anyone submiting to Sundance

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Nope, not wasting my money on that one.

Slamdance!!! I'd like to think (though it is obviously a long-shot) that Slamdance is at least a possibility, no matter how remote. Sundance? In my case, not possible.

I did submit to TIFF, though, and they're just about on the same level of Sundance, no? Was rejected, of course.

I think I'm going to re-submit to both SXSW and SIFF. Will probably just lose money again, but only one way to find out!
 
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There was one forum member who had something show at Cannes. Forgot his name... he was from the French part of Canada, and his film was extremely experimental. He showed the trailer in the Screen Room forum here, and most people seemed to find it cryptically interesting. (I just didn't get it).

Last we heard, he was packing his bags and headed out the door to fly to Cannes. That was the last we ever heard of him. No updates. No aftermath. No reports... and never logged in since.

Cannes...

Nothing to do with Sundance. Just sayin', sometimes those big festivals can swallow a man up whole...
smiley_ghost.gif
 
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If I'm thinking of the same guy, Zen, he entered that shorts
showcase called "Shorts Film Corner" They accept every film
entered and show them in what they call a "dedicated space".
It a room with several dozen monitors all showing a group of
short films in continuos loops. The filmmaker tries to get distributors
to show up and stand around during the screening.

Any one who enters gets their film on one of the loops.

Sundance - I have never entered. Never will. It is not what it
was for the first five years, but still has the reputation of being
for the "little guy". Even "Slamdance" is programming more
safe movies with stars so they can compete with their bigger
brother down the street.
 
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Zensteve said:
There was one forum member who had something show at Cannes. Forgot his name... he was from the French part of Canada, and his film was extremely experimental. He showed the trailer in the Screen Room forum here, and most people seemed to find it cryptically interesting. (I just didn't get it).

Last we heard, he was packing his bags and headed out the door to fly to Cannes. That was the last we ever heard of him. No updates. No aftermath. No reports... and never logged in since.

Cannes...

Nothing to do with Sundance. Just sayin', sometimes those big festivals can swallow a man up whole...
smiley_ghost.gif
Click to expand...

I remember him. In his avatar he wore square, chunky glases. Right?
 
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There's an article on-line somewhere (I posted the link here years ago): He knew a judge for Sundance who had stacks of unopened entries after the festival concluded. These people paid good money to have their films considered and this guy had no intention of even opening the envelopes.

Unless you have a name or supreme luck I wouldn't waste the money.
 
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Sundance is severely understaffed. They cannot watch all 5,000
entries they receive. 50% of the screening slots are for "invitations"
which means there are even fewer open places. I, too, have heard
that many entires are never even seen.
 
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Slamdance at least CLAIMS every entry is watched by 3 people. They score it, a cutoff score is established, everything with an average score below that is thrown out, then they start a second round of screening. At least that's what they claim.
 
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directorik said:
Sundance is severely understaffed. They cannot watch all 5,000
entries they receive. 50% of the screening slots are for "invitations"
which means there are even fewer open places. I, too, have heard
that many entires are never even seen.
Click to expand...

Then they should refund the money from the entries they don't view. It's outright stealing. If you pay for a service, then that service should be conducted.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
Slamdance at least CLAIMS every entry is watched by 3 people. They score it, a cutoff score is established, everything with an average score below that is thrown out, then they start a second round of screening. At least that's what they claim.
Click to expand...
I have worked as a volunteer for Slamdance three times.

We are given a stack of DVDs and told to watch them and fill
out the score sheet. Now I watch all of them, but it is on the
honor system. I gotta tell you I do not give full attention to
every movie - most are just horrible. I suspect some people
do not even watch all of them. Humans are human.

I have also been on the second wave. Two people watching a
movie and filling out the score sheet. That would fulfill their claim
and it's less on the honor system. We do it in the Slamdance
office. The top movies then go to the final wave where the selections
are made.
 
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I street teamed for Troma at Tromadance in Park City a couple of times, which got me free lodging in a crowded condo right on the strip. It's a fun week for sure. Everybody into film should go to Sundance at least once just to see the spectacle.
 
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directorik said:
I have worked as a volunteer for Slamdance three times.

We are given a stack of DVDs and told to watch them and fill
out the score sheet. Now I watch all of them, but it is on the
honor system. I gotta tell you I do not give full attention to
every movie - most are just horrible. I suspect some people
do not even watch all of them. Humans are human.

I have also been on the second wave. Two people watching a
movie and filling out the score sheet. That would fulfill their claim
and it's less on the honor system. We do it in the Slamdance
office. The top movies then go to the final wave where the selections
are made.
Click to expand...

But at least you give everything a chance. If the first 10 minnutes of a movie looks terrible, the acting is awful and the sound sucks, it doesn't have a chance. But, you never know till you open the package and put it in your DVD player whether it's crap or the next Oscar contender.
 
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I would still submit to Sundance or Slamdance knowing that my movie may never got reviewed. I'd rather roll the dice and take the chance that somebody out there would notice my film. Money is meant to be spent and sometimes you have to take a chance!! I wouldn't know if they don't actually review my film but at least I gave it a shot. But that's just my opinion and perspective! A lot of you will disagree with me but hey.. that's just how the cookie crumbles ;)
 
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DeJager said:
I would still submit to Sundance or Slamdance knowing that my movie may never got reviewed. I'd rather roll the dice and take the chance that somebody out there would notice my film. Money is meant to be spent and sometimes you have to take a chance!! I wouldn't know if they don't actually review my film but at least I gave it a shot. But that's just my opinion and perspective! A lot of you will disagree with me but hey.. that's just how the cookie crumbles ;)
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with this, as long as you have the money to spend.

But, look at the movies that come out of that festival. I've never seen a lo-budget film come out of there that didn't have top-notch production values and outstanding acting.

While "Blair Witch" doesn't contain either of these, it was pushed and entered as a documentary.

Sundance/Canne/Tribeca are not for the little guys unless you've made cinematic gold. In that respect you have to be able to look at your work objectively.

There are plenty of festivals (way too many) for the little guys to gain some exposure for their work. Even those come with the caveat that a terrible movie with a cameo by a 3rd rate actor will get preference over a great movie with no name.

I laugh because my fabulous actors thought it was funny when Joel Reed (director of Bloodsucking Freaks) was telling them, "Sorry for stealing your thunder. People will see this for me." He's right.

The best thing to do if you really want to enter festivals, is enter ones in your area. Homegrown cinema most promoters believe will bring in cast/crew and all their friends. It's the surest bet.
 
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