BIAFF 2014

[Kevin Pritchard]

I got 4 stars for my greenscreen music video

First film I've ever entered in a competition, chuffed to bits

[Howard-Smith]

It's great to have all the results on the website, and congratulations to all those who won top awards. I can't wait to see their films.

I can't help but comment on the fact that there are just seven 5-star awards compared with fifty-seven 4-star awards. I realise that there would initially have been fifteen 5-star winners, from which the eight best were chosen for the Diamond Award... but the figures still seem disproportionate. It makes me wonder whether the barrier is set too high to progress from four stars to five stars.

Is it really the case that not one of the fifty-seven 4-star films was good enough for 5 stars?

From my own point of view, my 4-star film CONCEPTION was viewed recently by a former BIAFF judge, who told me that it was worthy of 5 stars and is "better than many 5-star films I've seen." In a glowing review of this film by the judges, the negative comments they made were that (a) the lovers weren't naked (these damned amateur actors won't strip off!) and the wife keeps her bra on in bed; and (b) the quality of the married couple's home and furnishings didn't fit in with the husband's excuse of not being able to afford to have a child. The fact is that it's my own home being used in the film and I can barely afford to keep it going! It's wrong to assume that anyone who has an expensive house must have plenty of money!

Anyway, to repeat what I said in an earlier message, I'm still delighted to have achieved three 4-star awards this year. As ever I'll be interested in any feedback about my films from audience members at BIAFF which I'll be attending with four friends.

[ned c]

I have been asked to post a "thank you" on behalf of the two American entrants from SW Utah, (my involvement was marginal so cannot claim any kudos) particularly to David Newman for e-mailing the results and to the judges for their well considered comments, both greatly appreciated.

They both have to fit film making into a regular life; Shaun works in the N Dakota oil fields for 30 days then comes home to SW Utah for a week and then back again. Dan runs a window cleaning business. Both shoot on DSLRs and are dedicated film makers.

Thanks
ned c

[Bob Lorrimer]

Poor Howard-Smith! It is not uncommon for actresses to keep their bra's on in bedroom scenes in England or even in France (well perhaps not in France)!

My 3 Results are 'in' and I have crept into a dark corner to lick my fur and to sharpen my pencil!

I have two THREE STARS and one which is a FOUR STAR.

I am pleased with the FOUR STAR result for my modest film 'THE BOOT' and I had not expected it to break through the glass ceiling into Five Stars.

One of my THREE STARS for 'HIGHWAYMEN' is probably correct too and I am now more aware of the film's inherent weakness...which, in this case, is a lack of a narration.

My flagship film 'NO WAY UP' has received lavish praise from my Judging Panel and I quote:

"NO WAY UP is a refreshing change, bucking the trend with sharp-witted dialogue," "little gem," "beautifully characterised," "astonishing and praiseworthy," "delivering knock out lines," "crystal clear HD Images," "wonderfully ludicrous film" and SO: THREE Stars!

There are of course some negatives too! I accept that my particular brand or style is not suited to all (we will have to wait and see) .... nevertheless it makes a change 'to be damned with great praise!'

(Ohhhhh NO! I have bitten the end off my pencil.)

[col lamb]

Just hunted for any BIAFF movies online and the first I found was the Best Documentary, Dragonfly by Andy Holt

Just watched it on Vimeo, what stunning visuals, 15 diamond minutes of visual joy.

Alas 15 minutes of 3* audio on the online version.

So Andy if you read this please do check out the audio of the online version as on my PC it is full of hiss and pop and listen out early in the dialogue for month as it comes over as.......munff.

That said the visuals are stunning.

[Dave Watterson]

Ned Cordery is being a little modest about his contribution to the Diamond winning Over the Hill ... in which he had a starring role. He and Mary stole the picture for me! The other film he is talking about is Stan the Man which won 5-stars.

Kevin is talking about Kate Fletcher - Fire on the Floor which won 4-Stars.

All film makers ... please bear in mind that friends may not tell you exactly what they think about your movie - and may be influenced in how they enjoyed it because they are your friends. So expect some discrepancies between what they say and what impartial judges say.

