The missing amateurs
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2003 3:06 pm
Our local Eclipse Film Festival has just ended and I talked with some of the
people attending, a comment made by a group was that they missed the amateur
films as the festival has moved to the "professional/independent" sector.
They liked the amateur films that dominated the first couple of years of
the festival as although they were not as polished as the pro products they
often had much more interesting ideas. Many of the entries this year were
shot on 35mm film and were made as "calling cards" for Hollywood. There was
a surfeit of "teenage angst" (teenage now seems to include anyone under 30
from my perspective, under 40 from next year) films with brain numbing music
tracks and Matrix style effects. The best films in the festival were a short
German narrative film, "Die Kurve" and a searing documentary about the orca
on show in the sea aquarium in Miami, "Lolita - Slave to Entertainment."
The short/documentary/student/animation entries were transferred to DVD and
projected on to large screens in a three screen multiplex that was dedicated
to the festival. The projected pictures were superb using an Epson projector.
The feature entries were 35 mm projected.
Ned C
people attending, a comment made by a group was that they missed the amateur
films as the festival has moved to the "professional/independent" sector.
They liked the amateur films that dominated the first couple of years of
the festival as although they were not as polished as the pro products they
often had much more interesting ideas. Many of the entries this year were
shot on 35mm film and were made as "calling cards" for Hollywood. There was
a surfeit of "teenage angst" (teenage now seems to include anyone under 30
from my perspective, under 40 from next year) films with brain numbing music
tracks and Matrix style effects. The best films in the festival were a short
German narrative film, "Die Kurve" and a searing documentary about the orca
on show in the sea aquarium in Miami, "Lolita - Slave to Entertainment."
The short/documentary/student/animation entries were transferred to DVD and
projected on to large screens in a three screen multiplex that was dedicated
to the festival. The projected pictures were superb using an Epson projector.
The feature entries were 35 mm projected.
Ned C