where have the filmmakers gone?

[Grug]

yeah but at the low budget/amateur level many times the director and cinematographer are one and the same (i certainly was both), so it still follows they would post here ("what tamron lens for pie-centric torture porn?")

I'm sure that's the case for some do-it-yourselfers, I just don't believe it's the majority. Most people I work with (and I work with a lot of different people) just look at me funny when I mention the word 'forums' - most people don't even know what they are, you have to call them 'discussion boards' for people to understand.

 

[Russ.W.]

I think for amateurs that actually like showing their work, somewhere like Vimeo is far more rewarding.

Being able to see who comments on your work, and then instantly being able to check their work is far more valuable than comments by some anonymous person on a forum.

With Vimeo, everyone is saying "here, here's what I've got". Sure plenty of people, like myself, have no content on there, but knowing who does and doesn't have work available to view lets them know who's remarks are credible or not, especially when those comments may be critical, or even flat out negative.

Forums are useful, but their true benefit comes from being able to store a mass mount of information on a broad range of topics.

For those actively creating content, it's far more productive and inspiring to be around those in the same situation.

 

[OldCorpse]

[...]Being able to see who comments on your work, and then instantly being able to check their work is far more valuable than comments by some anonymous person on a forum.[...]
For those actively creating content, it's far more productive and inspiring to be around those in the same situation.

I don't agree at all - at all. Getting comments from other content creators is great, and there are certainly dedicated forums for that, but just relying on that for feedback is incredibly limiting. A fellow content creator is not as likely to look at your work from other perspectives, and ultimately it is those other perspectives that are dispositive - after all, when your work shows in a theater or on TV, it is watched by the broad audience and not just other filmmakers... and that's what ultimately matters and is more important in the final analysis, and that's not the same thing. Furthermore, there are other perspectives that are very valuable - you may want to know what a film executive thinks of your work, or an agent, or a film fanatic, or a critic, or festival programmer, or TV programmer, or distributor, or any number of extremely valuable contributors NONE of whom are content creators necessarily. And that, to me, is the value of a more general forum focused on filmmaking. All sorts of people contribute to these boards, including dvxuser, and I find that far more valuable and interesting than just an exposition medium like youtube vimeo etc. - you want to show your work, fine, those are great places to do so, but if you want a good discussion with a variety of perspectives, youtube/vimeo comment sections are not exactly optimal. And I would never, ever, restrict myself to only fellow content creators and intentionally just look for that perspective and only those comments.

I also disagree about the anonymity aspect. Anonymous (or pseudonymous) comments are of greater value than named ones. From both ends. Because it allows you, the feedback seeker, to look beyond the characteristics of the commenter - race, sex, occupation etc., etc., and focus exclusively on the content of the comments, and not be distracted by subconscious bias or influenced by the identity of the person in any way - that distorts the content, every time. And from the other end, the commenter, can be honest and straightforward in a way they cannot if their identity is known - for any number of reasons, not just because they don't want to "blow their cover", but because they don't have to worry about their criticism hurting your feelings (same reason you want your work evaluated by strangers, not just family and friends), or that their comments may cause blowback in their own lives or predispose you one way or another toward them, but also because of societal expectations game - oh, a woman commenting on an action piece, "I know I'll be perceived to have a woman's perspective" which leads them to overdo or underdo f.ex. the macho aspect or any number of influences. Being anonymous frees you from all these other considerations, you can give true feedback unencumbered by any other consideration, and also receive them as such.

I also find it puzzling that anyone would check the work of a commenter. It's just so bizarre. Are you not able to judge the worth of a comment otherwise, and you must check the credentials of the commenter so you can then accept or reject their comments based on authority? Where is your judgment? If a remark is interesting, or provides a new perspective that never occurred to me, or gives me a view I have not considered, or sees a detail I missed, what do I care who the commenter is and the quality of their work, if any? I don't care if it's a baker, butcher, candlestick maker or a filmmaker - it's the comment that interests me, and I couldn't care less about whether they even make films, let alone the quality of their work. A great artist may be a lousy teacher, and you're worse off getting feedback from him - meanwhile a mediocre artist may be a fantastic teacher and transmitter of knowledge. You pick up valuable feedback wherever you find it, and don't rely on the credentials of the commenter. If I find a remark stupid, I don't check to see if it was made by a great artist whereupon I immediately take it to heart - I've got my own brain; similarly I don't dismiss a mistake I missed, because it was pointed out to me by someone who has no work to show. It's just bizarre. When people make comments, you look to see what resonates or makes sense to you, and you dismiss what is mistaken or doesn't speak to you, and you don't worry about the work of the person making those comments any more than you worry about their clothes.

