The Intrigue of the Cannes Film Festival

August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Cannes Film Festival is the most popular festival in the world. The Cannes Film Festival began in 1946 and is the oldest film festival. The festival is not only the most influential in the world of films, its red carpet is the most popular attraction of star struck celebrity fans. In the month of May, thousands invade the small town of Cannes. Celebrities, filmmakers and press converge on this quiet small town. It is the ultimate film festival, much like your ultimate movie collection in www.direct.tv. This festival is also the most exclusive and you must meet one of six criteria to gain entrance.

The average person does not have the credentials to attend this exclusive film festival. In addition, there are costly fees, which few people can afford. Thousands of people line the streets to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrity. You can squeeze your way into the town of Cannes and spend hours in the crowds on the streets. This is as close as you can get to the festival. You may be able to crash a few parties during the evening hours or get a few photos of your favorite celebrities. Many people visit Cannes during the week of the film festival just for the excitement.

While it is the most popular festival, it is best to watch clips on TV to catch glimpses of the activities and celebrities. If you have direct.tv at home, you won’t really have to go all the way to Cannes anymore. Film Festival fans would love to have the chance to attend the Cannes Film Festival just once in their lifetime. However, for all these fans, this remains a dream that has yet to come true. If you are lucky enough to have connections, you should not miss the opportunity to attend this event. If you are not connected, you may want to scour other film festivals for possible connections. You never know whom you will meet and you may discover an opportunity of fulfilling a lifelong dream to attend the Cannes Film Festival.

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Film Festival Mania

January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Film Festivals provide a wonderful opportunity for filmmakers and scriptwriters to advance their careers. While Film Festivals provide a venue for self-promotion and networking opportunities, the festivals also provide entertainment for those that love to watch movies and socialize. There are thousands of film festivals all over the United States and around the world. Film festivals have become a favorite recreation activity for movie lovers. Film Festivals are one of the most popular social activities among avid movie fans. Film Festivals are filled with lively activities that provide remarkable opportunities to socialize and meet people.

Forget online dating and social media sites. There are thousands of Film Festivals to visit. Even the smallest and least known Film Festivals attract hundreds of people and provide excellent opportunities to meet like-minded people. Once you delve into the Film Festival world, you will be amazed and astounded by the numerous social and professional connections you can develop.

For the socially challenged, Film Festivals offer an easy way to meet new people. You will always have a subject matter to discuss to break the ice. People that attend Film Festivals love movies and love discussing every aspect of films. The evenings are filled with parties, which provide a phenomenal way to relax, socialize and have fun. While Film Festivals are designed to display the talents of filmmakers and scriptwriters, the festivals also provide an opportunity for those seeking social interactions.

Film Festivals offer wonderful opportunities for networking and socializing. You get to watch great movies from a wide variety of genres and participate in wonderful activities. Film Festivals are an exceptional way to connect with people and to have a great time. For many, attending Film Festivals is their favorite form of recreation. With so many Film Festivals to choose, you will find many opportunities to enjoy wonderful films and wonderful people.

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The Essential Edits: Preparing for Festivals

December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Images flicker across a screen — each moment perfect, each frame without flaw. You smile, watching the efforts of your days. A film was difficult to complete, demanded all of your patience and energy; but it’s now finally finished. Your work is a tribute to brilliance, offers the rare poignancy. All will be amazed by it, you believe. And any film festival should be honored to accept it. You simply must submit it and wait for the accolades.

What you receive instead is rejection, though. Festival after festival refuses to claim your movie, letting their schedules be filled with other projects. You don’t understand. There is no film that could rival yours. There is no piece that could prove itself to be better.

There are movies that can prove themselves to be edited, however — and that’s something you forgot.

New directors are proud of their works (and rightly so. It is an accomplishment to complete a project, to be brave enough to submit it for consideration). That pride too often becomes a hindrance, however. The belief that a movie is without failing forces many individuals to refuse the notion of editing. No scenes are shortened. No pacing is redefined. The first version of a film is the only version of it.

This is a mistake.

Nothing can shatter your chances for success more efficiently than a poorly structured piece. Without the benefits of editing (which can delete unnecessary segments, tighten dialogue exchanges and shorten lingering sequences) a film can appear indulgent — which will only frustrate viewers, rendering them unwilling to watch it.

