KC Jubilee call for entries - fee just $15

KC Jubilee just put out their call for entries for 2008.

Go to our website - www.kcjubilee.org - for complete details, entry form, and pay fee online.

Check out our special CinemaJAZZ division if you have made a work (short or feature) inspired by JAZZ.

It's rare that you see an entry fee under $20 these days, even for shorts. All the more reason to apply early.

15 Must-Have Freeware Programs for Filmmakers

I have resisted writing too much about filmmaking here, mostly because I'm not a filmmaker (or at least, not much of one). But when something like this comes along it just makes sense to share. FreeGeekery (a youngish blog, six months of age) posted an article today that lists out 15 Must-Have Freeware Programs for Filmmakers with a mini-review of each. There are some great finds listed here and they're even arranged by stage of production -- from screenwriting through storyboarding and budgeting, all the way through editing and post-production. A great resource for cash-strapped filmmakers.

(Thanks to Lynn of The Lady from Sockholm for the tip.)

What to put on your festival screener DVD case

First impressions are important. When it comes to first impressions, the case your festival submission DVD comes in may be the best shot you have at starting off on the right foot with the person who sees your movie first. The person who watches your movie may not be the person who takes it out of the envelope, and film festivals often separate the press kits and other material that come with a submission from the DVD or tape when they put it in the pile of films to be watched. That leaves the case itself to communicate something about your movie to a prospective viewer before they pop it into the player.

I've seen submissions come in all kinds of packaging: simple paper sleeves, CD jewel cases, regular black DVD cases, colored plastic "seashell" cases, and even elaborate metal boxes. For my money, the best of all of these are the "Thin-Pak" cases. They hold the DVD in place, give a nice roomy surface area for cover design without taking up a lot of room on a shelf (skinnier spine), and rarely break in transit. (There are few worse feelings in everyday life than pulling one of the standard black DVD cases out of an envelope and feeling the DVD bouncing around inside because the little spindle broke.) You can buy Thin-Pak cases for about 35 cents each in bulk from internet retailers like Tape and Media.

The next step is to design a cover that will attract a screener's attention. There are lots of different kinds of people who screen for film festivals, but you want the kind who cares enough about independent film to go pawing through stacks of DVDs, looking for "the good stuff." Those are the people who will give your film a fair shake and an honest appraisal. If you can make your film stand out from the other discs in the stacks with a good cover, it might mean the difference between rejection and acceptance. I should note that not every film festival gives its screeners the opportunity to select their own films so this strategy might not work for you. Regardless, you need to make the most of every chance you have to distinguish your film from the rest of the pack.

If you don't have artistic layout skills or software, get some help from someone who does. Failing that, do it yourself and keep the design as uncomplicated as possible. Even with basic page layout tools a novice can create a simple layout that is informative and professional-looking without being cheesy. Just don't try to over-reach your abilities with fancy fonts or Photoshop effects. Pick one or two basic fonts (something other than Helvetica and Times, please) and stick with them. Use stills from your movie but resist the urge to use those fun artistic filters.

I've seen a lot of submissions come in with the film's poster as the DVD cover. Sometimes this is a good idea, sometimes not -- usually the text is way too small to read on the DVD-sized presentation and it doesn't always represent the film best to a festival screener. Make a judgment call on this one but don't do it automatically just because you paid someone to design a poster.

Here's the information you should include on your DVD case:

• The title. This should be the largest text on the case.
  
  

• Principal cast and crew listing, especially if you have a recognizable name actor in your film.
  
  

• Identify the film by category as a doc, narrative, short, feature -- whatever categories it falls into.
  
  

• Include pictures from the film: not too many -- definitely opt for bigger, more intriguing photos over a series of stills you can't really make out. This can be especially bad if you print your covers out on an inkjet printer.
  
  

• A logline (25 - 50 words tops) on the front, if you have a really good one. Lame loglines should be simply omitted.
  
  

• A short synopsis (100-300 words) on the back. For Pete's sake, don't give too much away. If you have a short with a humorous setup and/or payoff, it's better to be teasing and mysterious on the cover than to give too much away. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to keep the viewer from anticipating the gag. On the other hand, if you have a documentary feature that starts slow and builds to an impressive climax, you might want to make it clear that the film's conclusion is worth sitting through the first twenty minutes of exposition. Again, it's all about capturing the screener's attention before they put the disc in the player.
  
  

• Total running time. Festival screeners are busy people. If I only have a little while before my next appointment or whatever, I'll scan through the stack of discs I have to watch. If I find one short enough, I'll watch it and be grateful that the filmmaker was thoughtful enough to include the running time on the disc. It also helps me budget my time to know that the four short films and a feature I have left to watch add up to almost three hours of total viewing. Clearly marked running times are helpful for the final stages of festival programming, too -- the programming director won't have to look your film up in his database to know that your short is the perfect length to round out the comedy shorts program to a full two hours.
  
