try my hand at one of these Fests .

thanks.. and love the site BTW!!
 
It's just about communicating the heart of the story and what drives it. Once you know that, you can explain your story to anyone because everyone will be asking what it's about. After you get this done you'll feel so much more confident about the story and how you can tell it. otherwise you might find yourself writing and not likign what you've written because you've gone so far off track... something like this is a reminder of what track you're on.

Personally I've gone off track so many times, just in the past week working on the script for another movie. All of these characters wanted to get introduced, different things wanted to happen.... and it didn't fit the goal or the heart of the story. Once those elements were taken out, the story flowed so much easier.. and it was becasue of the reminder of the original pitch we wrote when we first sat down to write the story.

It's basically: This is what happens, and why.
 
Cheese with that whine?

Cheese with that whine?

Pitching is a part of the filmmaking process, whether it's too a studio (or psuedo-studio) or to investors.

If you make movies for fun, great. If you have no desire to ever ask for permission to make a film, more power to you.

But filmmaking is a collaborative process and requires the writer to convince a director/producer, a director to convince a cast, a director to convince a crew, etc. In essence every time you get a cast or crew member you're having to 'pitch' your story to them.

I'm working on a pitch right now, and without having read the posts I know it's gotta be more then a TV Guide one-liner and shorter then a dissertation on the essence of what I want to make.

Don't fret people, the mod's are trying to raise the quality of the productions overall, not just in look but in story.

I personally think it's a good idea (up until the point my movie doesn't win lol).

Really I want to do it to have fun, to have a set of guidelines to follow such as deadlines, theme, etc.

If I don't win, whatever, it's about having fun. If it's not fun, then just make a short on your own and post a link, it doesn't have to be a "QuestFest" short unless you want it to be.
 
hey Jason, have u guys ever thought of making a "beginner fest" for new filmmakers ( like myself) to drop premiere there FIRST film for you guys?? That way it would be easier for people like myself to feel comfortable in that I'm competing with someone on a similar level.. (although, I am not afraid to go up against an established filmmaker.. I like competition) Just a thought.

anyways, I do not have 50 posts yet but hopefully i will by the time this things goes down. could I submit an outline OR do I have to wait til I hit 50 posts? I would like to try my hand at one of these Fests .

thanks.. and love the site BTW!
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You do not have to have 50 posts in order to enter the fest. anyone can enter, and all who meet the basic guidelines will be accepted for viewing.

The 50 posts rule is for rating the films in order to determine winners... But, if you have an entry, you don't even have to have 50 posts to do that. Plus, this time around, we are letting everyone who is a dvxuser member rate the films. However, only those with 50 posts or more will decide winners of prizes (if any). We will also do an overall audience favorite that will include all ratings.

The fest is for everyone. Try not to feel discouraged by the "competition" aspect of it. That is part of it, and it is a competitive business, but the fests are primarily here to foster new work, and encourage new filmmakers to come out of the woodwork.

Once upon a time, Jack Daniel Stanley made his first film for a dvxfest. There are numerous examples of folks making their first film for a dvxfest and either doing very well on their first outing, or growing along the way to become some of those people you feel uncomfortable competing against.

So, if you would like to enter, you are free to do so, and you may submit your outline/pitch/whatever at any time you are ready.

Everyone will have their own motivation for entering the fest and the fest will be as successful to you as you want it to be. Just depends upon your motivations and expectations. Placing, prizes, etc... all that is just gravy to me. It's great to be able to reward the hard work of the members with prizes, but that is not the focus of the fests from the perspective of dvxuser. Again, it all depends upon your motivation for entering and your expectations. There is something for everyone in the fests in my opinion.

Later,
Jason
 
jakestarkey said:
Pitching is a part of the filmmaking process, whether it's too a studio (or psuedo-studio) or to investors.

If you make movies for fun, great. If you have no desire to ever ask for permission to make a film, more power to you.

But filmmaking is a collaborative process and requires the writer to convince a director/producer, a director to convince a cast, a director to convince a crew, etc. In essence every time you get a cast or crew member you're having to 'pitch' your story to them.

I'm working on a pitch right now, and without having read the posts I know it's gotta be more then a TV Guide one-liner and shorter then a dissertation on the essence of what I want to make.

Don't fret people, the mod's are trying to raise the quality of the productions overall, not just in look but in story.

I personally think it's a good idea (up until the point my movie doesn't win lol).

Really I want to do it to have fun, to have a set of guidelines to follow such as deadlines, theme, etc.

If I don't win, whatever, it's about having fun. If it's not fun, then just make a short on your own and post a link, it doesn't have to be a "QuestFest" short unless you want it to be.
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You pretty much summed up a lot of things for me there... Nice post :)

later,
jason
 
Ok, I just added this to the "Pitch" section of the rules... And, folks it's really as simple as this. And, these are questions you should always ask yourself, not just for this fest.

In your pitch, ask and/or answer these 3 questions:

What does your character want?

what are they willing to do to get it?

what stands in their way?

For many of you, this will come naturally. for otthers, I hope that helps a bit. These are basic questions when developing a character as an actor, or a scriptwriter, etc... In the case of QuestFest, the stakes should be high.

later,
Jason
 
Yay, GreenLit. Thanks guys.
Sorry Ive been a pain in the ass, but maybe others will benefit from my cantancerousness. :)
 
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