ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years ago - Claudette FLINT

Marlom,I'm not surprised of the stupidity of these remarks. I was told to cut the page where I mentioned Mussolini because nowadays nobody would know who he is. Mind you, he might have a point!! :-)

I had many experiences of that sort. It's quite common. The best/worst one I had was with a local theatre.I entered a competition where my play was read on the stage along with other plays. The audience was voting with their hand up. I didn't know anyone in the audience and yet they nearly all put their hand up. I was thrilled for the first and the last time. My play was chosen but the theatre said they could not find a director for it, therefore it was never performed. However it was performed in a fringe theatre in London a year later.
I made another attempt with this local theatre. This time they rejected it and yet it won a competition for the Festival of Edinburgh. The same happened again the following year. Of course I don't send plays anymore to this theatre... Pity, it was local.

10 years ago - Karel Bata

Since that posting the film's been accepted into two other festivals: Courant 3D, and the Korean International Film Festival.

Tough crowd in Washington...

10 years ago - Marlom Tander

At least this guy was paying attention :-)

"Comment on exemplary elements in the submission.

Her necklace is very pretty and the short is very short."

10 years ago - Karel Bata

Very good points.

The net is a bitch.

I think it's important to not have your audience feel they've been misled about what they're going to get, either through the marketing or in the first few minutes. You have an unspoken pact that you will deliver a particular product and folks feel cheated if they don't get it.

The exception of course is a film like Blue Ruin or Winters' Bone that shifted genre and turned into something so much better than you initially thought they were going to be. I love that, but it's a delicate operation to pull off...

All that said, your film may have just fallen foul of what folks had expected generally from a film. (Ouch!)

9 years, 9 months ago - Karel Bata

Well.. The film has now been selected to be part of the 'Best of Courant3D 2015' package, and will be screened at Interfilm Berlin (10-15 Nov) and Clermont-Ferrand Festival (5-13 Feb), with more to come they tell me...

So - up yours DC Shorts!

One irony is that the film got rejected by Berlin a few months ago, but is now showing there anyway! LOL LOL Big Fat LOL

10 years ago - simon drake

The first feature film I produced and co-directed came out on DVD a few months ago. It got reviewed appropriately in The Guardian/Total Film on it's cinema run (it's fair to say it's a 2 star film that looks a bit like a student film...) But the online reviews have been pretty savage. The director got really upset when hearing 'everyone involved in this has wasted their time' and 'I can't think of a single good thing to say about this film' or the classic 'worst film ever!' I just found it somewhat amusing, as we know how much hard work it took (7 years) and it's got a release, so who cares. You're right it's sometimes tough to hear, and you dwell on the bad not the good. But it's all decisions that you make, that some like and some don't. And you make the decision to put it out into the world. For better or for worse. The thing I don't like is when a film is reviewed for what it isn't than what it is. I.e I wanted this type of film, and because it isn't that it's a bad film. And I would actually like to discuss with people why they don't like it as I find the discussion part fun (plus there's often a story about why a bit didn't work). But the internet doesn't encourage intelligent responsive debate for the most part. Anyway, as long as you enjoy the process and the work, keep putting it out there. Haters gonna hate!

10 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

"memorable...funny...honest...really beautiful...a couple's moment"

Commenters may dogpile on a film or programme, but that doesn't matter - what matters is that you made it and found an audience to make your next one. Ed Wood divided the audience, and we know his name.

9 years, 9 months ago - Simon Mercer

Hey Karel
Great discussion you've started. Just to be devil's advocate (ie advocate for DC shorts)- not defending their comments on your short (not very nice!) BUT- it does look like you've stumbled upon what should have been a secured page with their internal comments/discussions. I could be wrong but it seems like that rather than some review site intended for public (or your!) consumption. My devil's advocate comment is just that as someone who is on the jury for two film festivals this is unfortunately what discussions of films often look like behind the scenes. For example the fest I'm currently reviewing films for received over 2000 submissions for about 16 screening slots! When I first started reviewing I was very polite and constructive, as a fellow filmmaker I felt it was only fair. But you soon realise this does not help make decisive selections so unfortunately you do quickly change tact to justifying rejections with a good reason why you do NOT consider them worth programming. A lot of my (internal and only for the eyes of the programmers) comments are similarly quick, negative, and dismissive... not because I don't see and understand the hard work and love that goes into every film submitted, but because there really is no time for niceties. When we do find one that really stands out we go into selection meetings 'guns blazing' ready to fight for it, but otherwise unfortunately we have to move quickly on.
I too have had many more festival rejections than selections, which (glass half full?) I find DOES make the selections and/or wins that do happen at festivals that much more sweet- as you seem to be experiencing now with all the ones you're getting into. Big congrats on that. I would not sweat these comments- there are so many possible underlying reasons for them, from getting someone at the fest with bad taste watching them, or perhaps they just viewed 5 other films with similar themes or stories and you just happened to come next... making it look unoriginal or 'boring' in their eyes.. etc etc.

