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There's so many talented writers here and I've got an idea that I believe will be fun, informative, but more importantly a constructive way of taking a step up the ladder in our careers.
In short I'm interested in working with writers, or a writer's group that interested in helping create films that can compete in and potentially win the major short film competitions.
Below are some of the generally accepted major festivals.
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AFI Fest (Los Angeles) Ann Arbor Film Festival Antalya Golden Orange (Altın Portakal) Film Festival Aspen Shortsfest Astana International Action Film Festival Athens International Film & Video Festival (Ohio) Atlanta Film Festival Austin Film Festival Berlin International Film Festival Bermuda International Film Festival BFI London Film Festival Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films Brest European Short Film Festival Brooklyn International Film Festival (Eott) British Independent Film Awards Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival Cannes International Film Festival CFC (Canada Film Festival) Worldwide Short Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival Chicago International Children�s Film Festival Cinequest Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Cleveland International Film Festival Corona Cork Film Festival Courmayeur Noir In Festival Deafroc, Deaf Rochester Film Festival Edinburgh International Film Festival Encounters International Short Film Festival Era New Horizons International Film Festival (Wroclaw) European Film Awards Festival de Cine de Huesca (Eott) Flanders International Film Festival (Ghent) Flickerfest International Australian Short Film Festival Florida Film Festival Foyle Film Festival Gijon International Film Festival for Young People Gothenburg International Film Festival Hamburg International Short Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival Haugesund, The Norwegian International Film Festival Human Rights Watch International Film Festival Human Rights Arts and Film Festival (Melbourne) Istanbul International Film Festival Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Jameson Dublin International Film Festival Kiev International Film Festival Kolkata Film Festival Krakow Film Festival Locarno International Film Festival London Lesbian And Gay Film Festival London�s International Disability Film Festival Los Angeles Film Festival Los Angeles International Short Film Festival Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival Mar Del Plata International Film Festival Mecal International Short Film Festival (Barcelona) Melbourne International Film Festival Message To Man Film International Documentary, Short and Animated Films Festival (St Petersberg) Mix Brasil Cinema and Video Festival Of Sexual Diversity Montreal World Film Festival Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema Morelia International Film Festival Moscow International Film Festival Mostra of Valencia Cinema of Mediterrani Mumbai Film Festival Namur Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur Nashville Film Festival Oberhausen International Short Film Festival Palm Springs International Shorts Festival Perspektiva Breaking Down Barriers Disability Film Festival (Moscow) Picture This�Film Festival Pusan International Film Festival Raindance Film Festival Rhode Island International Film Festival Rio De Janeiro International Short Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rushes Soho Shorts Festival San Francisco International Film Festival San Sebastian International Film Festival Santa Barbara International Film Festival S�Paulo International Film Festival Sarajevo Film Festival Seattle International Film Festival Shanghai International Film Festival Short Expression: International Film Festival (Gu�juato) Shortshorts Film Festival (California) Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia Slamdance Film Festival Sofia International Film Festival South By Southwest Film St Louis International Film Festival Stockholm International Film Festival Sundance Film Festival Superfest International Disability Film Festival Sydney Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tampere International Short Film Festival Thessaloniki International Film Festival Tokyo International Film Festival Torino Film Festival Tribeca Film Festival Tr�International Film Festival True/False Film Festival (Columbia, Missouri) Uppsala International Short Film Festival Urbanworld Film Festival, New York USA Film Festival. National Short Film & Video Competition Venice International Film Festival Viennale, Vienna International Film Festival Virgin Media Shorts - People�s Choice or Grand Prize Warsaw Film Festival
What I'm thinking is that, as a team, we examine the types of films that win these awards and collectively look to create scripts good enough to win....and I'll make some to the highest possible standard.
This could be part of a two-pronged strategy.
1. Develop ideas and write the scripts. At that point use the collective knowledge of the forum to refine them...then enter them En Masse into relevant writing contests...increasing the chances of a regular winning an award...thus improving the resume, marketability and standing of the writer for the future in regards getting their features looked at.
