SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

A forum for sharing views on the art of film, video and AV sequence making as well as on competitions, judging and festivals.
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Dave Watterson
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SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Dave Watterson »

Sarnia Shorts is now accepting entries for its first festival. Closing date is 31st May and the event is scheduled for 19-21 October.

Good thing
: this first year there will be no entry fee.

Difficult thing: working out how they want the films "Entries should be submitted as Quick time movie (.mov) (in full res (for shorter entries) or h.264 compression rate) file on DVD" - er, what?

Sad thing: the event dates clash with the IAC Autumn Convention and AGM in the North West. They explained it was the only weekend they could get the venue they want.

So I imagine they will get many entries but perhaps a disappointing attendance.

Dave
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Dave Watterson
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Dave Watterson »

Fast work by the Sarnia Shorts team ... they have revised the entry requirements:

The preferred format is .mov but a standard DVD or blu-ray disc will also be accepted (visit this site to download Mpeg Streamclip – a free reliable software to convert your files for windows and mac http://www.squared5.com/). Please note that all entries should be submitted on disc; tapes, memory sticks and other formats will not be accepted.

That makes life easier.
col lamb
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by col lamb »

Someone has obviously been listening to me over the last year or so when I have been promoting the solid state MPG, MP4 format as the way forward for submitting movies into competitions and as the best way of projecting movies.

Well done the organisers of Sania Shorts.

Your turn now IAC!
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Michael Slowe
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Michael Slowe »

With my HD films I archive a .mov file in the ProRes 422 HQ codec but that has to go onto a drive because my last film was 55Gb's in that file. Couldn't go onto a DVD or a single layer BD. For some competitions and festivals I lend them a portable drive for them to download the file. What does Dave suggest for this new festival? Why won't they accept a BD? They project perfectly well from any BD player. At a pinch even DVD's look OK if made with decent software, especially when played through a BD player.

Col, it's not necessarily the way to go unless we want to part with a drive.
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Dave Watterson
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Dave Watterson »

Sarnia Shorts will now accept DVDs. Their time limit is 30 minutes, which Michael will hate.

Their earlier guidelines did acknowledge that the conversion to *.mov format might not be possible for longer films.

Wynter and Lisa have their own ideas for making a type of festival which will set them apart from the former Guernsey Lily. That is understandable for who could hope to match that? They are also experimenting and learning about what will work and what will not.
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by col lamb »

Actually using the MOV format is not the way to go as there are far too many variables to consider in producing a MOV file that will be read by all potential users.

Encoding to MPEG2 is the best option, they can be produced from SD, HDV and HD timelines and they will maintain the quality of the source material as long as they are encoded at the correct bit rate (CBR, c7mbps for SD and c20mbps for HD will give very good results).

MP4 (alternatively called MPEG4) is also possible but I'd use slightly higher bit rates to compensate for the greater degree of compression of MP4 over MPEG2.

For distribution burn the movie file onto a DATA DVD or Blu-ray disc, this is not the same as making a disc with a menu system it is just using the disc as a cheap distribution device. The receiver of the disc then simply copies the file on the disc onto a media player such as the WD TV Live Hub then all the movies to be shown are in one place and there is no disc compatibility issue.

For more information see the back issue of FVM Feb 2011 and my articles on DVD, Blu-ray & Mpeg's
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Michael Slowe
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Michael Slowe »

Col, we're going off topic rather which Dave will mention but I understand that ProRes HQ is the best way to protect HD quality when exporting as a file. Then my 50 GB file won't fit on any of the discs that you mention will it?

Dave, I don't hate anything, actually my latest film is just 30 minutes so it would qualify. No Blu-Ray then for Jersey? HD is displayed best on BD and the players are very cheap and can also play DVD's of course. I do agree though that files will be the way to go but how to transmit the larger ones?
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Willy
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Willy »

Dave Watterson wrote: Difficult thing: working out how they want the films "Entries should be submitted as Quick time movie (.mov) (in full res (for shorter entries) or h.264 compression rate) file on DVD" - er, what?
Dave
"Quick Time (.move) in full res (for shorter entries) or h.264 compression rate file on DVD? Why not in "slow time ffdl-hi" or in "kkfgu-ç9à) or in "Hihifa8Ex3" ? I am not saying this to ridicule things, but all those letters and figures are really discouraging sometimes. 1028-50p,... Mpeg4.... S3000 ... A friend asked me : why didn't you burn your film in... instead of ... (Sorry, but I have forgotten the figures). The image quality would have been much better, he said!

Next weekend our regional competition is taking place. All participants have been asked to give their selected film(s) on a MiniDV tape. That's very simple for Andrew, the man who is in charge of the projections behind closed doors. He is also the chairman of my club. After thirty years he cannot follow the technical evolution anymore. He feels desperate. Some time ago he preferred to work in the hospice across the street. He didn't come to our film club anymore. Luckily he came back. Imagine he would resign and he would not be willing to project the films for the regional competition. Who would replace him?

