Spending time this weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival

[Greg Crawford]

Spending time this weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival

At a seminar "Pitfalls and Successes: Making An Independent film" The discussion turn to shooting in mini DV, several Successes were mentioned, so I naturally asked "Has their been any huge flops based on the fact that {Uncle Henry}
[img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] was the Cinematography? " The moderator of this panel said YES! I did not catch his name but he is one of the judges from the Saugatuck film festival. And many films were rejected because of the amateur nature of the Cinematography.

Although the discussion quickly shot off in another more focused point on feature film production, the one answer to my question did seem to validate my point.. That the ease of DV production is creating a false sense of confidences in people who have no mastery of their craft of Cinematography.

Panelists included: Tom Bernard Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics. He's hear with the documentary "Winged Migration" a 2003 academy award nominee. A film that everyone was raving about.

Bob Brown Co-Founder of Purple Rose Films with Jeff Daniels, a Michigan Production company.

John Gaspard Director of "Grown Men," being showing at the festival is also co-authored several filmmaking books including "Digital Filmmaking 101.

Brady Lewis, Director of "Daddy Cool" showing at the festival, and co-author of "Shot by Shot, A practical Guide to Filmmaking.

Daniel Krause Director of "Ball of Wax" showing at the film festival.

Hal "corky" Kessler Entertainment Attorney/Executive Producer of many films including "the Sum of Us", staring Russell Crowe, currently producing "Extra Marriage" with Jason Alexander.

...Let me just guess someone will ask are there any Super 8 [img]graemlins/film.gif[/img] films being shown. Probably Not. Unfortunately I can't attend the three screenings I was looking forward to...short films, Michigan Filmmakers showcase and Student Filmmaker Showcase. Might have some Super 8 films in these categories.

Have you ever noticed that it's OK for [img]graemlins/music.gif[/img] singers and musicians to sing and write songs about being a singer or entertainers, yet very few films are about being a filmmaker? I can come up with lots of successful songs from country to rock where the singers are telling inside tales about the business...but very few movie makers have done the same and lived to tell about it. "Living in Oblivion" comes to mine, "Blazing Saddles" and "The Player." In music I could go on and , with songs like "On the Cover of the Rolling Stone," "We're an American Band, "The Load Out," "The Piano Man," "I Wright the Songs that Make the Whole Word sing, and "On the Road Again, " that's just top of mind.

Last night I was a first full length feature film by Brad T. Gottfred. called "The Movie Hero," this film was 88 min. of a down and out actor who believes that his "audiences" is watching his life. Lots of inside stuff, it works but a quirky personal film. The director in his 20's got mainly his parents I think and a few investors to put over $100,000 [img]graemlins/present.gif[/img] up for him to make this 35 mm film.


Sunday, I am looking forward to the discussion on "Secrets Of A Winning Short Film."

[Alex]

Good Stuff Greg.

Hey, they forgot to include my Super-8 Entry "The Alphabet Song"! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Greg Crawford]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">Originally posted by Forum-405:Good Stuff Greg.

Hey, they forgot to include my Super-8 Entry "The Alphabet Song"! [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry, but I'm not supprised, more on this in a moment.

I was able to get their in time to see most of the Michigan made films and all the shorts on the shorts lineup. With the exceptions being the kids shorts and the student shorts which I did not get a chance to see.

Advice from the panel on making a winning short:

A. Hire great actors not just your friends.
B. Don' t not ware all the hates, hire a producer.
It's hard being the heavy in one breath being
the producer and everybody best friend the
artsy director. (good cop/bad cop)

C. Don't skip on good clean location audio even
if you have to hire a pro...and don't skip on Foley
and great sound design.

D. Make a film about something you truly have a
passion for.

E1. From one of the film festival pre screeners.
1500 films came in at the last min. And
overwhelming number. (Unstated) people
may not be in the best mood during the last
minute {10 days and counting.} selecting
films.

E2. DO NOT SEND A SCREENING COPY with
Color Bars and Tone. Reason: see E1.

F. Keep your shorts short. 10 min or under is easier for them to schedule. If you have a good under 10 minute short you have a better chance of having your film scene as the short with one of the major films being shone...than strictly on the short program. 2-3 min. Comedy very well received.


