tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57258297408393075972012-02-08T12:49:53.464-08:00Behind the scenes at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles.RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.comBlogger791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-68691922977537917982012-02-08T09:57:00.000-08:002012-02-08T09:57:31.621-08:00

First, I have to give a shout out to the filmmaker who said being mentioned in this blog would be almost as cool as getting in the festival. Well? Is it? We had a night of solid acting across the board. Nice job, folks. A good picture of bad acting is a bad picture. I cannot tell you how important it is to get the cast right, and most of the films we saw last night did. Among these good

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-55124985924996723432012-02-01T10:42:00.000-08:002012-02-01T10:42:01.747-08:00

Year 15 started out great. Good food. Good people. Good movies – well, at least two good ones. I dreaded putting the first DVD into the machine, as it looked to be by actors about acting. Nine times out of ten, those are painfully bad. The experienced screeners in the room groaned as we wrote down the title, so imagine how happy we were when it turned out to be fantastic! This wasn't a movie

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-51031902254642184712012-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:002012-01-29T22:19:34.702-08:00

Screenings start this week, so I thought I'd do a quick rundown how things work around here. Our screening committee is made up mostly of Dances With Films alumni like myself, and some people that have been with us for years who just love movies. If you are an alumni in LA and would like to screen, let us know, we'll see if we can make that happen. The committee gets together once a week to

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-33492801327572760482012-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:002012-01-06T08:53:30.095-08:00

Dances With Films and magicians everywhere have lost an unsung hero. Mark Nelson passed away this week. He was a dedicated screener and legal advisor for Dances With Films and a jack of all trades for The Magic Castle. When I think of Mark one phrase comes to mind, old-school, and I mean that in all the best connotations. There was nothing prefabricated about Marc. He took no short cuts.

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-35774126479390694462012-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:002012-01-04T22:25:23.738-08:00

As we come up on screenings, I can see the writing on the wall. This year will be no different than any other. A few filmmakers will drop by the blog to read about the submissions. If they read about something I say is bad, they'll think I'm talking about their film and maybe post a nasty comment. If they read about something I say is good, they'll think I'm talking about their film and post

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-15225566587681641422011-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:002011-12-26T11:08:28.202-08:00

Dances With Films is open for submissions! My regular readers know that I don't blow the company horn here... much. This post is an exception. Of course, you still need to develop your own strategy for festivals, but DWF should certainly be on your world premiere check list.  Festival in a major market (New York, Los Angeles or Chicago)  Good press coverage – any festival that promises

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-81725877238970374162011-12-13T11:07:00.000-08:002011-12-13T11:07:36.664-08:00

No, this isn't a crime story. In theatre and film a mafia refers to a group of artists with a common background that often work together. These groups can be centered around universities, like the Yale Mafia (Meryl Streep, Wendy Wasserstein, Sigourney Weaver, etc.), the Julliard Mafia (Robin Williams, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, etc.). They also form from writers or theatre groups, such as the (

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-56526195322264975902011-10-17T22:36:00.000-07:002011-10-28T09:13:12.200-07:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Dances With Films team got together for a meeting about year – holy crap! – 15. I call these early meetings what-you-should-do's. In most any theatre group, or producing organization that deals with volunteers, there are tons of people who chime in with ideas, but damned few who roll up their sleeves and do the work. Worse still, are people who

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-61766084336756373182011-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:002011-09-28T14:21:24.783-07:00

It's inevitable. Potential film investors will at some point come by a set to see what moviemaking is all about. Of course, they don't show up the night before, when trucks are squeezing into place. They don't show up first thing in the morning when equipment is being staged, actors rehearsed, cable run, generators started, lights focused, sets dressed, props prepared, wardrobe, hair and makeup

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0Los Angeles, CA , USA34.0522342 -118.243684932.3780252 -120.7705404 35.7264432 -115.71682940000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-56799480757220636532011-08-24T09:32:00.000-07:002011-08-24T09:32:22.380-07:00

As some of you may know, I also blog with a group of novelists and non-fiction authors on a site called From The Write Angle. I think my recent post there might be of some use to filmmakers here, so I'm re-posting it. Any reports that I'm doing this because it's our off season, so technically my vacation, and that I'm too lazy to write a new article, are are absolutely true. So enjoy, THE

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-30899218427551994102011-08-08T11:01:00.000-07:002011-08-08T11:01:53.742-07:00

Every year that I've done this blog, I see a big spike in readers around the time we're announcing our lineup for that year's festival. During the off season (like now) my readership drops. Of course, I understand this. It's human nature. That, and I don't write as much during the off season. But folks, once you've submitted your film, it's too late to apply any knowledge you might gain from