Do you remember BIAFF (at that time MOVIE) about 15 years ago? All entries were submitted on those large videocassettes. In my cellar I have some cardboard boxes full of those videocassettes. They are copies of films that I can't use anymore. And BIAFF about 7 years ago? The films were all on MiniDV tapes. The cupboard in my room is full of boxes with MiniDV tapes. In some years they are good for the container park. Now we can choose : MiniDV tapes or DVD's or ...
Not simple for the organizers of film festivals.

Yes, you are right, Michael. Maybe you remember that I bought a brand new blu-ray player. I bought it to see my newest films on blu-ray, the ones that I have made with my new Casablanca. The image quality is superb. But also my old DVD's. How wonderful is your long film anno 2011 on blu-ray, Michael !

However, I think that in your message here you have made one mistake, Michael! You said Jersey instead of Guernsey. Actually it is a biggggg mistake !!!!! (joking). I think the relationship Guernsey-Jersey is a bit like the relationship Belgium-Holland. The Belgians and the Dutch love each other. They speak the same language. They have the same culture. But there is also some friendly rivalry. I am looking forward to the next football match Belgium-Holland.
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Michael Slowe »

Sorry, yes, Guernsey! Still, Jersey and Guernsey aren't very far apart.

Willy, all digital video starts as a file, zeros and ones as Tom Hardwick will tell you. Tape was, and still is for some purposes, a useful way to record and play the pictures but the basis is still a digital file and that's becoming the way to store and transmit the material. Any of the tapes that you really value you can take back into your computer and export them as files and store them on drives. That way you will prolong their life because the VHS and Mini DV might be difficult to play in ten years time.

Therefore, in answer to your question, yes I have my latest on Blu-Ray (HD) but also DVD (HD), DVCAM tape (SD but a 'security' back up and of course a ProRes 422 HQ file, the ultimate back up (on two different drives). However, as we all end up by saying (or should do) it's the actual film content that counts, it's all useless if the film is no good.
col lamb
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by col lamb »

Pro Res is an intermediate file format intended for editing, not for long term storage or distribution.

For distribution I would still use a programme stream MPEG2 (file extension MPG) this is universally a format that can be played on all PC's and media players.

MPEG2 files can be either SD or HD, alternatively MP4 is a good bet.

MOV's are a questionable format for distribution as there are playback incompatibilities.

Backup on two external drives is the way to go.
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Dave Watterson »

If you are quick you can watch Wynter promoting the Sarnia Shorts on Channel TV and also get a glimpse of an interesting time-lapse production.

Peter and Mary Rouillard suggested I visit http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonli ... elreports/ and go to 28th February. This brings you a half-hour local broacast ... skim through to about 15 minutes and watch part two which begins with scenes from the time-lapse film by a Latvian chap called Kaspars Daleckis. (You can see it better and complete on http://vimeo.com/37349918. ) Then comes the section about the reborn festival and a glimpse of its venue.

Dave
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Willy
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Willy »

Dave Watterson wrote:If you are quick you can watch Wynter promoting the Sarnia Shorts on Channel TV and also get a glimpse of an interesting time-lapse production.

Dave
I enjoyed my visit to channel TV. Also the news was very interesting. It was about potatoes and politicians. The potatoes looked good. It appears that people don't want to vote anymore. In Belgium we are obliged to vote!

Yes, the photography of the Latvian chap is wonderful. Perhaps I didn't understand quite well, but didn't he have about 200 hours of footage?

And then the Film Festival. It was good to hear the tribute to Mary and Peter Rouillard who organized the festival for many years. Wynter Tyson looks very energetic and enthusiastic. He said that there are already entries from the UK, from the Netherlands, etc...

I enjoyed the Guernsey atmosphere. The coastline is brilliant!
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fraught
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by fraught »

Happy to say that two of my films are being shown at this event in October. 8 Ball and Room 4. Guernsey... here we come. :)
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Dave Watterson
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by Dave Watterson »

Interesting that the films selected for the Sarnia Shorts Festival October 2012 include work by

Phillip Bridge, Mark Rigler, Mark Brennan, Carl Austin & Geoff Harmer, William Fuller, Peter Rouillard, Huey Walker from UK

Rene Van Vaerenbergh, Marti Arano Oller, Willy Van Der Linden, Berry Van Der Vorst.

All of these folk have been BIAFF and Guernsey Lily winners in the past.

See the full list at http://sarniashorts.wordpress.com/2012films/
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Re: SARNIA SHORTS (The successor to Guernsey Lily)

Post by fraught »

Really chuffed that the organisers of Sarnia Shorts have chosen one of my films to be part of it's advertising. Happy Days. :-)

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