Now on to the Michigan Showcase.

One of the films was directed by the head of the
film department at Grand Valley University. He
shot his film locally in Western Michigan using
all Grand Valley students in Crew Positions with
one exception, the DP. The film was made in
Super 16 mm. (getting to the festival lade, I did
not see any of his film).The other film was made
by a Michigan native who has moved to
Hollywood. His film was shot in Hollywood on
DV with pro actors. It had some funny moments,
the film was a one location movie. I made
some good connections, and now have a
refferal or two on some actresses to help me
finish my last three scenes of my short.


As fair as Super 8 goes, I did not see any. No regular 16 either. Even the shorts were done on 35 MM or Super 16 some on HI DEF or DV Video.

Seemes like even at the smaller film festivals the bar is set pretty high.

Themes: If the films were not comedy they had a adult theme, or experimental, one Opera and one Hip-Hop dance piece.

[Alex]

1500 ENTRIES at the last minute!

I find that hard to believe.

But I do object to classifying DV as higher production value than Super-8.

[Greg Crawford]

{me} "Seems like even at the smaller film festivals the bar is set pretty high. "

I was referring to the money spent size of the crews and in some cases the extra toys and industry professionals that were involved in making the films show.

The problem I see with filming in Super-8 is most of us have this Run-'n -Gun mind set.

The camera is small so we don't really need a crew, we can shoot fast so we don't need a craft services. What rent dolly track, extra lights and grip equipment....you got to be kidding?

Also take the Michigan film maker I was talking about who shot his short in Los Angeles on DV. True enough he had some work that did not look as good as Super 8. But the man did rent his one location bar for 11 days, to make his movie.

All I am saying is the stakes to these people are quite high and they are investing lots of time money and effort into their productions.

Nothing looked Run and Gun.

[Alex]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">Originally posted by Greg_C:
{me}

Also take the Michigan film maker I was talking about who shot his short in Los Angeles on DV. True enough he had some work that did not look as good as Super 8. But the man did rent his one location bar for 11 days, to make his movie.

Nothing looked Run and Gun.</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Did the short movie shot at the bar have Ben Stiller making a cameo?

As for the nothing looked Run & Gun, geeze, DV-CAM
is a LOWER END digital format. It's kind of shocking to see people sucked into the hype of a digital format that will exiting the professional landscape within two years.

You can quote me on that.

[Greg Crawford]

I would have liked to have seen both Michigan Showcase films. The one I missed was shot in Super 16.

I am hesitant to report what I believe I saw, because I could not compare the digital film with the Super 16 film.

Both by the way were played back on Beta SP in a good digital project. It seemed.... It just seemed like I saw some color "flanging", "fringing" while watching the DV made film. But like I say I can not totally be sure.

Any thoughts?

[Greg Crawford]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">Originally posted by Forum-405:It's kind of shocking to see people sucked into the hype of a digital format that will exiting the professional landscape within two years.[/QB]</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think sociologist would not be shocked at all.

Young people have grown up with video, feel comfortable with video and are constantly being sold that film is inferior.

And the newest video format is always the best. Plus a growing lack, of technical craft. And a grate deal of impatience in the youth culture and it's understandable.

[Alex]

The impatience is probably more a function of our corporations feeding the concept of impatience to our youth.

Did you see the "bar" movie? If you did, was it the one with Ben Stiller making a cameos as the bartender?

[Greg Crawford]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="verdana, sans-serif">Originally posted by Forum-405:
Did you see the "bar" movie? If you did, was it the one with Ben Stiller making a cameos as the bartender?</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

So that's what you were talking about...No.

"Love And Loathing at the Asz Lamp Lounge"
- World Premiere

Michigan Showcase
Credits

Director Mike Andrews
Writer Mike Andrews
Producer Mike Andrews
Producer Robert Cicchini
Actor Robert Cicchini
Actor Lisa Locicero
Actor Brian Lally
Actor Rick Almada

Psychiatrist Mark Stanton meets actress Jane Hamilton one night at his neighborhood watering hole. They have a fling until she leaves town for a tour. When she returns, they decide to "get serious". A slice of life romantic comedy.