Stop watching. Start Creating.
Hello all.. now’s the time to get those cameras rolling. Submissions for the next JUMP Society Film festival are due January 10th.
I thought it was about time to drop a line to let people know what was brewing. Our last event was on October 11th and we managed to fill the Silverbow for two shows concluding the run of our first film festival. We didn’t sell nearly as much food as our first go around so we had to cover the additional costs with contributions. To solve the problem of not selling enough food and beverages we’ve decided that next go around we’ll put a brief intermission somewhere (probably in the middle) so that folks can fill up their glasses or get some chowder. Our next film festival will be January 23rd and 24th at the Silverbow. The first show is likely to start at around 7:00 and the second show time will depend on our running time. We’re aiming for a show between 1.5 and 2 hours long which is about what the last one ran. It seems like people can handle sitting that long without getting too itchy. Once again the only rule is that submissions must be 15 minutes or less.
Movie Tips
Film making is a very personal process for me. I like working with small groups and preferably on my own but I can’t grow or learn if I cut myself off from other people so I thought that a new section devoted to movie making tips would be appropriate. If anyone has a technical article or thoughts they would like to share with the group send them on to me, otherwise I’ll come up with some gems of my own to share. This week I thought I’d start with some basic amateur filmmaking tips.
I’ve been involved with several short film festivals in the past few years and I’ve also helped organize and host them. The biggest thing I see is films that should have been great but weren’t. It’s not because of the crappy film quality or the bad sound or even the amateur acting. What really kills a piece for me is when it’s too long. If your story takes three minutes to tell then don’t tell it in fifteen. If your film is three minutes long, the credits probably don’t need to be another two minutes long. Edit those films tight.
Community News
Scott Baxter had a premiere of his Boarderline extreme sports film “PAK II: Rendered” and is currently working to get it out to the public. I recommend picking up a copy when it comes out his last film was very impressive and he does some beautiful camera work.
A guy named Willy stopped by and has an old version of Adobe Premiere to give away if anyone wants it. Actually, I think I might have a couple old versions to give away too. Buying an upgrade rather than spending money on the full version is a good way to save.
James Green is new to town and ready to roll. He’s interested in the script writing end of things but also has a good Sony MiniDV camera and some microphones to get started. If you want to get together with him on a project just write me and I’ll give you his contact info.
Laters
Ok, I’m out for now.. the deadline approaches and I have films to make.