We should do ourselves a favor

CamVader

CamVader

I was just thinking, so there's my disclaimer right there. :lol:

We need to work together to to give ourselves as many options as possible. Our best hope making shorts is great festival exposure, right? That's how we get our biggest audience and the most potential notice. But, what if we could increase that notice by having some indie standards of our own?

No frowning until I'm done. :cool:

In order to have a product that would translate to television for the second tier of potential viewing, we would have to standardize the run time of our shorts to correspond. Last I checked, 30 minutes of television was actually 22 minutes of run time. As long as our shorts are (from open to end credits) multiples of 5.5, we just built ourselves a new medium of potential. 5.5, 11, 22, 44, 88, etc...it all fits in nicely without a network having fits trying to re-edit with approval for every submission - and you have your directors cut for DVD/Blu-ray sales if you're that lucky.

We could be proactive and make our product easy to buy, or remain disorganized, but individually multi-talented gods of film that are misunderstood and largely ignored. :lol:

I think there is something to this line of thinking, but it would take a concerted effort to have standard indie run times and scripts would have to be written accordingly with tough edits in order to come in on time.

Thoughts? If you end up with fans and people decide you can make them money, the door just opened.
 
CamVader said:
Last I checked, 30 minutes of television was actually 22 minutes of run time. As long as our shorts are (from open to end credits) multiples of 5.5, we just built ourselves a new medium of potential.
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Interesting. Any info on what points in a 30 minute show the ads show up? Are there any standards to this? I'm assuming it's not every 5.5 minutes.
 
trueindie said:
Interesting. Any info on what points in a 30 minute show the ads show up? Are there any standards to this? I'm assuming it's not every 5.5 minutes.
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Different shows handle it differently. There's no exact standards for the break times within the half hour block.
 
trueindie said:
Interesting. Any info on what points in a 30 minute show the ads show up? Are there any standards to this? I'm assuming it's not every 5.5 minutes.
Click to expand...

Not really anymore, but these are the types of things we, as a group, would have to learn for our transitions. Our directors cuts would be our self respecting contributions, but we have to get stuff seen. :)
 
trueindie said:
Interesting. Any info on what points in a 30 minute show the ads show up? Are there any standards to this? I'm assuming it's not every 5.5 minutes.
Click to expand...
Typically it's 2 minutes teaser - 8 minutes - 6 minutes - 5 minutes - 60 second tag
 
The 5.5 base multiple does make some sense.

The greatest concern would be from the hosting broadcaster.
The collective we would need to provide their audience with content of sufficient quality and quantity for that marketable demographic to guarantee *potentially* a full season.

America's Funniest Videos seems to get away with providing viewer content of low quality and divergent sources, but somehow... I think trying to market a broadcaster a half hour of "classic" cinema shorts might be tough.
TBS?
NBC?
SciFi?
Is there a horror channel?
I'm pretty sure there's not a sophomoric tripe channel.
Lord knows there's plenty of shorts for that.

Do-able.
But difficult.
And organizing the aggregator would be challenging, as well.
 
directorik said:
Typically it's 2 minutes teaser - 8 minutes - 6 minutes - 5 minutes - 60 second tag
Click to expand...

There you go then. That's the formula.

Start a web series. Each monthly "season" consists of a 2 minute short film. Your audience can't wait for the next week, when you release the 8 minute mystery, and they are biting their nails for the 6 minute follow up and then they finish the popcorn at the following week's 5 minute finale.

I actually think it's a pretty good format for a web series. I'm taking notes baby. I need to start watching tv again.
 
rayw said:
The 5.5 base multiple does make some sense.

The greatest concern would be from the hosting broadcaster.
The collective we would need to provide their audience with content of sufficient quality and quantity for that marketable demographic to guarantee *potentially* a full season.

America's Funniest Videos seems to get away with providing viewer content of low quality and divergent sources, but somehow... I think trying to market a broadcaster a half hour of "classic" cinema shorts might be tough.
TBS?
NBC?
SciFi?
Is there a horror channel?
I'm pretty sure there's not a sophomoric tripe channel.
Lord knows there's plenty of shorts for that.

Do-able.
But difficult.
And organizing the aggregator would be challenging, as well.
Click to expand...

It's never been in a clean package before. If you take all of the quality shorts ever made, we could have 5 seasons worth of material on the existing Independent Film Channel - they've done that. This would be new, think twilight zone. Think, brother. You actually brought up "America's Funniest Home Videos" as a description of submission of shorts to this forum? Prepare for torches and pitchforks my fast thinking friend. Also, submit your portfolio.
 
CamVader said:
You actually brought up "America's Funniest Home Videos" as a description of submission of shorts to this forum? Prepare for torches and pitchforks my fast thinking friend. Also, submit your portfolio.
Click to expand...
:lol: LOL!
Yes.
I.
Did!

Argue with me much of what we see here isn't like kind.
We may watch in charity, often to both scam ideas and observe "what not to do", but rarely "just for pure d@mn entertainment".

I'm headed to the windmill as we speak!
ARRRRRGH!
frnak.jpg



Moi's portfolio?
My sh!t looks like sh!t.
I know better than to proclaim it indie short gold. :lol:
 
It's a great idea camvader. There is actually a show here in Australia on free to air channel SBS called shorts that does exactly what you're talking about. Not sure but I think it runs for 30 min and it's on around 11:30 Saturday nights.

Make it so.
 
Lucky Hardwood said:
I already decided to make the short about the guy who killed my buddy 22 minutes so that I could approach television outlets.
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Likewise, I had planned on making five and a half minutes the 'target' for my shorts, not just because of TV stuff, but because people on the Internet have no attention span.

Thanks, CamVader. Way to ruin one of my edges. :grumpy:
 
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