 

[Gillvane]

The very worst critics are fellow film makers. They will always compare your work to theirs and always be thinking of how they would have done it differently.
The best critic is the average movie goer that has zero technical knowledge that enjoys the genre of film you are making. The maxim is if they think something is wrong they are almost always right. However when it comes to why it is wrong they are almost always mistaken.

 

[Gillvane]

The important things you need to make an engaging film:
1. Good writing
2. good acting
3. Everything else

 

[norvan5]

On the topic of the DVX fests, I posted in the zombiefest dead-in-here thread recently that DVXuser might consider re-thinking the genre-specific approach to competitions in favour of more open genres and themes. I also suggested that a three minute max duration for the comp films might be more achievable for many in terms of a commitment of time and resources.

As a general comment, I'm a writer/director and was first drawn to DVXuser for the incredible level of detail you can find here on a range of technical matters from camera, audio, lighting, post etc. I've learned tons here which i readily apply to my storytelling and am extremely grateful to all who post here. I saw the site as the go-to place for tech info and opinions primarily, though I clearly see it is much more than that now.

Could we as a community do more to re-focus and promote storytelling and greater engagement with writers and actors? I believe so. Why not organise an event/competition in which we invite writers to submit short scripts and we devise a process to select a script or certain number of scripts for production by filmmaking members of this site per year? Then put a bit of oversight in place to ensure us lazy/too busy filmmakers follow through. And then perhaps put our heads together to better promote the finished films on social media and at fests later etc?

On the acting front - Why not ask our members to engage with actors they work with about what actors actually think, experience, feel, need when working on films? Perhaps we could record and post some interviews with the actors we know and/or footage of rehearsals with commentary from us on how good/bad/indifferent it was going at that time? And develop a database and mechanism so jobbing actors we know and work with could get more exposure to emerging filmmakers, apply and audition for roles in our films etc (granted, geography is a tad problematic in this equation..).

I'm certainly willing to give some time and effort to developing any of these or similar ideas if anyone's interested.

 

[Stephen Mick]

On the topic of the DVX fests, I posted in the zombiefest dead-in-here thread recently that DVXuser might consider re-thinking the genre-specific approach to competitions in favour of more open genres and themes. I also suggested that a three minute max duration for the comp films might be more achievable for many in terms of a commitment of time and resources.

As a general comment, I'm a writer/director and was first drawn to DVXuser for the incredible level of detail you can find here on a range of technical matters from camera, audio, lighting, post etc. I've learned tons here which i readily apply to my storytelling and am extremely grateful to all who post here. I saw the site as the go-to place for tech info and opinions primarily, though I clearly see it is much more than that now.

Could we as a community do more to re-focus and promote storytelling and greater engagement with writers and actors? I believe so. Why not organise an event/competition in which we invite writers to submit short scripts and we devise a process to select a script or certain number of scripts for production by filmmaking members of this site per year? Then put a bit of oversight in place to ensure us lazy/too busy filmmakers follow through. And then perhaps put our heads together to better promote the finished films on social media and at fests later etc?

On the acting front - Why not ask our members to engage with actors they work with about what actors actually think, experience, feel, need when working on films? Perhaps we could record and post some interviews with the actors we know and/or footage of rehearsals with commentary from us on how good/bad/indifferent it was going at that time? And develop a database and mechanism so jobbing actors we know and work with could get more exposure to emerging filmmakers, apply and audition for roles in our films etc (granted, geography is a tad problematic in this equation..).

I'm certainly willing to give some time and effort to developing any of these or similar ideas if anyone's interested.

Thanks for taking the time to share your ideas. (And to everyone who has chimed in so far.)

The thing about a forum is that it's only ever as useful as the members are open and contributing. There was a time way back, when we (the moderators and a handful of key members) drove the discussion with content that we would create and share. As many of us moved deeper into careers and families, we spent less and less time posting and sharing. Into that semi-quiet arrived the large sensor camera revolution, and the explosion of people looking for more technical information. But really, that was never (I don't think) the real mission of the forum. Back in the day, when essentially all we had was the DVX100, there were only so many technical conversations to be had. At some point, you knew all there was to know about the camera. And so the discussions tended to be more "rounded," with greater traffic in the craft and technique forums.