Festivals can’t allow that: their purpose is to please audiences, offering films that will appeal. If any movie suffers from too long scenes, then it will earn no favor. That is counter-productive and isn’t worth the struggle.

You must therefore be willing to edit. Understand the difference between what is essential and what is wanted; and apply logic to your creativity.

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Working Your Way Through Film Festivals

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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So you have been working on your film for some time now. The principle footage has been there and shot for months. You are have been working round the clock to try and take some pick up shots and get coverage for some footage holes you uncovered. You are working on cleaning up the sound and making sure that it’s synced just right. You have a rough cut and you are about to start working on the master cut. The truth is that you are proud, so proud of the work that you have done that you are ready to see where this film can take you. You know your first step is going to be submitting it to a film festival. You know it’s stiff competition but you don’t care. You want your movie to be seen. The question is, are you really ready for the film festival circuit, here are a few things to think about before you start packing your bags for Cannes.

Examine The Odds

Of course your movie is good and of course you want to see it at the film festival of your choosing but you have to be honest with yourself. There are no guarantees your film makes it in and the reasons for rejection are massive. There is an endless list of reasons why they might say no to your film. Don’t get discouraged even if you hear many nos. The point of the film making should be the journey, not just where it plays.

Start Small

If you are applying to Sundance then you better come with the goods. Know that it’s hard to get your film in anywhere but that the smaller you aim the more likely it is that you will find yourself on the guest list at a film festival.

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What Gets Into Film Festivals

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Cate Blanchett at the Berlin Film Festival 2007
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Do you get allured by the glitz and glamour of some of the movie worlds hottest film festivals? If you do then you are not unlike so many other filmmakers who decided that the best place to display their vision and their dream is at a film festival. You might be at home right now thinking about doing the same thing. You might have the script in mind that will really say something about you and your view on the world. You might have something to share and hope that it will be you receiving awards and making movie industry contacts. But if you are going to imagine your name in lights then you need to be smart enough to know the score and what you need to make it into the big film festivals.

The first thing that matters and the only thing that should really matter at any time is the story. You know you won’t have the budget you will want to work with special effects and these action packed storylines. You know that the most important part of the movie you want to make is to have meaningful connections and relationships between characters. Make your story about that and everything else will fall into place.

The next most important thing is the sound. You can have all the great cinematic shots that you have ever dreamed of. You can have cameras coming from all over the shot and you have the best story line imaginable but if no one ever hears the dialogue the movie then becomes an audition reel. You need to make sure that if you can only afford to pay for one thing then pay for the right sound person. Without that your movie will fail. There is no getting around it. This should be all that matters to your film. Sound and story.

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Hearing No From a Film Festival

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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So you have poured your heart and soul into your movie. You begged your friends and family to be a part of it. You pleaded and pleaded for friends and family for equipment. You have done everything you can think of to make this film the best it can possibly be. You cut it and mastered it and have sent it off to the film festivals. You have been waiting and day dreaming about what it would be like to be a participant in a film festival but then you start getting rejections. It gets to be a bit depressing. You are tired of hearing the word no and the more you hear it the less you know how to overcome it. So here is how to face rejection on the film festival circuit.

The first thing to do is not to take it personally. There are hundreds and thousands of applicants trying to get their films seen. They are working hard too and so when a film festival goes ahead and gives you a big no don’t take it personal at all. They have to weed people out and for whatever reason they didn’t choose your film. The reasons for rejection are endless and therefore you should know that each festival has it’s own criteria and standards and it’s not a reflection of your movie but rather a reflection of the festival and what it is looking for.

Sometimes some smaller film festivals will be gracious enough to give you notes on your movies. Read these notes. These notes are valuable. They can provide insight into what your movie needs more or less of. Make sure you are ready to take them to heart. Even if they are harsh you can find ways for them to be helpful to you.

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Legalities of Film Festivals

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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A film festival is a great way to display the talent you have and the hard work of the people who allowed you to make your dream a reality. You want the world to know your beauty and vision and love of cinema. The thing is that your vision isn’t always free. As a matter of fact your vision often has reaching and rather serious complications and as a film entrant you want to make sure that you have all your bases covered before entering into the festival.

