Still waiting here, though I'm not anticipating anything spectacular for my throw away film. I suspect David knows that and is leaving me until last
I had a vague recolection there were very few FACI(M)s. I'm absolutely delighted for you Howard.
Tim
Proud to be an amateur film maker - I do it for the love of it
Thank you very much Tim. I must say that I’m beyond delighted that I’ve hit the heights and achieved FACI(M) status.
Regarding the delay in results going out, it must be that David Newman has been having severe technical problems. I know of some others who are still awaiting their results too.
Hey, I’ve just realised something. Many of my film titles were girls’ names: DAWN. CARA. ROSALINE. ALEX(A). HOLLIE. DOLORES. All 3 or 4 star films. I switch to boys’ names: SEAN. CONRAD... and I hit the jackpot with a 5 and Diamond. No gender equally there! That’s all my future film titles sorted out then... DAVE. JOHN. TIM. ALISTAIR. ROB. MIKE. KEN, WILLY...
Last edited by Howard-Smith on Mon Mar 29, 2021 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'd be honoured to have my name as a title for a Howard Smith FACI(M)-elect film!
My result through this morning. The judges got it exactly right. 3 stars and marked down for not taking enough risks and unambituious camera angles. I'll happily take that as, being made for a 24hr festival, there was no time to plan for, let alone consider anything more than the essential shots.
Tim
Proud to be an amateur film maker - I do it for the love of it
I have at last received all my results and comments. There were six films that I had some involvement in. Two were just mine:
Time for Tea - Two Stars
Swiss Goat Festival – Two Stars
Two in the names of Debbie Daniels and myself:
Away the Wind - Three Stars
Death for Paradise – Three Stars
One in the name of Sutton Coldfield Movie Makers which I acted in:
Survival of the Fittest – Three Stars
And one which is Julian Austwick’s film – but I was part of the team:
Justice – Four Stars
Perhaps the result that has given me the most pleasure is Three Stars for Away the Wind. I wasn’t at all sure how it would be taken. The judge who wrote the comments clearly appreciated it so that made me happy. And the film will be shown at BIAFF, as will Time for Tea and Survival of the Fittest. Hurray!
Also delighted that Justice will be shown on the Sunday.
Many thanks Tom!! I always had the ambition to be a "top amateur" and now I feel I've finally made it after all these years! I really am delighted and am continuing the liquid celebrations on a daily basis.
Jill, I look forward very much to watching your films in due course.
Results arrived today. three 4 stars and a 2 star. Happy enough with that, especially as Lucky Nelson, one of the 4*, was my first attempt at animation (very time consuming!). My Old Bedroom Window was selected for Kendal Mountain Festival 2020, achieving a long held ambition for me. A Pond and a Rant has been collected by North West Film Archive. All three films will be screened at BIAFF.
The judges correctly assessed the 2* as an example of the problems of putting a film together from unplanned holiday shots - it was something I'd thrown together for a club competition from stuff shot years ago, that I'd never done anything with. I'd struggled to find a story and didn't think it was much good. I was very surprised when it won and everyone said how much they'd enjoyed it, so I entered it into BIAFF to see what the judges thought - they agree with me!
The comments were all fair enough. But I was amused by "The music was appropriate and gave the right atmosphere to the film without intruding on the voice of the presenter." as a way of describing a film that has no music!
Richard Scarsbrook wrote: ↑Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:32 pm
But I was amused by "The music was appropriate and gave the right atmosphere to the film without intruding on the voice of the presenter." as a way of describing a film that has no music!
(Tim has sudden panic that the film of Richard's for which he did the write-up actually had music!)
Tim
Proud to be an amateur film maker - I do it for the love of it
Thanks for your congrats Richard.
As you know, I was one of the judges for LUCKY NELSON and it was me who did the write-up. We all liked it a lot! The 4 star award was a unanimous decision.
I must say it's most odd regarding that comment on the music that wasn't there in one of your films. Maybe the judge who did the write-up had had one too many when he was doing the write-up! Are you going to spill the beans as to who it was??
Last edited by Howard-Smith on Tue Mar 30, 2021 7:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Congratulations to all. Anyone who can even finish and submit a film to competition is doing well!
I have not wanted to disturb David Newman to ask about why the results are slow in coming, but having seen a couple of his emails I note he is not just saying that someone's film will be shown at BIAFF but giving an indication of when and even the web links to the session. That must take a lot of time and manual intervention.
When the results have been sent to all participants, he will send to Jan a complete list of ratings and the timetable details. She and I then have a mad scramble to get them onto the web as quickly as we can.
I will keep the identity of the commenter on the absent music a secret. After all it is correct to say that the music does not overpower the voiceover. Perhaps they decided I had used 4′33″ (1952) by John Cage (1912–1992) silent; in three movements lasting a total of four minutes and 33 seconds, for any instrument or combination of instruments under the IAC music licence, which requires the film maker not to name the piece. And all the other comments were very kind.
If someone plies me with drink when we're able to meet in person, BIAFF 2022 with luck, maybe all will be revealed
There were 168 entries this year. I would think that everyone has had their results by now... but for some reason very few people have commented on this forum about what they thought of their awards and judges’ comments.
There will be many people who are delighted with their results (such as me) but also there are inevitably other filmmakers who are disappointed with their awards and judges’ comments. (I know I have been in the past. Many times.)
The most extreme example of someone being disappointed occurred a few years ago when I received a number of emails from a competitor who was clearly furious at receiving a one star award, and was incandescent with rage about some of the judges’ comments. He asserted that the BIAFF judges should be put up against a wall and shot. He went on to make comments such as, “you brigadier types, you know nothing about the real world and what makes a good film...”
Fortunately such an extreme reaction is rare!
We judges really do try to be objective and to adhere to the given criteria and guidelines. We do our best to give helpful and constructive comments. No judging system is “perfect” but I can’t think a better way of doing things than what we have. And as someone has pointed out elsewhere, BIAFF is just about the only festival which supplies the filmmakers with written appraisals, and hopefully most people find them useful.