The missing amateurs

[Ned C]

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

[AN]

"Ned C" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

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.

Why has it done that? Is that going 'up market' or down?

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)

From my perspective you're a teenager then, Ned!

films with brain numbing music
tracks

Subtlety goes out the window. Where has the delicacy gone?
Where the poignancy? Where the feeling in this loud loud LOUD brash world?

Albert....loud mouth.

[Dave Watterson]

Interesting that the Eclipse Festival has been almost taken over by those
on their way (they hope) to a professional movie making career just at the
time when the IAC Festival has dropped its Open class for lack of entries.
Maybe BIAFF (British International Amateur Film Festival) does not look
so good on a CV as Eclipse Film Festival.

[ned c]

"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:

Interesting that the Eclipse Festival has been almost taken over by those
on their way (they hope) to a professional movie making career just at the
time when the IAC Festival has dropped its Open class for lack of entries.
Maybe BIAFF (British International Amateur Film Festival) does not look
so good on a CV as Eclipse Film Festival.

There seem to be two quite separate streams of film makers here in the USA
and perhaps in the UK as well. The amateur stream represented in the UK by
the IAC and video/cine clubs and then the "independent" film makers with
dreams of entering the main stream of professional film making. The latter
can be caught sight of at the Shooting People forums in the UK. They are
thick on the ground here in the US. I think Dave is right, people are looking
for festival acceptances to put on their CVs.

Ned C

[Michael Slowe]

"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:

Interesting that the Eclipse Festival has been almost taken over by those
on their way (they hope) to a professional movie making career just at the
time when the IAC Festival has dropped its Open class for lack of entries.
Maybe BIAFF (British International Amateur Film Festival) does not look
so good on a CV as Eclipse Film Festival.

Why should people (students?) be precluded from entering films in our amateur
festivals before they have become professionals making films for financial
reward. Surely intention or aspiration is not yet fact. I would love to
have been involved in the industry and would still like to be (not at 68
years I fear!) does that disqualify me? We should be encouraging these people
to enter their films in the same categories as we ourselves enter our films.
The "professional" category should only apply to current professionals surely.

Michael Slowe.

[Dave Watterson]

Why should people (students?) be precluded from entering films in our amateur
festivals before they have become professionals making films for financial
reward

Personally I agree that they should be allowed to take part. We ought to
recognise, however, that students in training will receive some assistance
from their teachers and will benefit from the facilities of their college.
In 16mm days, for example, they had to worry a little less about stock costs
than those paying for it out of their own pocket.

Some IAC members got upset when we started having them in our competition
- their work was brought in mainly as the result of an initiative by Bernard
Ashby I believe. The compromise was to establish an "open" section which
covered those not "amateur" like most of us but not yet earning their living
through movie making ... or at least not by doing the same job. Thus a sound
technician in the industry could be accepted as an amateur director in the
open section.

In practice the difference between their work and ours usually had more to
do with brainwork than anything else. They WORKED at their movies, whereas
most of us took a more laid back approach. I am NOT saying we did not care
about our work, obviously we cared deeply, but we often didn't put as much
hard thought into each project as they did. We horded our ideas and used
them sparingly, they were profligate with ideas pouring lots of them nto
every minute of screen time.

Dave

[Michael Slowe]

"Ned C" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

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

Ned I am afraid I referred to this old chestnut if you see my response to
Dave's post about professionals and amateurs participation in festivals.
I am with you since the whole thing to me is a load of rubbish - we are all
film makers (we try to be!). Sorry also to Albert who was irritated that
this is raised once more but it was Dave not me teacher - honest, read the
posts!

Michael Slowe.