Thoughts on the DVX Fest as a whole

hey Rodney!

being honest is a strong point. what makes you think you are the bad guy here?

i think the reason Kholi's review hit you is because you, as the film maker, agreed with it.

there's an inherent problem with posting that is similar to texting - all sorts of things posted can be taken in all sorts of ways.

no one who made a film wants to hear that his/her film may not have worked, not that anyone thinks his/her film is perfect or anything but still... the truth hurts. The messenger may have a nicer way of saying it at times but that's not your problem.

You've been nothing but encouraging.
 
Rodney V. Smith said:
You know this is a good point for someone to say "hey Rodney, you;re not that bad..."

Any day now...
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Haha seriously, you really aren't, I've come across a bunch of yours and I don't see where anyone could really complain, what I read and posted in my own thread has probably made me want to do a better job when critiquing others because I know how helpful it has been, many flaws I was aware of when turning it in and many more were brought to my attention this week, how can anyone complain about that? I will do something better because of it, I don't want someone to be able to raise the same points twice! Find something new to complain about next time!
 
Kholi hit me where it hurt for sur cuz he pointed out every single flaw I knew existed... and hoped no one would notice... I was like arghh!!!!
 
Chris_Marrs_Piliero said:
the 2nd round definitely levels the voting, but i still have my doubts on round 1... i'm definitely curious to hear from some mods...
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i don't know if it matters, the rules don't say that the films would all be viewed and rated on an equal number of times. I think that's where we, as filmmakers have to market our own product.

from the rules:
Marketing is part of the filmmaking process, so we encourage you to take full advantage of it and enjoy spreading the word about your film. Be creative and have fun with it.

There are tons of ways to draw attention to your film (these are tongue and cheek, but they still work):
first foot in the door, post a zillion times, promote whole fest (Rodney)
promise naked women (zaza)
flat out lie (tim joy)
be a seasoned veteran, body of work from previous fests (horrigan, myself)
have a ridiculous title (chris marrs piliero)

If your film doesn't get enough eyeballs on it, that's mostly your fault, you can't just sit back and twiddle your thumbs. PM all the people who have commented on other people's films and ask them to watch, rate and comment on yours.

Well, i did it again ... I'm rambling. :Drogar-Kriz(DBG):


*edit: I forgot to also wish you a rad day. party on chris. *air guitar*
 
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I remember when I had my first script read by an online friend who used to write for South Park, he told me that he stopped after 10 pages because it gave him an effing headache. From that point on, the "luster" of self-confidence seemed to dim, and I realized that screenwriting is not a flight-by-night venture.

Same with these films. My first film was ass, wrapped in 0's style gift wrapping. I remember when Curl first told me that I shouldn't aim to make a top ten film, but to make a film I could learn from. But, me being me, I was too stubborn, learned a little, but overcompensated 2000%. In the end, the film failed, but that failure was the jumping off point for the learning process. Sugar coated reviews don't make people better! They make people think that they're doing right, when they're wrong. When we see a scene that's underlit, we shouldn't think "how can I put this nicely," but should instead comment honestly.

I'd respect a critical negative review over a flowery, fluffed semi-positive one.
 
Dammit Sliker, you beat me to it again! I'll just delete what I was going to say there...

Right. Now I'm just bitter. No more reviews tonight.

Ben's right about the marketing aspect. It's something that's been sorely overlooked. Each of us has a way of getting the word out and making sure that there are eyeballs on our films when they get released. It's one of the reasons I get a post in on the day the theme is announced. I may not have a script yet, but I sure as hell have an idea and I want people to know it early on. I'll tell the whole world if I'm allowed and make sure people see the film. Sure a lot of my contacts will wait until it's posted on YouTube or my Motionbox page where they dont have to download anything... but a good percentage will donload and watch becasue they're excited to see it. I can't see how everyone else doesn't do the same thing... i mean, we're actually encouraged to spread the word, try to get media involved, alert bloggers, reviewers.. whomever we can to help us spread the word...

Damn, I'm rambling again. My point is that Ben is right. Don't sit back and wait for the views to come. if people don;t know you exist, why the hell should they look for you?
 
Rodney V. Smith said:
Kholi hit me where it hurt for sur cuz he pointed out every single flaw I knew existed... and hoped no one would notice... I was like arghh!!!!
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Yeah and then you did something about it. You got better. You are now doing for others what Kholi did for you. This is the best part of this fest.

I would think that many of us post our films here to hear that advice.

I can't make such detailed comments on many of the issues I see in these films because I don't want speak of things I am not qualified to speak about or know how to fix.

That said i do wish more members who are experts would take the time to post a review here and there. I do understand that it takes a lot of time and energy and that the film maker may not even understand what the poster might say. But still... by all means ... fire away. have some fun, where else does the film maker and the viewer get to interact in any sort of way?
 
...then there's the ultimate marketing ploy:
Make a kick-ass film that blows everyone away! (aka. Fat Monster):happy:
 
By the way, I think it was Chris's ridiculous title and the fact that his avatar is a man in a BANANA SUIT! Makes you wonder just how wacky this guys really is and you KNOW you have to see whatever movie he's made.
 
Rodney V. Smith said:
By the way, I think it was Chris's ridiculous title and the fact that his avatar is a man in a BANANA SUIT! Makes you wonder just how wacky this guys really is and you KNOW you have to see whatever movie he's made.
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Here you go Rodney...

rodneybananaavatar.jpg
 
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