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-40294215033221103412011-07-31T15:24:00.000-07:002011-07-31T15:24:38.836-07:00

Studios, and especially young studio executives, don't realize this, but they actually don't care about the quality of the films they make. This is not to say that each individual involved in a production isn't doing the best job possible. They are. You don't rise to the top of a business as competitive as the film industry without skills. No one at a studio would say, "we don't care if the

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-58450534681105369982011-07-15T11:10:00.000-07:002011-07-15T11:10:07.916-07:00

Like so many indie filmmakers, a few years ago, I sat down to write a business proposal for a movie I wanted to get financed. Like so many filmmakers, I knew nothing about writing a business proposal, so I got all the books, read all the blogs, and taught myself. One of the first things I learned, which will come as no surprise, is the practice of presenting comps – short for complimentary

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-88970500965014847522011-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:002011-07-08T10:23:45.522-07:00

During one of the panels at this year's Dances With Films festival, our guests pointed out that the most recent WGA strike ended with a horrible deal for top-tier writers. I asked if these people were seeing any participations (a.k.a. "backend") money. I got the reaction I expected from people used to working with studio films, laughter. One of my many day jobs in the studio system was

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-78260556593160371332011-06-26T21:56:00.000-07:002011-06-26T21:56:35.156-07:00

For those who couldn't make the festival, or who didn't get around to reading this year's awesome program, here's a re-print of my article. Enjoy. Ever since Sex, Lies and Videotape, scored a big distribution deal at Robert Redford's little pet project in Park City in 1989, the term "Industry," when related to film festivals, has come to mean one thing – distribution. Yes, there is currently

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-9627974551962809382011-06-19T10:07:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:07:18.770-07:00

When I got PPSS I thought I was the only one, but in talking with other filmmakers I've learned two things: First, it's common, and second, everyone thinks they are the only one. A couple of days after we wrapped Jacks Or Better, I had to fly back east for a family matter. The shoot had gone great, thanks mostly to a well-rehearsed, disciplined cast and top notch department heads. Like many

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-80790232808667450352011-06-12T13:35:00.000-07:002011-06-12T13:35:10.645-07:00

As you might recall, this year's 2-Minute 2-Step featured a new twist – Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5.5 editing software instead of the default Final Cut we'd been using for the past four years. I say "default" because when talking about editing in the independent film world people practically assume you'll be on Final Cut. That's the system everyone knows. They've cornered the market, right?

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-57012061869509459722011-06-05T23:39:00.000-07:002011-06-05T23:39:34.387-07:00

Cinematographer extraordinare, Russell Carpenter, (Titantic, True Lies, and more) will be dropping by the filmmaker's lounge at 4:30 for a chat with this year's DWF class. Our little lounge is becoming the place to be in LA. Like, kewl, ya kno? I just came from the screening of one of the best little movies you'll ever want to see called, modestly, Less. Casting directors, filmmakers, and

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-8375875364354823802011-06-04T08:26:00.000-07:002011-06-04T08:33:20.445-07:00

It was about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Dances With Films and our 2-Minute 2-Step filmmakers were kicking back with a beer in the filmmaker's lounge after having made a movie that morning. Alan Heim was due to drop by for our new "Conversations With" series. Now, you may not know that name, so click on the link to IMDB. Take some time to explore the movies he edited. Go ahead. I'll wait.

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-35956621820921533352011-06-03T13:45:00.000-07:002011-06-03T13:48:29.797-07:00

I'm tucked away in a corner of the filmmaker's lounge where a 2-Minute 2-Step film is being edited, posters are being printed, and crew members are solving the problems of the world. The shooting is happening one room over. All of this is to say, this might not be the best-written article I've ever done. The president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ken Howard, stopped by our opening night party

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-88146105714364251552011-05-25T18:53:00.000-07:002011-05-25T18:53:31.313-07:00

No, this is not a review with dry comments about processor speeds, software engines, layout designs, or Mac vs. PC. This is a throw down! In a week, eight filmmakers are taking the Dances With Films 2-Minute 2-Step challenge. They've been chosen from a pile of script submissions as the best written. Starting next week, we give them Canon 5D Mark II cameras to shoot and Adobe Creative Suites

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-47386921724719887092011-05-18T08:33:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:33:58.405-07:00

We're two weeks out from the festival and the challenge is on. Move over Donald Trump, this ain't no game show. It's the real deal. Filmmakers are faced with two tasks at any Los Angeles festival. They have to fill the house, and they have to get the Industry to take notice of them. But really, that's just one job. Of the films that have had the most success after their Dances With Films

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-61836039676671690482011-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:002011-05-14T10:55:39.219-07:00

