Hello all.. now's the time to get those cameras rolling. Submissions for the next JUMP Society Film festival are due January 10th.
I thought it was about time to drop a line to let people know what was brewing. Our last event was on October 11th and we managed to fill the Silverbow for two shows concluding the run of our first film festival. We didn't sell nearly as much food as our first go around so we had to cover the additional costs with contributions. To solve the problem of not selling enough food and beverages we've decided that next go around we'll put a brief intermission somewhere (probably in the middle) so that folks can fill up their glasses or get some chowder. Our next film festival will be January 23rd and 24th at the Silverbow. The first show is likely to start at around 7:00 and the second show time will depend on our running time. We're aiming for a show between 1.5 and 2 hours long which is about what the last one ran. It seems like people can handle sitting that long without getting too itchy. Once again the only rule is that submissions must be 15 minutes or less.
Film making is a very personal process for me. I like working with small groups and preferably on my own but I can't grow or learn if I cut myself off from other people so I thought that a new section devoted to movie making tips would be appropriate. If anyone has a technical article or thoughts they would like to share with the group send them on to me, otherwise I'll come up with some gems of my own to share. This week I thought I'd start with some basic amateur filmmaking tips.
I've been involved with several short film festivals in the past few years and I've also helped organize and host them. The biggest thing I see is films that should have been great but weren't. It's not because of the crappy film quality or the bad sound or even the amateur acting. What really kills a piece for me is when it's too long. If your story takes three minutes to tell then don't tell it in fifteen. If your film is three minutes long, the credits probably don't need to be another two minutes long. Edit those films tight.
Scott Baxter had a premiere of his Boarderline extreme sports film "PAK II: Rendered" and is currently working to get it out to the public. I recommend picking up a copy when it comes out his last film was very impressive and he does some beautiful camera work.
A guy named Willy stopped by and has an old version of Adobe Premiere to give away if anyone wants it. Actually, I think I might have a couple old versions to give away too. Buying an upgrade rather than spending money on the full version is a good way to save.
James Green is new to town and ready to roll. He's interested in the script writing end of things but also has a good Sony MiniDV camera and some microphones to get started. If you want to get together with him on a project just write me and I'll give you his contact info.
Ok, I'm out for now.. the deadline approaches and I have films to make.
We've remained somewhat quiet since our festival back in July but isn't that really what being underground is all about? Quietly lurking beneath the surface just out of sight and then bursting forth like a pimple on prom night.
Well, at any rate, we're back. The Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society will be having an encore presentation of our first film festival on October 11th at the Silverbow with showings at 7:00 and 9:30. If you missed the festival in July or want to see the films again, this is your chance… Start spreading the word!
In related news, we're pleased to announce that our second film festival will be in late January and that we'll be accepting submissions through January 10th. Once again the only rule is that your submission must be 15 minutes or less. We try to show all entries but the length for the next show is fixed at about one hour and forty-five minutes so if we receive more than we can show in that time, preference will be given to local filmmakers and the films we think will be best received by the audience.
An accountant finds love in the most likely of places.
Fire Hydrants are everywhere… And they're after you.
A Journey into one man's paranoia and the price it has cost him. The first film created jointly by the Fankhauser Brothers, who both have extensive history in theatre, and Gorilla Filming.
A film realité following the steps of Emma as she explores downtown Juneau.
A high school student being bullied is pushed too far.
A dreamscape videoplay, about vision, light and consciousness. Music, poetry, and visuals created by Deanna.
A 7 minute film made by Connor Chaney (11 yrs old) about a knight's life during the middle ages with some help from mom and dad. It was made for a school assignment but works well as a stand alone short movie.
Two men reflect on life and death.
Break dancers of the last frontier.
An animated short about thought processes.
A preview of a movie about making movie previews.
A horticulturally-minded woman attempts to do some landscaping, and becomes the tragic victim of a government permitting system gone wrong.
A documentary on female skate/snowboarders. How do these athletes feel about sisterhood, competition, and progression within the athletic hierarchies.
You WILL go home with this man tonight.
Witness the creation of a new extreme sport based on the age old game of playing in traffic.
Featuring an introduction by actor Gene Tagaban in person!
Thanks once again to everyone who submitted a film over the summer, the festival was a huge success and I can't wait to see the next round of entries!
Well, I think it's safe to call our first film festival a smashing success. There was a great turn out and we had standing room only for both the 7:30 and 9:30 shows. That means we had somewhere between 160-180 people view the films and both crowds were good and rowdy, just the way I likes 'em. We screened 18 films, not counting any of the introductions or exit animations and the festival was approximately an hour and 45 minutes long.
We're debating some sort of encore presentation or perhaps a dinner and a movie night at the Silverbow so that more people can see the films we've put together. Also, some of you have requested copies of the film festival. This is something we can't currently produce with any sort of ease. Maybe if we get enough interested people who all want to kick in $5-$10 for a copy we can send it away and get some duplicates but we don't have any high speed dubbing equipment here in our office and I don't have any desire to spend an hour and forty-five minutes creating each VHS copy.
We made just about $100 from donations at the festival which will be used to help pay for advertising costs next time around.
Thanks to all of the film makers who were able to scrape together shorts for the festival. There were definitely some flashes of brilliance through out the festival and I think that the quality of films will only improve for the next time. …and speaking of the next time, we plan on holding our next film festival in approximately six months. I think that lands us in December or January sometime. If anyone has suggested venues or wants help generating ideas for a short film, just drop me a line. I'm open to any suggestions that will make the next festival even better. I'm trying to put together a discussion board to facilitate a little more of a community atmosphere but it's yet another side project so I don't have any estimate on when it will be ready.
I just wanted to say thanks once more to the Silverbow, Alaska On-screen Advertising, The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, and all of the great film makers and actors who participated in the festival.