So certainly some of the fault lies with us not "minding the store" properly, you might say. And I'm trying to keep this conversation going so that we can find ways to remedy that.

But to be honest, I think the biggest thing we can ask Users to do is share your work. I think perhaps the most important area of this forum should be the User Films section, where people post and get feedback on their work. Because you can read all you want on technical topics, you can pore over lighting diagrams and lens tests. But the only real, meaningful way to improve as a filmmaker is to make films, get feedback, and then go make better films.

There have been a number of filmmakers here who started out making Fest films. And speaking diplomatically, they were pretty terrible. They got feedback, most of it constructive. They listened. And they got better. And better. And now they're getting films screened at quality film festivals. They're producing, writing, and directing well-budgeted commercials. And they still see every project for what it is: an opportunity to create, to learn, to grow, and to hopefully do it better the next time.

 

[Doc Peter]

So instead of posting a 2-hour movie, you post 12 segments that are 10 minutes each, like once a week or once a month. Just an idea."

This is exactly what I did -- I made a feature, intentionally building in chapter breaks and mini-cliffhangers every ten pages or so, so that it plays episodically. I've been posting it for the last 10 weeks in the "user films" section of DVXuser with a little commentary on each chapter -- and I've barely received 2 comments.

Of course it could just mean that my thing is terrible and not worth commenting on -- though I prefer to think the average DVXuser is a guy in his mid-twenties who isn't interested in the kind of movie a near-50 year old guy would make. (Are there any real stats on who "we" are?)

But still, it irritated me. I spent three years making a movie, posted it for free and no one has anything to say? But then realized that I'm guilty of this myself. I don't comment on other people's videos. Not that I don't have things to say but I just don't take the time to write to some anonymous person. My resolution: before I post my own work, I'm going to comment on at least 3 videos posted by someone else in the same genre.

 

[Stephen Mick]

This is exactly what I did -- I made a feature, intentionally building in chapter breaks and mini-cliffhangers every ten pages or so, so that it plays episodically. I've been posting it for the last 10 weeks in the "user films" section of DVXuser with a little commentary on each chapter -- and I've barely received 2 comments.

Of course it could just mean that my thing is terrible and not worth commenting on -- though I prefer to think the average DVXuser is a guy in his mid-twenties who isn't interested in the kind of movie a near-50 year old guy would make. (Are there any real stats on who "we" are?)

But still, it irritated me. I spent three years making a movie, posted it for free and no one has anything to say? But then realized that I'm guilty of this myself. I don't comment on other people's videos. Not that I don't have things to say but I just don't take the time to write to some anonymous person. My resolution: before I post my own work, I'm going to comment on at least 3 videos posted by someone else in the same genre.

Do we need pancake mix?

 

[combatentropy]

So instead of posting a 2-hour movie, you post 12 segments that are 10 minutes each, like once a week or once a month.

This is exactly what I did. . . . I've been posting it for the last 10 weeks in the "user films" section of DVXuser with a little commentary on each chapter -- and I've barely received 2 comments.
. . .
I spent three years making a movie, posted it for free and no one has anything to say? But then realized that I'm guilty of this myself.

There are at least three things working against online independent films:

1. Craftsmanship. Making a movie is one of the hardest things you can try. Hollywood churns out many bad movies even though it has its pick of the world's screenwriters, directors, and actors. Independent films are 90% cringeworthy, even when people of above-average talent work very hard for a long time on them. Good movies are hard to make.

2. No-name actors. I have found that even I, a film buff, don't much feel like watching a movie I have never heard of, with actors in it that I have never heard of. Suspension of disbelief is a mystery, and paradoxically a familiar face helps me get into the story more, not less. How can I believe that Tom Cruise was Mitch McDeere in that one movie I saw a long time ago, John Anderton in a movie last week, and now Ethan Hunt? And why is it more engrossing to watch him be those three characters than to watch those three characters be played by three different people, who I've never seen before and will never see again, no matter how good of an actor each of them might be?