Today is National Cocktail Day, which is a good thing, but it is also a sad day. Dances With Films lost an important member of our family this morning. Lura Scallon, Leslee's mother, passed away after a year-long battle with cancer. Both the Scallon family and the Coors Brewing company are in mourning, as Lura was no slouch when it came to her Coors Light. She was quick to laugh with a

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-37182711360835371192011-05-13T10:20:00.000-07:002011-05-18T15:43:28.690-07:00

Panels, you say? You want panels? Not only do we have panels, but we're giving you a chance to post your questions here ahead of time. We are still working out the details, but they will be free to anyone with a festival pass. They will also be open to the public for a nominal fee. We're talking $5 right now, but that might go up to $10 depending on the venue. Still, cheap at twice the

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-35134045301871670752011-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:002011-05-11T04:00:09.876-07:00

The final installment of my Primitive Film series. In one word: Marketing. Unless you’re a professor of film criticism, the existence of a new genre of film is about as important to you as the weather at the North Pole. But, the weather there will eventually find its way to your part of the world, so it does have some relevance. Marketing films is changing by the minute. The technology

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-32487628798580311292011-05-07T06:47:00.000-07:002011-05-07T06:47:37.943-07:00

We have a ton of filmmakers from all over the world who couldn't make it to yesterday's orientation meeting who I'm sure have questions. We at DWF would like to know what was helpful and what questions you still have. So here's a place for this year's filmmakers - and anyone else for that matter - to ask each other questions about festival preparations, marketing, industry info, or just a shout

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-30349273747493238682011-05-06T06:59:00.000-07:002011-05-06T06:59:56.056-07:00

I thought you guys might like to see our first year's 2-Minute 2-Step films. Some are great. Some are ... not as good as the great ones. :) Enjoy

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-56300251655413761402011-05-04T04:00:00.000-07:002011-05-04T04:00:10.956-07:00

Continuing from last week's reprint of my 2006 article on Primitive Film. Primitive movies are more than just independent. Movies with multi-million dollar budgets, big stars and major studio distribution deals somehow still get called "Independent" these days. We need a new label to separate the mini-majors from the kids in Kansas with a DV camera. Primitivism begins as all great works begin

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-90839505061483003802011-05-03T10:37:00.000-07:002011-05-03T10:37:51.870-07:00

First, we do still have a slot or two open, so as I've said a hundred times, nothing is official until it is. This posting is both for those films that have gotten in, and those who will soon receive our famous pass letters. Why a film gets rejected. The easiest reason to reject a movie is because it's just no damned good. I hope the people who make these movies understand this about their

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-71594634886476941062011-05-01T09:16:00.000-07:002011-05-01T10:51:14.736-07:00

I'm seeing lots of questions on Twitter, Facebook, Without A Box, etc. asking if everyone has been notified. A couple of days ago someone said they saw screening times posted - this was before we'd even penciled in a schedule ourselves. Others are guessing at what have and have not been announced by what they see on our Facebook page (I think). Not every filmmaker is on Facebook, and we don't

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-21714978810934803722011-04-28T20:19:00.000-07:002011-04-28T20:19:35.027-07:00

While you're sweating out our decisions - and, again, sorry for the wait; this has been a tough year - don't forget the 2-Minute 2-Step. You write a two-minute screenplay - 2 pages or less, how hard is that? - and submit it to us. We choose 8 of them - four alumni, four filmmakers who have never been involved in the fest. We announce the choices about a week before the festival, which gives

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-38400712282440862032011-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:002011-04-28T15:46:19.985-07:00

We just did a marathon session of scheduling, moving titles around, regretfully cutting some movies we really like because there isn't enough time to show them all, etc. Things are still settling, but I wanted to make a quick point or two. First, plot summaries. Folks, whether you're a filmmaker submitting to festivals or a novelist submitting queries, by the time we've finished reading about

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-42515225982825270472011-04-27T04:00:00.000-07:002011-04-27T04:00:20.001-07:00

Obviously, we're going to be busy over the next month or so. Too busy for me to write new blog posts, so I've decided to serialize this article I wrote back in 2006. An abbreviated version appeared in the Dances With Films program that year. Here, for the first time, the entire, only-slightly dated, article will be presented over the next few weeks. Of course, I'll still get notices when

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-7988076763323206422011-04-19T20:18:00.000-07:002011-04-19T20:18:07.851-07:00

Okay, this sounds like an open, transparent form of festival programming, but in fact, I've watched 25 movies in the past few days and my eyes are bugging out of my head and I don't have a thought between my ears, so I'm being lazy and throwing the ball into your court. What questions do you guys have for me? Are you a filmmaker waiting to hear from us on submissions? Have a question? Ask

