"Dave Watterson" <
david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:
What happens with the Belgian and Benelux festivals, Willy? If the film
maker
is not present to hear whatever the judging panel says, is there some other
form of feedback?
As I told you, Dave, in Belgium there are local and regional heats.
Local heats : there is good feedback. I'm often asked to be a judge in one
or another club. After the competition the judges tell the filmmakers what
they think about the films. The filmmakers get the opportunity to ask questions.
That's sometimes a very difficult moment. Not all filmmakers accept criticism.
Their film is always immaculate. They sometimes don't understand that the
judges just want to help them to make even better films in the future. So
the judges must always be very diplomatic, very prudent... They must always
try to encourage the filmmakers. Every year a number of filmmakers are disappointed
and leave their club because they think that bad judges have been chosen
to evaluate their film(s). Of course that's ridiculous. But it happens very
often. In my club I organize it in an different way. The five judges receive
an evaluation form. They answer questions like : "What do you think about
the structure of the story ? Is it powerful/entertaining... ? What do you
think about the choice of music/the editing/the photography etc ? Of course
I also ask them to give a score ... 55% ... 68 % ... 77 %... 85 % .... After
every three or four films the judges get some time to deliberate, to have
a discussion about the films that have been shown. They can still change
their scores. Of course the filmmakers must not listen to the discussions.
I take these forms home. I read them and one week later I tell the filmmakers
what the judges have written. I always try to be as positive as possible,
because sometimes one or an other sentence written by a judge could be misunderstood/misjudged.
Regional (in Belgium 'provincial') heats : there is no feedback at all. The
judges never tell you what they think about your film(s). They just give
a score. That's all. Urbain Appeltans, who's the president of one of the
Flemish regions, is a bit rebellious. His region is the only one without
any local heats. He says that not all clubs in his region have enough films
to organize a local competition. So in Limburg you can only take part in
the regional competition, but it's well-organized. The films are shown behind
closed doors. The judges get enough time (about 15 minutes) to write their
comments. They're asked to be as positive/constuctive as possible. Some weeks
later the proclamation takes place. The filmmakers who attend the proclamation
are offered a simple but good meal at a reasonable price. Between the main
course and the dessert the filmmakers are asked to sit down on the stage
one by one. Their film is shown. After that Urbain reads the written evaluation.
The style is always encouraging. Of course this system is only possible in
a small region. Obviously Urbain has found inspiration in BIAFF and the Guernsey
Lily Festival and I appreciate that very much. I'm totally against the system
in the other regions. Maybe Urbain's system is not possible there, but they
should do something to give feedback to filmmakers.
National competition : There is no feedback at all. The results are announced
two minutes after every film. It's not a pleasant moment. You don't get the
opportunity to have a chat with the judges. You don't receive any written
comments. After three or four weeks there is a proclamation. You already
know your score, but maybe you have won a special award. You're obliged to
attend the ceremony because the organizers have kept your film(s). You can
get it (them) back after the proclamation.
After every regional and national competition there is a reception, but the
judges are not present.
Benelux Festival. If there are too many films, then there is a pre-selection.
The selected films are shown in three or four days, one after an other. There
is no feedback. It's similar to our Belgian competition. The only difference
: The scores are not announced. The last day (=Sunday) there is a proclamation
ceremony. The winning films are announced and this year only extracts of
these fiction films/documentaries were screened. That was not good. I made
a daytrip of 440 kilometres to get my film back, to receive a diploma and
to see only parts of winning films. Luckily I found some people who had
seen my film. It was screened on Wednesday. I didn't stay in Luxemburg for
four days because accommodation was too expensive and of course, like anybody
else, I cannot go to every international festival. I give priority to the
British ones. After the Benelux Festival there is always a reception and
on Saturday night there is a Gala Dinner. Friends told me that it was excellent
this year.