2. Make the films to get into the major festivals to increase standing and networking opportunities etc
This may not be the best time to start this topic with the FebOWC coming up...but I thought we could have a good discussion about it while we wait.
I feel that this could be a lot of fun...helping to focus creative energies, building camaraderie...whilst potentially opening some doors longer term.
Rick, it's a great idea, but frankly you don't need us. You've already got your million dollar baby. "End Of Tour"! If I was you, I'd seriously consider taking a trip to Hollywood and get that film into the hands of every Agent and Producer available. It's the perfect calling card and proof-positive you're an awesome screenwriter/filmmaker.
I'm not trying to puff up your ego. Just calling it how I see it.
Rick, it's a great idea, but frankly you don't need us. You've already got your million dollar baby. "End Of Tour"! If I was you, I'd seriously consider taking a trip to Hollywood and get that film into the hands of every Agent and Producer available. It's the perfect calling card and proof-positive you're an awesome screenwriter/filmmaker.
I'm not trying to puff up your ego. Just calling it how I see it.
As ever Mike..cheers for the support. In today's age of a billion filmmakers I think I have a little further to go before Hollywood comes knocking down my door.
Besides that...I want to make films anyway, it's nice to work with people and the challenge of trying to win the big festivals is fun on its own. Plus it will enable me to broaden my palate and try out new things/genres.
There's lot of benefits and there's no real downside. These kind of films will help me meet festival strategists and distributors...all good in the long run.
On the writer's side of things it enables us all to focus on sometihng and perhaps expand our ideas in terms of stories...just another string to the bow, as it were.
Sombody has to keep the Irish flag flying even if our politicans have desecrated it . . .
I think this idea is great, I'm just wondering how this would be managed?
We can refine the list...some of them are a little esoteric...and some are downright impossible without massive backing (eg Cannes...only 6 films are selected to compete...usually on 35MM and made by established Directors...it's too subjective and too slim a chance to aim for specifically).
In terms of management, first step is to identify the festivals to aim for. Google their guidelines and look at the past winners...identify common styles, themes, technical requirements and the submission dates etc.
I suspect our boy RayW would be of particular use in this field.
Do the same with the writing comps.
In terms of the writing/idea generation...that's open to debate and suggestions. However it doesn't need to be particularly complicated..we can just have a thread discussing ideas, individuals could come up with ideas on their own or pick topics they like that arise, or we could collaborate on scripts.Then it could just go through the usual simply scripts review process.
Bit discouraging actually...seems like you need to spend tens of thousands of pounds on production value. Good films though....that's how high the bar is.
I think picking a small group of festivals and aiming to do well at those is a good starting point. The ultimate question is, what's the overall goal, to win, get some attention or have you set your sights on the Oscars? Identifying past winners and knowing the marking critera are also a big help. I think you'd have to everything right to even be in with a chance
great story and script - with the help of simplyscripts killer production amazing cast
I have a few script ideas if you want to get the ball rolling. Not saying they will be used but let's throw a few things out there.
The first step is to get that list down to a manageable size...I've flirted a few already...documentary and animation ones and ones like Toronto that seem to be only for Canadian shorts.
There's some that have excellent prizes for relatively little work..eg Virgin Media Shorts. Potential �30,000 prize for a 140 second film. It's not very prestigious (but it has a people's choice award which equals manipulation if we can make the shortlist!...and you have multiple entries).
The Bermuda one looks ridiculously high standard...better than most theatrical releases. It would be a pipe-dream to compete with those at this stage it seems...so an Oscar looks unlikley...but that's the standard that has to be reached at some stage.
Do you have the time to google a few of them? Maybe the bottom ten on the list...the idea being to find out the most favoured films (which I imagine are deep, social realism type films)...but also to identify small niches that few people would think of.
This is a list of the films that made the Aspen film festival...another Oscar qualifying festival.
