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To film festival or NOT...prolly NOT

I wonder if the Iron Sky d00ds are going to do festivals?

I keep going back and forth when thinking about HSM and film festivals... On one hand with my last film it was in like the "best" film festival er whatever in Sundance but I thought the films in the festival itself and the whole experience was FAILING hard so why would I do that again? On the other hand I want YALL to be able to see it on a big screen at least once hopefully the first time you see it AND there were some fests like the Waterloo animation festival that were fun and I know the people at Fantasia in Montreal appreciated it...

Now here's the thing... I would be doing a film festival a great service in letting them play HSM...As its rare to have a SINGULAR filmmaker creating and presenting crazy 3d animated feature films...So I would be giving them instant validation NOT vice versa... What can a film festival offer me? Money? NO they take my money and give me nothing back! An audience? NO! I'll have a MUCH BIGGER audience by putting it up on youtube! Publicity? I can do that just fine on my own now that I know the game... A buyer? NO! If you want to find a buyer you go to the AFM in Santa Monica or Cannes...

So the only thing a film festival can offer me is a big screen and a place to show yall... BUT now that projectors are so cheap as are decent lil speaker setups...

Projector = $300 - $500 for Sd quality---- $600 - $1500 for HD quality
Speakers = $40 - $200

So on the lowest end you could setup your own "big screen" place to watch HSM for about $400... or just borrow the stuff from someone for one night... So I've been thinking about the whole "house party" thing... trying to set things up so YOU could host or help organize a screening in your area... at any place you could find... and like if it was 2 people watching or 200 it's still fun ya know? Ya know maybe use this or something like it Brave New Theaters  I mean setting up screenings at various Universities and lil art haus theaters or galleries could be a way to go BUT I dont have the time to do that as I'll be off to work on the next film...

SO to make things clear I'm not looking for prestigious screenings er shit like that... This film would give the festival prestige!  So wherever it plays its prestigious even if its in your basement with 2 friends and a cat ^ ^ I just want to get it to the people who want to see it... and from my experience at Sundance in 2007 those people are NOT there! I don't KNOW who the fuck those people are?! Its been made clear to me that the people who appreciate and like what I do are random weirdo's spread throughout the world ^ ^ So the internet is the best way to reach them...

Filmmakers used to like feel ashamed if they film didn't premiere or play in a big festival but its 2010 and you gotta know that good exposure on youtube will get 100,000 times more people checking out your film... So lets say your film plays at Sundance 3 times with packed houses each time...what is that a max of what 2000 people? AND thats not even the people who get your stuff if you make things like me 0_0 so lets say maybe 50 people out of that 2000 like it and appreciate it? Is it worth it? HELL NAW! Yeh I know you don't feel all important when you put it on youtube cause you dont get a VIP badge and shet like that 0_o and there's no "after party" er whatever..

They are two different circles... yeh maybe you play big fest and get in the Ny Times er something... does the random Youtube viewer care about that? NO they like it or hate it based on what it is...not where its been... where its been is old world shit... and the old world is dying fast... If you don't give a fuck about playing with the old world then why would you want to play the festival game as they are part of the old system...

If it does play festivals it would come down to the festivals inviting me to screen the film there and waiving the fees... AFTER the trailer is out and the rest of the materials are made available I'm sure there will be some motivated peoples ^ ^

OR if there is a nice festival near you... you all could let me know and we would try to make that happen...lots of options...

So maybe we could mix the new world with the old? You could pester film festivals around you and FORCE them to invite and screen HSM ^ ^ I mean shouldn't they play what YOU want anyway?

Ok rant over I go back to werK.... let me know what yall thinK

Comments

  1. Well I'm thinking...whatever you do.NO SUNDANCE!
    I mean if you want to then fine but this post makes it seem apparent that you do not.

    Sundance is the "prestigious" one right?
    Well then NO MOVIE FOR THEM!
    If they are gonna act all like prideful bigshots then they don't even deserve an awesome movie! I mean they have all that prestige right? That should be enough toys for them to play with..a good movie would just be them being spoiled! >:)

    Now I don't know what to say about any other film festivals cause a good 99.5 percent chance is that I personally won't get to...any of them probably...onless you wait a few years to go to festivals it XD

    but I wouldn't want you to hold back your film for something like that XD

    I say for one thing, see what other ppl think and also consider if you even want to go or not....