Jan and I have seen very few of the films this year, so we look forward to catching up on them at Bedford. Personally I am surprised that White Collar a lovely comedy, that was the top jeunesse film at UNICA 2013, did not do better than 4-stars. Similarly Stillen got a UNICA gold and a BIAFF 4-Stars. On the other hand Crossover got UNICA bronze and BIAFF Diamond and Best Animation. I Have Finally Arrived got UNICA bronze and BIAFF 4-stars. But that's what happens in competitions. It all depends on what other films the judges see.

I try to bear in mind that only a tiny percentage of the non-commercial films made by relatively serious film makers can aspire to 1 or 2 star level, let alone higher ratings. We should all recognise the effort, talent and inspiration that go into films in the top half of the ratings.

Col - and others who like watching films online - the day after BIAFF we will unveil a collection of BIAFF entries from all level of ratings on the IAC website!

[fraught]

I have to be honest... i'm still scratching my head over the 4 Stars for Karen's Room. The only negative comment was to do with a short dialogue exchange where the audio is quite low. It's actually meant to be that way, to help emphasise what happens next in the scene. No one else has had an issue with it at all the other festivals that have screened the film.
If you've got 12 minutes, please go watch the film and let me know if i'm beating myself up for no reason! LOL...

[Bob Lorrimer]

I have just watched Geoff Harmer's short FOUR STAR film KAREN'S ROOM on VIMEO and I can testify that it is an absolutely cracking 10 minutes, with fantastic dialogue, slick edit and a charismatic leading performance.

I mean, REALLY - Well done! (My 3 stars for NO WAY UP is now justified!)

PS I am now going to resist watching any others lest I completely destroy my forthcoming visit to BEDFORD.

[Mike Shaw]

I've just watched it (first time) too. If I'm absolutely honest Geoff, I disagree (for once!) with Bob - if I had been on that judging panel, I would have gone along with the 4 star rating too. The 'quiet' bits may have been intentional, but they were difficult to hear ... Quiet doesn't have to mean indiscernible! I found some of the grading a bit strange too - highlighted and ethereal one second then moments later quite different (perhaps intended, but it made me think about the filming/editing technique not the story). There was a slight credibility problem as well for me - the dialogue didn't seem right: I'm sure if a girl saw a strange man in her room her reaction would be different. So it didn't quite gel for me from the start - if she'd have been more angry/frightened/concerned I'd have gone with the flow more I think, and considered a higher rating. And bearing in mind what they were there for (I'm trying not to give anything away here!) - was the gun credible?

I've just picked on negatives (deliberately) and mentioned none of the positives - of which there are many. I know one shouldn't compare films when judging, but if you get a chance to see 'Sam the Man' at BIAFF (as a 5 star, it may well be shown on the Sunday), it may shed a different light for you. That film (for me!) had some unnecessarily long slow sequences (particularly at the start) - but nevertheless, it was definitely a 5 star in my mind. That story was also, to a lesser degree - and in a different way - in 'fantasy land', but the dialogue was very believable and the situations credible. (I believe I had the pleasure of writing the assessment for that one).

I had the same problems with my own effort (Enid Blyton docu-drama). In my mind it was a 4* but I had hoped like everyone else that the subject and treatment (and the fact it has won accolades at various local Guild and Society showings - and Best Documentary at the Kent Festival) would edge it up. But I saw a 5 star documentary while judging, and the difference between that and my effort is vast (in my mind). (In fact I think that documentary moved up to a Diamond and won other awards as well). So, while I'd have loved a 5*, I think 4 is 'OK' if I'm honest. I'd have been bitterly disappointed if it had been given only a 3*.

All that said, I did thoroughly enjoy Karen's Room, don't get me wrong. Just trying to say why, in my opinion, it was probably rated 4 instead of 5.

Let's drown our sorrows over a pint at Bedford!

[fraught]

Firstly... thanks for taking the time to watch the film. Really appreciate it. I also appreciate everyone's honesty. I think it just proves that Art is subjective, another man's medicine is another man's poison. Bedford it is!

[fraught]

I am REALLY chuffed that my feature film 'Addict' is being screened at BIAFF, especially considering it's subject matter. Looking forward to watching it on the big ('ish) screen.