What you really need to win is a film people connect with. Rather than just your character being transformed, you need your audience to feel transformed. You might decide which festivals to enter by production quality, but I would be careful on deciding the content of your movie based on the festival results.
Judges change year to year and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the contests are like Tropfest where what school you went to seems to matter. My two cents.
What you really need to win is a film people connect with. Rather than just your character being transformed, you need your audience to feel transformed. You might decide which festivals to enter by production quality, but I would be careful on deciding the content of your movie based on the festival results.
Judges change year to year and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the contests are like Tropfest where what school you went to seems to matter. My two cents.
All valid points. As far as content goes, you do see general trends. Places like Cannes tend to go for much more Arty type fare, Berlin seems to be open to slightly more quirky stuff.
Can't do anything about the school thing or the rife corruption that's involved with film boards etc so no point worrying about it. Just have to make something undeniably good.
Rick, are you show that you want to produce a OWC script? Why not make it a 2 or a 3WC (with the same page limitations as a OWC)? You'd get a better choice of scripts.
In terms of management, first step is to identify the festivals to aim for. Google their guidelines and look at the past winners...identify common styles, themes, technical requirements and the submission dates etc.
I suspect our boy RayW would be of particular use in this field.
The NYC, Tribeca Film Festival thing looks pretty incentivizing with multiple sponsors with varying "Briefs" focusing on gist or suggestive advertising. $8,000 first place $4,000 second $2,000 third and $1,000 fourth and fifth http://www.mofilm.com/competitions/newyork2011/ Don't fool yourselves that ads aren't scripted. Submission Deadline: Apr 4 2011, 12:00 noon GMT, so quick discussin' and start writin' and shootin' and editin'.
During the awards ceremony, an overall Pepsi Films Winner for New York will be revealed. The Grand Winner will be commissioned by Pepsi USA to create a new film, with a production budget of $20,000 and mentoring from Pepsi advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. (Makes my heart flutter!)
Submission Deadline: Mar 28 2011, 12:00 noon GMT, that's even more soonererer, so...
You might decide which festivals to enter by production quality, but I would be careful on deciding the content of your movie based on the festival results.
I agree. That's like... market research. Blegh!
Seriously though, if you want to run a film through the festival circuit, isn't finding one that's a good fit for your film part of the standard process anyway? Why go out of your way to retro-fit a film to a given festival before the fact?
It seems like you've set some loose guidelines for yourself already and honestly, they sound good to me. I don't think you need stretch yourself much further than considering Cannes is artier and Berlin is quirkier.
Quoted from dogglebe
Rick, are you show that you want to produce a OWC script? Why not make it a 2 or a 3WC (with the same page limitations as a OWC)? You'd get a better choice of scripts.
Agreed as well. I think it'd make a huge difference in the quality of entries.
I'm thinking however that we do the Feb WC - in what ever format, I like Phils's suggestion - or stick with a 10 page short that can be entered in these comps.
So i guess I'm saying - why not use the WC's scripts as the comp entries?
Seriously though, if you want to run a film through the festival circuit, isn't finding one that's a good fit for your film part of the standard process anyway? Why go out of your way to retro-fit a film to a given festival before the fact?
It seems like you've set some loose guidelines for yourself already and honestly, they sound good to me. I don't think you need stretch yourself much further than considering Cannes is artier and Berlin is quirkier.
Agreed as well. I think it'd make a huge difference in the quality of entries.
The extremely prestigious European festivals tend to be overhelmingly full of social realism/philosphical drama pieces.
The European and UK funding bodies who use public funding are primarily interested in "cultural significance" and they won't give you money unless you've managed to get into these types of festival.
For instance, there's a new scheme open in the NW of England for Directorial mentoring from the likes of Danny Boyle...in order to qualify as a Director you had to have films shown or won an award from two of the festivals I listed above.
In short, all doors are closed where I am unless I get into those kind of festivals...and there's clearly certain kinds of films that they prefer...besides, I'd quite like a Golden Bear...wouldn't you?
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