What would be the ingredients for the ultimate film festival?

Wilbur Eddings

Wilbur Eddings

Well-known member
Been chatting to a government rep about youth development strategies in the film making arena.

The guy stopped by on set because his daughter is involved in this project and his eyes lit up like it was Christmas at the mention of a festival to expose young film makers in our province.

My wife is a creative logistics expert, so organization for this would be a breeze.


Not 100% sure if this will happen but I'm gonna throw a presentation together tonight anyway and see if he bites.


As film makers, what elements would you all consider make up the ultimate film festival?


No ideas would be considered too big or too small so just lay it down according to your personal desires, including things like entry fees or free entry etc.


Maybe something great will come of this.
This kind of thing makes my blood fizz excitedly! :)
 
For starters, a decent festival should advertise like mad so filmmakers don't have to fill the seats. I think the festival should be promoting the films to the community, not the other way around.
 
Also, a festival can never be too organized.

We submitted to one, which accepted our film. Unfortunatly they didn't bother to test the media we sent them on their display equipment so when it came time for our screening the disc didn't work! So, I guess the moral of the story is that the festival should make sure they have everything they need before they start, and its all in working order.

Another thing that bothers me is how it seems ALL festivals use the same stock rejection letters. THey all say "Hey, we didn't pick you this year, but we had a record number of submissions so you shouldn't feel bad. To me that's BS. If I ever ran a fest I'd pass on the reason WHY a film was passed on. Right now you have no clue.
 
Thanks guys, don't stop with those suggestions, most helpful!Marketing wise I can easily create a media partnership with a national radio station and a national free TV station. I'm also thinking of workshops for young film o makers. Please share your ideas, even batutis tropicana girls idea was great. Model agencies can show off their talent on a red carpet or two :)Nothing like eye candy to spice up an event like this!
 
I think a "reverse film fest" would be great. Filmmakers submit their films, if accepted, they get paid a small screening fee (like the entry fee most fests charge now).
From there, it's like a regular fest. The money to support this comes from sponsors (and advertisers) who are included in the leader added to each film screened.

There should be catagories to match the different levels of filmmakers out there.

....and free beer to paying attendees! (that will get you an audience every time) :beer:
 
Great ideas zaza!

I think I can actually get a great sponsor for the beer! Hahahaha!
Very cool idea!

If I can get a nice financial sponsor, it would be awesome to pay the films that make it into the fest!


Keep the ideas coming folks!
 
ZazaCast said:
I think a "reverse film fest" would be great. Filmmakers submit their films, if accepted, they get paid a small screening fee (like the entry fee most fests charge now).
From there, it's like a regular fest. The money to support this comes from sponsors (and advertisers) who are included in the leader added to each film screened.

There should be catagories to match the different levels of filmmakers out there.

....and free beer to paying attendees! (that will get you an audience every time) :beer:
Click to expand...

#1. Great idea. That's an original thought... and a good way to encourage participation while keeping it democratic... everybody has the same chance at a minimum return.

#2. I've been saying this for years, and I've been trying to convince others of this logic. Most competitions (sporting or otherwise) have levels of competence or ability... I guess you could cite something like the US Open where joe-schmoe could become an overnight sensation, but in general, rookies aren't shooting shorts with a RED and $20K... it should be pretty easy to establish an entry's placement based on the gear used and budget.

I'd like to see a fest here, at DVXuser, where the best prizes are paired with the category of entries that are done with the lowest amount of resources. In another words... I'd like to see a FlipFest where everybody had to try to tell the best story with the best results... all using sub-$100 cameras. (unlimited audio, etc. but no lens adapters or "expensive add-ons" that change the camera's stock performance.) The low cost of gear... plus the knowledge that other filmmakers have that cap... makes it a Fest-For-All. (if a good filmmaker can't make a good film with a cheap camera, he's not really a good filmmaker.)

#3. Free beer will definitely pack 'em in... but then you're gambling on crowd behavior :)
 
MattinSTL said:
I'd like to see a fest here, at DVXuser, where the best prizes are paired with the category of entries that are done with the lowest amount of resources.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this...best prizes should go to those who could benefit the most from the gear.... or at least if there were catagories, the competition would be on a more level playing field for all involved.
 
Bumping the thread a bit to see if any more cool ideas fall out.

I'm lining up some meetings with potential sponsors in the next two weeks thus putting together a proposal at the moment.

Any cool ideas welcome .(although Hudson and Kingswell may be disappointed at the lack of T&A in my planning. Sorry :p)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top