[Paddy Duffy]

Hi all, I am new to the IAC and the BIAFF competition. I have received my results and got a three star grade for my noir short DEATH AT THE GRAND, I thought it may have got a four but oh well.
The judges comments contained both flaws I was aware of and others that I didn't agree with but can accept.
Unfortunately the film hasn't been chosen to be shown at the festival but if you have a spare ten minutes please by all means check it out.



Not one to open a can of worms or upset or disrupt the running of the competition or even insinuate there is a film conspiracy but I was surprised the amount of films entered by the judges themselves.

From an outsiders point of view I can not see how their judgement will be totally impartial. Although I know they never see films from their own region they will constantly be wondering how their entry is doing and will subconsciously be comparing the films they are judging with their own. After all it is human nature to be competitive.

Also I m sure over the years many have become friends and have a great rapport with fellow film makers on this site which could cloud their judgement.
The argument could also be raised that if a judge is given a very low score for their film could they be open to be criticism for being a judge in the first place?

Would a fairer way be that judges are rotated ever year and on the year they are honoured to judge they are unable to submit an entry?

Like I said I don't want this to start a war or upset anyone it just opens so many questions.

Please don't hold it against me

[Dave Watterson]

Hi Paddy, welcome aboard.

I edited your message to show your movie right on the page. (Click the "Vimeo" button above the message space, two codes appear. Put the Vimeo number - just the number - between the codes.)

The question of having judges, who also have films in competition is a contentious one. The problem is finding enough people who are suitable to be judges. The competition needs 18 or so of them from different regions. Finding enough people who are willing to do the work ... and to pay their own travel costs to get to the judging in the North of England ... is so hard that the former rule about judges not competing had to be dropped.

Judges need to be able to comment well and carefully on the work they see, which takes skills not necessarily part of the top film makers' armoury. You have to be able to put all sorts of prejudices out of mind ... you may face films on abortion, hate crimes, cruelty to animals and topics which are so old-hat you want to yawn. Among those prejudices are your feelings about the film maker - positive or negative.

You touch on another issue: should judges be the best film makers?
If that is true and you do not let them enter films, then you would risk depriving our festival of many good films. Jan and I have been judging at all levels from clubs to international events for many years, but our own films would not scrape 1-star ! My argument has always been that films are made for an audience, not for other film makers. I try to judge and criticise as (the perfect!) audience. I don't give a damn about odd technical faults if the story / lesson / mood or whatever of the film is conveyed smoothly to me.

IF we could find enough judges then we would all prefer to rotate teams and bar a judge from taking part in the year they are judging.

You have exactly the right attitude: present suggestions and ideas on how things might be improved; comment honestly on your own reactions to judgement; and accept the results in the spirit of common participation in a hobby we all love.

Welcome again to the forum. Please write often.

[col lamb]

Welcome Paddy.

Never be afraid of speaking your mind.

Last years results did prove to be a can of worms with many disgruntled movie makers.

Can I suggest that if you are not going to BIAFF at Bedford that you watch a mixture of the entered movies that Dave will make live on the IAC website after the event.

Watch each movie using the criteria listed at the bottom of each results page and score each movie yourself then see how your scores compares to the judges. I was at BIAFF last year and generally thought that most movies were over scored by one star except for one movie which was a four star but it was dire and not really worth one star. After the event I watched many more and got the same result, one star less. I also disagreed about the best in show Mindbreak should have won overall.

I will watch as many as I can of this years entries after BIAFF but rather than watch them online I usually download then to watch on my large screen TV so that I can see them at their best.

Do watch the documentary Dragonfly, it's available on Vimeo, the cinematography is world class.

It's always best to make the movie you want to make, not what you think others want to see.

If it does well in competitions good, if not is the critique fair?

[fraught]

As someone who was both a Judge at BIAFF and an entrant, i can honestly say there is no bias towards anyone during the judging weekend. No one talks about the films during the breaks, or what they gave them award wise. I started to get paranoid as i had hoped someone might come up to me and say that they enjoyed/hated my film... but nothing... not an inkling that it had been viewed.

You don't know what films you are watching until you are sitting down waiting for the first film to start, and when they start, you are giving that film all of your attention. Each panel consists of 3 judges, and they are mixed up prior to each sitting, so i can't see where any bias may creep in.

I think that fact i'm moaning about my own film's award should shows that we don't get any preferential treatment.