Anyone with a creative interest in film will spend a large portion of their working life being turned down. This is tough because in a creative industry your cold economic judgements are always horribly personal. In turning down an actor’s performance, or rejecting a script, I am, at a fundamental level rejecting you.

Oddly though people don’t tend to talk about rejection that much, at least not much beyond a plaintive moan or a sort of blitz spirit camaraderie. And that’s why you keep being rejected! And by you, I do mean you.

Not that I don’t still get my fair share of it. I’ve been rejected by the best, and often the worst that this industry has to offer. I’ve also been accepted, nominated, selected, chosen, honourably mentioned and generally marked out as a good thing and as someone who can deliver on his craziest promises. Not only have I seen both sides of rejection and acceptance, I’ve handed out my fair share of yes and no – as a filmmaker, as a film programmer and recently (wearing a mask and using a false name) as an assessor for a funding scheme.

Consequently when Phil and Carla from the London Short Film Festival asked if I wanted to do some sort of Ben’s Blog Live for the festival, I decided that rejection would be a good thing to talk about.

Not to moan about, nor neither to commiserate. This is not a self help group and I will not stop you ever being rejected again. Nor will I spend too much time telling you to learn from it. I will though show you why you get rejected and hopefully help you understand how you can avoid going through it unnecessarily…

Thanks to the London Short Film Festival and Shooting People I will be doing this for Free in the bar of the Curzon Soho this Tuesday from 4pm. More information here:

http://lsff.bside.com/2010/films/howlingfeedbackindustrysession2dealingwithrejectionpresentedbybenblaine_lsff2010;jsessionid=E2B0160A6B228E27A28A956ED3F8CC22

And if none of you turn up then I will sit in silence and call it an art installation.