    BUT NO SUNDANCE! >:D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh and I think invites would be a 65% fo sho going...but that's probably just me..
    I may go to one and then have had my fill of them and not want to go back..

    but as of now I wouldn't mind going if I was invited with them paying and all that..free travelin I say ^__^

    ReplyDelete
  3. We have no festival
    Some people say we are not Festival I call it * THE THING*
    the guts of this* THE THING* looks so :
    1. selection of the Festival Organizing Committee ( like every true festival has 0_0) ^ ^
    2 .the video created by participants of the * THE THING*
    put by Organizing Committee on U2B (they are true originals ) ^ ^
    2 votings : Audience
    and Jury of Festival votes
    and...
    ...and awards ceremony ! Drinks, drugs haha xD no I just kidding ..almost 0_0
    and Oscar goes to .. xD
    + their Open-Air - movie screenings
    I will not participate this year
    I don't use drugs anymore xD lol
    oh YEAH^ ^ you can take a part xD
    ok xD the real reason is that time was up of writing the script while I was testing Livestream U stream for our skool xD
    please don't think that Im crazy
    I AM xD
    but I liked their idea about Open-Air - movie screenings ^ ^
    yeah thanks Organizing Committee
    I can make it myself xD
    ..aww maybe we won't do any multidirectional movings Oh M. please let's just buy a Projector lol :D
    like any great idea it should be easy as the projector ^ ^

    SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE _ DANCE

    ReplyDelete
  4. honestly
    M. Please do not laugh and don't be proud lol
    that day I checked there were 2 important mails for me in the mail-box

    1st one said about realness of the world
    2d one said that IM LATE WIT A SCRIPT
    "...However, we recall that before October 1, you can try to make your movie on your own and still participate in our festival. To do this you need to bring a disk with your film at the address:...
    Good Luck! " <---you know I don't know why I hate this word ^ ^

    c00l stuff I have two month to make a movie

    2 sec.
    Im nowhere in empty body

    3 sec. at the first of mails I wanted to answer:" I wish it is not so.."

    some seconds later : why the questions couldn't be much less globally .. I know he is not interested to.. I know why
    ok I'll just write something ..just to write some thing ..but I wasn't even able to " xD

    sickness

    I want to drink
    " SHUT UP.. that's the matter with you ? "

    2 min. Im laughing hysterically cuz
    now look alls at the conception :" I was SO upset because SOME Organizing Committee won't help me download my video on Youtube"
    *null*

    Drainage lol maybe you'll help me to put my video on youtube channel ? xD lol
    Open-Airs ? oh yeah I think I was upset because of them xD

    ReplyDelete
  5. @16 bit

    M dot Strange never laughs 0_0 --- ^_^

    @Drainage64

    Yeh I feel like if I participate in them I'll just help keep them alive longer 0_0

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you could just send your film to sundance and not have to actually go there, then maybe it could help you reach a few more people. If everyone hates it at least they'll be talking about it. Then maybe weirdo kids might overhear and check it out, kids who might never have heard of you. I agree participating in this bullshit festival might be detrimental to the film world at large, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @R8bitch

    Well it would still cost me $100 for the entry fee and about $1200 to make an HDCAM tape for them to play... So its still about $1300 in fees... and how is it going to help me reach more people than teh internets? At most it would only screen 3 times to no more than 200-300 people each time... The only reason a filmmaker would do a fest like that is for the "prestige" but the internet cares not about that prestige and neither do normal non other filmmaker people...Do any normal people care what films play at Sundance? I dont think so... It doesn't help you sell your film either if you want to do that... So I dont really see the point of it nah mean?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just finished last month an colaborative short animation and the producer was talking about showing it in the cinemas. I asked how much money he would get, and he anwsered -nothing!, the distributor sees that as a "favour". Could'nt stop laughing until now!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. First of all, F&*K entry fees. That's bullshit to ask someone who spent years making a film to then have to pay to screen it in a festival which charges people to come watch. Make the people pay an extra $10 on their tickets to pay for the administrators, don't charge the film-makers. The films/animations are the only reason this festival exists, and a lot of people don't have the cash to spare for that kind of crap.