  

• Your contact info: web site, e-mail address, and phone number. If the viewers want to know more about your film or want to get in touch with you, don't make them search anywhere else for that information! Include your mailing address if you have room.
  
  

• Leave yourself some room to hand-write in additional information requested by the festival. Don't make it too obvious, but strategically placed blank spots are perfect for information like the Withoutabox submission number, which will be unique for each festival.
  
  
  

  Below is an excellent example of a DVD cover for a film festival submission. It's for a documentary called The Pool by Sam Griffin (read more about Sam's film at thepooldocumentary.com). Notice how Sam and her designer Sol Armada used photos and the color scheme from the swimming pool (greys and blues) to give the reader an immediate impression of the film's tone, and also to play on the reader's own memories of swimming pools in the summer. Read the synopsis to see a great example of setting expectations -- if you've read the cover, you're probably curious to see what a pool looks like with 3000 people in it. Click the image below to see a version large enough to read.

  
  
  

  

  
  
  

  (Thanks to Sam Griffin for allowing me to use her as an example. I've blurred out her e-mail and phone number on the cover here but I'm sure you could probably find her if you looked hard enough.)

  
  
  

Slamdance Programming Coordinator positions available

Posted at Mandy.com:

The Slamdance Film Festival Programming department seeks two persons to fill position of Film Festival Coordinators. This is an unpaid part time position (18 hours per week) that spans from early August to December. Persons will work closely with the Slamdance Programming Director, and will be involved with the administrative side of the programming of one of America’s top independent film festivals.

If you're an aspiring filmmaker living in L.A. with the time to commit to an internship like this, it's a fantastic way to get to know what film festivals want -- from the inside. I talked to Sarah Diamond (the Programming Coordinator mentioned in the description above) and she indicated that they're looking for people who will commit seriously and can support themselves financially while working such a position.

The position ends in December but I suspect you'd have the opportunity to attend Slamdance in Park City in January. I also suspect that you'd end up working the festival more than enjoying it, but I could be wrong about that. Regardless, the internship is a great opportunity for anyone in independent film -- a few months of serious volunteerism could set you up with contacts that would last the rest of your career.

Apply here.

Toronto 2007 Festival Site online

Second only to Sundance in prestige among North American film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival commands the attention of the independent film world in September. This week they put their new site online, though it doesn't have any of their program information just yet. Check it out.

Vancouver IFF announces $25,000 environmental award

Vancouver, BC (June 27, 2007) - The Vancouver International Film Festival today announced that it is launching an annual environmental film series and a $25,000 juried environmental award, one of the largest cash prizes at any film festival in North America. The new series, called Climate for Change, is sponsored by new festival partner Kyoto Planet. The series will include both dramatic features and documentaries and emphasize fresh information, vision and cinematic artistry. The jury will award the prize to the director of the film that best meets these criteria. The 26th annual VIFF takes place September 27 to October 12.

(Via Mad About Movies.)

Long shorts at a disadvantage

Adam T writes on the WAB message boards:

Hello, I have recently completed a documentary short entitled "La Quinceañera" which has a run time of 42 minutes. This felt like the best length for the film but I wanted to get some opinions from festival Programers on how they view a film of this length? It seems to be on the long end for a short and yet short for feature length. Grateful for Any feedback.

Louis P responded:

The unfortunate reality is forty two minute shorts are going to be very difficult for many fests to program. This WILL be taken into consideration when they are making selections. Where do you put a short of that length? It can't stand alone. It can't open for most features. And in a short block it will seem like an eternity next to a group of punchy five minute comedies. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this has been written about extensively on these boards. I don't think you should make changes if you are indeed at the correct length for your film. I'm just preparing you for a slew of rejections that you will no doubt receive, regardless of quality.

I'm going to have to agree with Louis on this one. As a screener for a festival I can definitely say that anything over 20 minutes is regarded with some skepticism. Not because there aren't subjects that don't fit into that running time, but because the overwhelming majority of "short films" that run that long simply could have been edited down to something leaner while delivering the same value.

Another thing you should consider: there's a 90-minute drama of roughly the same name ("Quinceanara") that came out last year. You're bound to come up against some confusion there. That might be to your advantage since anything that catches the attention of a programmer is a good thing ("didn't we play that already? Oh, it's a doc short... interesting."), but it might work against you in the long run. If you weren't aware of this before, consider the implications carefully.