3. Solitary viewing. This is the big one. I don't feel like watching a fiction movie by myself, I don't care if it stars Harrison Ford and is directed by Steven Spielberg. Sometimes I'll watch an old favorite alone, but I have to be in the mood. When I think about movies I've liked that weren't that well made or had no-name actors, they were movies that one or more of my friends enthusiastically roped me into watching, and we all had a blast watching it together. Therefore #3 seems to trump #1 and #2, both ways. Social viewing can make up for poor craft or unfamiliar actors. But excellent craft and beloved stars still seldom convince me to watch a fiction movie alone.

And watching movies on the Internet is almost always solitary. I'm not in my living room with a bunch of my friends. I'm not even in a movie theater with a bunch of strangers. I guess I could ask my wife to sit with me as I thumb through Youtube or the DVXUser User Films section. But I don't normally feel like it, and she, even less so. We're each on our own laptops, surfing on our own.

Moving pictures on the web work if they're:

1. Short. Solitude doesn't kick in if it's less than a minute long.
2. Non-fiction. A how-to video overcomes the earlier objections, because I'm in a different mindset. I need information so I can do some other thing later. It has more of a purpose than "I just want to do something fun."
3. Social, somehow. My friends on Facebook posted it and are commenting on some video. So in a sense I am watching it with them.

 

[David Jimerson]

Sorry, guys; "no discussion of porn" means "no discussion of porn," even if it's (initially) in jest.

 

[Scott F]

not as many people on here making films. what's up with that?

The 800 lb gorilla in the room....the question that needed to be asked! I have so many thoughts on the subject and whatever happened to this site. *All of which I will get into now:

We live in what many consider the "golden age" of television, creatively.

Stephen, I think you've answered a bunch of your own questions throughout this thread. I like to be optimistic and think that the old guard from DVXuser has moved on and gotten jobs in the industry. (or just burnt out) Either, or.

I've drifted away from this site for a multitude of reasons. While I'm not a film maker per se, I always liked to check in for camera/lighting info, editing techniques. But I'm not into the pixel peeping and extreme tech talk this site has morphed into. Whereas this website used to have more heart, it has turned into a resource for camera professionals & techies, not really storytellers. And this is a "It's not you, it's me". I'm turned off by the constant threats to close threads, the morality police, et al. There are certain standards to uphold, and I'm not interested in walking on eggshells. You can see I'm not the only one. Sections that were once active like the Cafe & Film Discussion are now a graveyard. On the other hand, I'm lurking and finding some sage advice in a few certain camera threads. Here & there.

As far as "where have the filmmakers gone"?, I think they just don't visit these here parts. Because IMO, there has never been more of a supply of entertaining content available. Given that i have about 60 or 90 minutes a night to watch TV, I'd never possibly get through all the shows & films I want to see. Everything is so good!! (or am I wrong?) So filmmakers are pumping out amazing content, that's not the problem. But for grass roots sites like DVXuser, I think the bloom is off the rose. The world has changed. I would also chalk up Facebook & other social media for pulling people in other directions and off this website.

Most of us had a brief fascination with affordable cameras, desktop editing and putting our films and videos online. In the last decade, that is, when it became possible.

I "burned out" too. My basic reason is that I would spend months or years (in one case) on a short (yes you read right), be all stoked about it, release it to the world. . .and got like 5 responses from people I knew personally and a few views on youtube. Each time that happened it murdered my soul a little more.

^ Yes, exactly. In the grand scheme of things, (and sorry to be so blunt) who gives a crap about a 5 minute short film? Especially when we've been bombarded by so many of them. It's a lot to compete against. As Youtube as been so eloquently referred to: "An ocean of garbage".

The film fests....where to begin with that topic? Zombie Fest?? C'mon, that's the LAST thing the film making community needs right now. A tired topic. (BTW, I loved Betrayal Fest...now that was a topic worth exploring!) It is sad & at the same time interesting to see how the fests waned through the years. But again, we live in a world of instant gratification. You used to have to go through hoops to script, shoot, edit and get a short film online. It's almost as if the easier it became, the less interest there was. And it's hard to woo potential contestants with gear when everything is so temporary now.

In a nutshell, I would have loved to be a narrative filmmaker, but that's not in the cards for me. Right now I'm blessed to have a job producing videos in the arena of HIV awareness/treatment. I've got my C100, my Creative Cloud subscription and I'm happy as a pig in s***. I would also say that parenting two young kids absolutely, positively killed any free time that I had for extra curricular activities. But your milage may vary, of course.

A wealth of good thoughts in this thread, BTW.

How can we re-connect with the filmmaking soul of DVXUser?