    Anyhow, I would ask you to please submit your film to the Ottawa International Animation Festival (http://www.animationfestival.ca/index.php), they don't ask for a fee and they always pick really weird & strange stuff, so your film is almost guaranteed to be screened. They also accept digital copies of films to be projected rather than forcing a film print, so the only cost would be maybe having to mail them a DVD. I would love to see your film on the big screen as I go to this event every year.

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you happen to screen somwhere in ontario
    TELLL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

    Cause i want to go out and see
    (it'd be fun to sit in my basement and watch HSM with 2 people and a cat but not only is my basement the size of a crawlspace the floor is dirt....)

    and if you don;t tell me ahead of time i'm going to think a lot less of you M DOT STRANGE

    ReplyDelete
  11. Learn how to do stuff like this

    You could bring about panic and nightmares and emotional scars to people everywhere

    it'd be funny XD

    ReplyDelete
  12. @M dot Strange

    GOODGOD!! 1300 just so they can show it on their fancy equipment? I see your point sir. And since there's so few people why not huttle a couple dozen people around a big screen tv and play a dvd? I guess you lose some image quality, but if you can't tell what's happening on the screen because you're watching a dvd then you need to see the optometrist. BTW are you planning on making a bluray for HSM, or is that too big a hassle? Not that I own a bluray player anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  13. what arin crumbley(spelling) did with four eyed monsters was interesting; this might be a bit of a nightmare in practice but why not get like a street team to go around to different theaters with demographic info and pester the theaters where morre ppl want to see HSM. just a thought

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like the idea of bringing your film to peoples home towns and playing it for them and their friends, you will totally have so money people watching your film on youtube, the download rate would be exploding, it would be cool if every one watch the the movie at the same time then discuss it on your radio station, damn i cant wait till its done

    ReplyDelete
  15. $1200 for an HDcam tape? Are you shi**ing me? I've submitted Archon to festivals, pretty much based on if they can screen my HD divx avi or DVD, and ignoring the 'big' fests that only want 35mm or BetaHD or some other format I'm not willing to shell out money for (..which I could spend on new quad core render nodes in a month or two from now.. ;)

    I've had a mixed bag with film festicles, some awards, some great fests like MIFF recently, some crap ones that just take your entry fee money and reject your film :| So I'd say, pick your fests wisely and submit to ones like Dragon Con where you'll get a huge audience of geeks and screw the 'big' fests like Sundance and TIFF (If anyone reading this actually 'works' at TIFF, coffee's on me this year...apparently... enjoy..)

    Also Mdot: can't fucking wait to see HSM...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Aw man I was hoping for a los angeles premiere with a Q&A. Whatevs. I really like the idea of people holding their own screenings.

    ReplyDelete
  17. And don't forget to mention any showings in ohio/pennsylvania...

    :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. Make your own damn "Wreck Shit Up" festival and tour the US like and indie band. Hell, with internet promo you'd have all kinds of people showing up and donating money for your next gig. FAWK the mainstream festival circuit for all the reasons you mention and more.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You should do a road show...with local guys willing to show your film. Get in a beat up car and drive from California to NYC. Hit up San Diego, LA, Phoenix, Denver, Vegas, SAnta Fe, El Paso, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, up through NYC. IN an old beatup car and projector, have hosts who will host the film and you for the week screening.

    I'm in Austin, so I'm down. Alamo Draft house hosts and we play for a week.

    So who has Vegas, H Town, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto?

    on another note. I say if you can do the festivals do it. I love throwing that in those naysayers faces on certain forums who are so against and negative toward film making. Like they lost their joy in why they got into animation in the first place. I guess it happens in all groups. Doctors want to save the world, Lawyers want to bring justice, and police want to save and then along the way they forget why they loved it and care more about money and the why you cannot do it or why it is too hard and why you shouldn't even dream about it. Yet guys like you slam that in their face and say, sorry fool you just suck, and I ownz. Your theory and negativaty false and I just proved it!

    Getting into those film festivals just solidifies it even more and then actually does bring something unique to the film festival. Who knows maybe it could change minds one at a time.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'd be willing to host a showing at Burning Man, next year. Seems like there would be a very receptive crowd there for your work.

    ReplyDelete

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