Music

This is a big red flag and a big legal issue. If you have a friend score it or do the music then there is nothing to worry about but if you aren’t going to do that and are opting to go with pop music instead then you could have serious copyright infringements. The best way to bypass any possibility of that would be paying for a festival pass for the songs. This is a one time fee that allows you to use the songs. If you are still unsure of the legalities of the music in the film go ahead and ask the committee and they should be able to get you an answer.

Citing Other Movies

Clips or script lines pulled from other movies have their legalities as well. Be very careful to not use to much or to use it in a way that forwards the plot. Using it as a device is easily forgiven. Using it as a means to entertain the audience is not. Of course just making mention of the movie is not an infringement on any rights to the movie.

It should be noted that everything is a little more relaxed on the film festival circuit but there are still rules to play by and not playing by them is a big problem.

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Making Movies For Less

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
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If you watch enough television and read the press on the yearly film festivals you will see one trend is true of young filmmakers. Everyone seems to be doing it for less money than ever before. If you are the aspiring filmmaker watching and reading about your favorite movies doing big things on little bucks then you are probably wondering what it is you can be doing to get your film to the next big festival and how you can do it for cheap. Well now it’s time you found out just how good your film can be and just how cheaply you can do it.

There is no substitute in your film for good acting. While you won’t be able to bag an Oscar winner you should be able to get some really good local talent. The first instinct is going to be to bring in your friends to play the parts. You should think a little bit before doing that. Keep your friends involved where they belong. In front of the screen is fine if they are truly that talented but get better actors for your biggest parts. Most actors will do it for a copy of the film and credit in the budget.

Lights are another source of big money that doesn’t have to be. The easiest(but most complicated scheduling wise) is to film in the daytime. Natural light shows up the best on film but isn’t right for every shot. For the other indoor shots use a set of work lights and buy some gels. You can do this all for under 150 dollars and should last you for a four or five day shoot.

Make sure that with a solid script and solid acting you don’t miss anything in the footage. If you shoot on digital then you can shoot extra.

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Doing A Movie For Less

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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One of the biggest trends in Hollywood and for movies all over the world is doing the movies for less. If you look at some of the smaller, more independent features that have come out recently you’ll see that there is a lot of movies done cheap. You might be holding on to that script and thinking you hold the idea to the next great movie but the only problem is, you don’t know how to do it for less. This isn’t the end of the world and it isn’t the end of your movie career. You just need a little friendly advice. If you are ready to take the plunge into cinema for less then let the lesson begin.

The first thing you must do is sure up that script. Nothing will sink your movie quicker than a script that no one wants to see on the screen. Do your best to make sure that it works. First thing to do is get a set of eyes on that thing that aren’t your own. Sometimes having an honest outside perspective will allow you to see your script for what it is, and what it isn’t.

The next thing to do is have a table read. This is where you get a group of perspective actors and let them read it out loud. This will be valuable as you can’t often find the holes in your language until you head others read it outloud. Take the time after the reading to get real feedback from people. It will help to hear how the actor was able to pick up on the words that you wrote. Don’t get upset by anything you hear. Everyone is trying to help you. Once you have your script ready to go then everything else will fall into place and movie magic can officially begin.

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Why Big Stars Do Small Films

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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A growing trend in hollywood these days is having top level stars take part in movies that are less than large scale. Sometimes you might be surprised by what you are seeing these stars in. You know the movie was made on a shoestring budget but yet they are fully involved in the movie. You are looking at that movie with stars of your own in your eyes. You are imagining your movie and how it would look with a top name in the industry. Well it would be a shame to burst your bubble but the truth is there isn’t much chance of that happening. Big stars only do smaller films for a few reasons.

The main reason is that they feel its a good career move. Let’s say you are a big action star who is killing it at the box office but what you really want to do is a dramatic movie to show you can act. However the studio doesn’t have any desire to put you in a lower budget film considering you do so well in the big actions films. So you take on a role for a scaled pay(and industry term where the actors get paid the SAG minimum for their daily work) and hope that you do well and the film gets the attention of critics so you have leverage to do the kind of film that you want.

The other reason a star will agree to do a lesser film is because they owe someone a favor. Don’t underestimate this as a real reason for having to do projects. There is a lot of handshakes and scratching backs in hollywood so that means that there are lots of people who owe people favors and doing smaller films to drive up the funding and the marketing of it are a real reason.

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