What is your festival experience?

[gorillaonabike]

I've been to a couple of smaller festivals and been on other peoples' projects. However, this is the first time I have been to a decent festival as a writer / director. It was an absolutely fantastic experience.

I learned a huge amount from seeing the other shorts which were good enough to be accepted and was absolutely blown away by one which was just perfect. Most of the other shorts were better but I did not have the 'worst' short in there which made me happy.

Afterwards, I was lucky to go for a few beers and ended up with a small group of professional directors. One of these had the best short of the night and had 20 years experience of shooting commercials and television series. The gulf between us was massive but I asked some questions, listened to the answers and was absolutely delighted to go on a learning journey when the others chimed in.

I learned more in one night than in all my time prior to this. I understand so much more and it will take weeks to absorb everything that was said. More than anything, I learned what really successful professional directors do to get tremendous results.

What was your last festival experience?

 

[directorik]

I have had many similar experiences. And not only as a filmmaker
with a movie in the festival. I have learned a lot from seeing other
short films. I haven't made a short in years (other then a couple of
48 hour shorts) but I still go to six to eight festivals a year and I
still learn. I really enjoy meeting with other filmmakers in a festival
setting - often from around the world but always from other parts
of the U.S.

It's why I'm a bit of a broken record advising filmmakers who want
to make movies for festivals to attend festivals.

 

[mikemcguill]

Well done fella, sounds like you had a great time. Gutted I couldn't get a ticket!

 

[sfoster]

I have no festival experience but I'll be giving that a shot in another year or two with the top tiers

 

[gorillaonabike]

I have had many similar experiences. And not only as a filmmaker
with a movie in the festival. I have learned a lot from seeing other
short films. I haven't made a short in years (other then a couple of
48 hour shorts) but I still go to six to eight festivals a year and I
still learn. I really enjoy meeting with other filmmakers in a festival
setting - often from around the world but always from other parts
of the U.S.

It's why I'm a bit of a broken record advising filmmakers who want
to make movies for festivals to attend festivals.

I'm going to another one on Monday which is an 'invitation only' deal. I find the invitation only events to be not particularly good except this is an ethnic thing. I want to see want Chinese film makers are up to.

My partner's insisting on coming which might be a mistake as she doesn't speak Mando...