I dunno, but I'm kinda checked out right now.

* Sorry for my rambling and most likely repeating things already said.

 

[Stephen Mick]

Great feedback, Scott. Thanks for taking the time, my friend.

The 800 lb gorilla in the room....the question that needed to be asked! I have so many thoughts on the subject and whatever happened to this site. *All of which I will get into now:


Stephen, I think you've answered a bunch of your own questions throughout this thread. I like to be optimistic and think that the old guard from DVXuser has moved on and gotten jobs in the industry. (or just burnt out) Either, or.

I've drifted away from this site for a multitude of reasons. While I'm not a film maker per se, I always liked to check in for camera/lighting info, editing techniques. But I'm not into the pixel peeping and extreme tech talk this site has morphed into. Whereas this website used to have more heart, it has turned into a resource for camera professionals & techies, not really storytellers. And this is a "It's not you, it's me". I'm turned off by the constant threats to close threads, the morality police, et al. There are certain standards to uphold, and I'm not interested in walking on eggshells. You can see I'm not the only one. Sections that were once active like the Cafe & Film Discussion are now a graveyard. On the other hand, I'm lurking and finding some sage advice in a few certain camera threads. Here & there.

As far as "where have the filmmakers gone"?, I think they just don't visit these here parts. Because IMO, there has never been more of a supply of entertaining content available. Given that i have about 60 or 90 minutes a night to watch TV, I'd never possibly get through all the shows & films I want to see. Everything is so good!! (or am I wrong?) So filmmakers are pumping out amazing content, that's not the problem. But for grass roots sites like DVXuser, I think the bloom is off the rose. The world has changed. I would also chalk up Facebook & other social media for pulling people in other directions and off this website.

Most of us had a brief fascination with affordable cameras, desktop editing and putting our films and videos online. In the last decade, that is, when it became possible.

^ Yes, exactly. In the grand scheme of things, (and sorry to be so blunt) who gives a crap about a 5 minute short film? Especially when we've been bombarded by so many of them. It's a lot to compete against. As Youtube as been so eloquently referred to: "An ocean of garbage".

The film fests....where to begin with that topic? Zombie Fest?? C'mon, that's the LAST thing the film making community needs right now. A tired topic. (BTW, I loved Betrayal Fest...now that was a topic worth exploring!) It is sad & at the same time interesting to see how the fests waned through the years. But again, we live in a world of instant gratification. You used to have to go through hoops to script, shoot, edit and get a short film online. It's almost as if the easier it became, the less interest there was. And it's hard to woo potential contestants with gear when everything is so temporary now.

In a nutshell, I would have loved to be a narrative filmmaker, but that's not in the cards for me. Right now I'm blessed to have a job producing videos in the arena of HIV awareness/treatment. I've got my C100, my Creative Cloud subscription and I'm happy as a pig in s***. I would also say that parenting two young kids absolutely, positively killed any free time that I had for extra curricular activities. But your milage may vary, of course.

A wealth of good thoughts in this thread, BTW.


I dunno, but I'm kinda checked out right now.

* Sorry for my rambling and most likely repeating things already said.

 

[Gillvane]

There are at least three things working against online independent films:

1. Craftsmanship. Making a movie is one of the hardest things you can try. Hollywood churns out many bad movies even though it has its pick of the world's screenwriters, directors, and actors. Independent films are 90% cringeworthy, even when people of above-average talent work very hard for a long time on them. Good movies are hard to make.

2. No-name actors. I have found that even I, a film buff, don't much feel like watching a movie I have never heard of, with actors in it that I have never heard of. Suspension of disbelief is a mystery, and paradoxically a familiar face helps me get into the story more, not less. How can I believe that Tom Cruise was Mitch McDeere in that one movie I saw a long time ago, John Anderton in a movie last week, and now Ethan Hunt? And why is it more engrossing to watch him be those three characters than to watch those three characters be played by three different people, who I've never seen before and will never see again, no matter how good of an actor each of them might be?

3. Solitary viewing. This is the big one. I don't feel like watching a fiction movie by myself, I don't care if it stars Harrison Ford and is directed by Steven Spielberg. Sometimes I'll watch an old favorite alone, but I have to be in the mood. When I think about movies I've liked that weren't that well made or had no-name actors, they were movies that one or more of my friends enthusiastically roped me into watching, and we all had a blast watching it together. Therefore #3 seems to trump #1 and #2, both ways. Social viewing can make up for poor craft or unfamiliar actors. But excellent craft and beloved stars still seldom convince me to watch a fiction movie alone.