Finally, the old slightly cheesy adage- that if you're not getting rejected then you're not aiming high enough. So, consider rejection a very GOOD thing to achieve!

:)

10 years ago - Lyn Webster Wilde

Karel, a while a go I wrote a book about whether the Amazons really existed - On the Trail of the Women Warriors - and one Sunday my mum rang me up and said 'you'd better look at the Sunday Times'. There was a vicious, nasty, sneering snotty review of my book by a male classicist. I was heart-broken and furious, especially as other reviews had been good. The next day I was on 'Start the Week' on R4; and needed to be confident. My mum said, without a trace of sympathy: 'you know, having a really bad review is an initiation into being a real writer. Welcome to the club.' My late mum was a writer too, and she had knew what she was talking about.
So, welcome to the club! And btw, I was good on 'Start the Week.' And the book's being republished next year. Maybe the review got my warrior spirit going and I guess us film-makers need warrior spirit all the way through! Good luck.

9 years, 9 months ago - Richard Connew

Karel, I get the drift from what you said the film is also 3D? If so if you are anything like me its always going to look better in 3D as that was the way you thought it out, so in affect a 2D festival is only going to get half a film anyway lol. I do think at times despite festivals saying they want new and different when they actually see new and different, it doesn't fit with the programmers point of view of a good film, as they are conditioned to a certain type and style. I would suggest that may have been your issue this time. My recent feature I already have a distribution deal for initially just off the back of the 3D trailer yet the first festival (In 2D) it got put into it was rejected! Looking at the films put through they are all pretty much as they were last year nothing new or very different. In the end whether it puts bums on seats and makes money is what really counts not the opinion of someone who has probably never sold a film in their life. My 2 cents worth.

9 years, 9 months ago - Karel Bata

No way was it unoriginal Simon. LOL :-D

A bit of rooting around and... they sent me this

YOUR REVIEW:

One of the services we provide to all filmmakers is feedback from our selection committee. This information might give you some insight as to how the reviewers viewed your film, and may include information you might use to create a strategy for future festival entry.

To read your comments online, please click on:
http://review.dcshorts.com/results/?e=JgpvFIGJdJ022sHz1ps09jHvM7fMHwAgtJLlbz309TQ=

Our team of screeners and readers, comprised of local filmmakers, industry professionals, and film enthusiasts, watched each film in its entirety. Entries were evaluated for strength of plot, originality, technical proficiency, and how it might be received by our audience. All entries were reviewed by at least two screeners. Some entries were given to a second or third team for further evaluation.

At the end of the preliminary evaluating cycle, scores were generated, and the top 300 films were sent to a second team of evaluators. This group watched each film in its entirety and marked programming notes. From this information, the Programming Director chose a final lineup based on reviews, the time constraints of showcases, film themes, and how films and scripts play in a show with each other.

--------

I have more self-confidence (you have to in this industry) than to be phased by a bit of rejection. It's just that after their email preamble offering some kind of 'insight' I thought their comments surprisingly unperceptive and just plain rude. If that's what you're going to say to people, why bother?

9 years, 9 months ago - Karel Bata

The film works in both 2D and 3D, and has now been screened in several 2D fests - one for school kids, showing it's not offensive.

To be fair, the competition among 2D is a lot fiercer. There's many factors involved and it's a bit of a lottery. But...

The overly negative comments from DC Shorts, like "It's ridiculous and I'm not sure why anyone involved with this agreed to do it" and "It's dumb" aren't related to 2D/3D but aimed squarely at the content. It's surprising to get such completely different feedback - that's OK - but f them if they're going to be so unpleasant about it.

10 years ago - Richard Anthony Dunford

They weren’t all bad comments to be fair. Only one reviewer really hated it but I think you’ll always get that with anything creative. There’s no right or wrong in storytelling/film-making, just good or bad and even that is purely the opinion of the individual.

You’ll never get something that is universally loved. For everyone who adores Shakespeare there is someone who thinks it’s nonsense.

Your short is getting success in other film festivals so I’d say that reviewer #2 just didn’t get it.

9 years, 9 months ago - John Lubran

Oh that is good Karel, congratulations.

"Illegitimi non carborundum"

10 years ago - Karel Bata

Hey - it's a brilliant film! Some folks just don't get it. What I reckon happens at DCShorts is some kind of politics where if a senior reviewer pans something the others follow suit. Never mind.