And watching movies on the Internet is almost always solitary. I'm not in my living room with a bunch of my friends. I'm not even in a movie theater with a bunch of strangers. I guess I could ask my wife to sit with me as I thumb through Youtube or the DVXUser User Films section. But I don't normally feel like it, and she, even less so. We're each on our own laptops, surfing on our own.

Moving pictures on the web work if they're:

1. Short. Solitude doesn't kick in if it's less than a minute long.
2. Non-fiction. A how-to video overcomes the earlier objections, because I'm in a different mindset. I need information so I can do some other thing later. It has more of a purpose than "I just want to do something fun."
3. Social, somehow. My friends on Facebook posted it and are commenting on some video. So in a sense I am watching it with them.

Excellent points especially about solitary viewing. Back in the day before the ubiquitous internet and everyone watching vines and youtube videos posted on Facebook on their cell phones, I used to go to a local theater that showed avant garde films, stuff like [h=1]Tales from the Gimli Hospital[/h]
the fun part was being around a lot of other people that enjoyed off beat films and discussing the films after the show. I certainly wouldn't sit around and watch Gimli Hospital by myself.

 

[Gillvane]

I have concluded that the cheapest component of film making is the camera.

 

[ugafan]

wow, lots of great feedback. after reading the posts i've come up with a few ideas regarding the layout of the site.

1. dvxuser is the online community for filmmaking. if that is the focus, the "filmmaking" section (sound, cinematography, directing, etc.) should be moved above all the cameras. i would put it right below the news.

2. the "screening room" section needs to be featured more prominently. it gets lost way down in the middle of the website. put that near the top.

3. currently, if you want to see footage you have to look in a specific camera forum. keep that, but add a "footage" section to the "screening room". when footage is posted in the specific camera section (gh4, c100, etc.) it also gets posted in the general "footage" section. that way more people will see the footage and not just the ones looking in that particular camera section.

 

[lambert]

In the 90s in Austin I didn't have a TV (well I did have a VCR and monitor) and many of my friends didn't or it lived in their closet. Film screenings were the place to hang out and talk all night about what we saw. We read ,wrote, made super8 films and held screenings in our backyards. Some went on to substantial careers. Somebody was always doing something cool (one guy traveled around the country in a van showing his experimental films, ran into him in Albuquerque). Film society screenings were must attend events. Seems like no one cares anymore about cinema, to many other options to occupy ones time as others have discussed. I did host a filmmakers meet up in fort Wayne last month and had about 15 filmmakers. Gave me some hope.

 

[Stephen Mick]

wow, lots of great feedback. after reading the posts i've come up with a few ideas regarding the layout of the site.

1. dvxuser is the online community for filmmaking. if that is the focus, the "filmmaking" section (sound, cinematography, directing, etc.) should be moved above all the cameras. i would put it right below the news.

2. the "screening room" section needs to be featured more prominently. it gets lost way down in the middle of the website. put that near the top.

3. currently, if you want to see footage you have to look in a specific camera forum. keep that, but add a "footage" section to the "screening room". when footage is posted in the specific camera section (gh4, c100, etc.) it also gets posted in the general "footage" section. that way more people will see the footage and not just the ones looking in that particular camera section.

Great stuff, uga. Thanks.

 

[norvan5]

But to be honest, I think the biggest thing we can ask Users to do is share your work. I think perhaps the most important area of this forum should be the User Films section, where people post and get feedback on their work. Because you can read all you want on technical topics, you can pore over lighting diagrams and lens tests. But the only real, meaningful way to improve as a filmmaker is to make films, get feedback, and then go make better films.

I agree with this wholeheartedly and it suggests to me that one simple but practical way to boost the interest in the User Films sub-forum would be to move it up to top position on the homepage of dvxuser. It should appear before any of the camera sub-forums as a mark of intent. To further boost interest, why not then embed one 'Pick of the Week' film/music vid/doc made and submitted by a member on the homepage and really highlight it. We could feature both contemporary and older films, thus showcasing the great work being done now and over the years of this site. Perhaps a little Dvxuser award laurel icon/device could then be awarded to the films we select too....

 

[Josh Bass]

i have 15 or so shorts from over the years i could submit...