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-88679375965014422812011-04-14T10:38:00.001-07:002011-04-14T10:38:50.116-07:00

I am so jealous! When my film was in DWF, the winners got a statue by John Berry, which is friggin' cool. More cool was being in Mark V. Olsen and Will Sheffer's office on Big Love, pointing to their statue and saying, "I have one of those."Then Canon USA came on as a sponsor and we started giving away top-of-the-line cameras along with the statues. Where's my camera? Just announced today,

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-57136835592685640662011-04-08T11:42:00.001-07:002011-04-08T12:07:14.982-07:00

I watched a feature film submission a couple of days ago that was so good I sent out my first real Tweet – other than the ones I send to promote this blog. Right after that, I saw a movie so bad I felt the urge to Tweet again. What's up with that? I have 22 movies to watch before 1:00 tomorrow, so for all of you sitting on pins & needles who would like to make the wait even more torturous,

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-63149194677196648202011-04-01T08:31:00.001-07:002011-04-01T08:34:39.216-07:00

Congratulations! Absolutely every film that submitted to Dances With Films this year has gotten into the festival! Uh... check the date of this post.Before I get to last night's screenings, I want to give a shout out to From The Write Angle. This is a new blog group that some of my novelist friends have started. It launched today... no, really, that's not an April Fool, it did. My first

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-27291678388857448852011-03-29T15:45:00.001-07:002011-03-29T15:45:23.354-07:00

Our late deadline is March 30th, which is tomorrow as I write this. That means on our end we've got to get down to decision making. On your end, it's time for the worst part of the wait. Believe me, I understand how hard the waiting is. I'm not only a filmmaker, but also a novelist. Glaciers move like jack rabbits compared to literary agents and publishers, and the higher up the food chain

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-80804396695618414472011-03-25T10:03:00.001-07:002011-03-25T10:25:51.224-07:00

I want to give a shout out to the 2-Minute 2-Step short film competition as we enter our fifth year of doing this madness. There are a lot of short film competitions on the festival circuit, but as far as I know, the 2-Step is the only one that lets you make the movie you want to make. By that I mean, others typically give you 24 to 48 hours to make a movie based on an opening sentence, or a

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-37682854816949170022011-03-23T14:11:00.001-07:002011-03-23T14:15:09.371-07:00

Some big announcements about this year's festival. Check out these items from our Newsletter:THE INDUSTRY CHOICE AWARDNew this year, all films selected for the festival will be in consideration for the Industry Choice Award.  What's this?  One film (could be a doc, music video or narrative) will be announced at the Closing Awards Ceremony.  The winning filmmaker will receive a meeting with a

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-15236367175525347632011-03-17T22:09:00.001-07:002011-03-17T22:21:53.848-07:00

I think there are four types of reviews: Good, bad, favorable and unfavorable. Granted, we'd all prefer favorable reviews, but given a choice between a bad review that's favorable and a good one that's not, I think I'd go with the latter. A good critique teaches the artist as well as the audience, and there are some simple rules for formulating a good critique.Is The Artist's Objective Clear?

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-70948545707925504712011-03-11T10:34:00.001-08:002011-03-11T10:47:56.498-08:00

First, I have a handful of readers from Japan. As I write, it is less than 24 hours since the 8.9 earthquake and tsunamis that hit the country. I'm sure everyone agrees that when life comes down to pure survival, the arts seem like folly, but once society stabilizes it is through the arts that we heal from the myriad of emotional injuries tragedy brings. Let us hold a good thought and, where

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-44816696436146267432011-03-04T10:21:00.001-08:002011-03-04T10:34:48.440-08:00

One thing I learned from watching the Oscars® this year; it is painfully evident who has stage experience and who doesn't. To watch a master like Kirk Douglas play a crowd is a lesson to every filmmaker – nothing teaches us how to entertain an audience better than standing in front one. Those lessons run deep. They are not forgotten, and they translate to every aspect of the screen. With a

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-37729252366900196552011-02-25T09:47:00.001-08:002011-02-25T09:52:57.188-08:00

We had a discussion last night about certain Movie Making magazines and why Dances With Films is not listed in them. It turns out some of these journalistic publications make film festivals pay to be listed, while purporting to be a news source for filmmakers. Is this the most horrible thing in the world today? No, not by a long shot, but it's an interesting distinction. A festival would be

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-12039826772487084752011-02-18T10:56:00.001-08:002011-02-22T07:31:16.239-08:00

I couldn't sleep the other night. Of all the things in my life that could legitimately keep me awake, my mind kept coming back to the submissions that technically have nothing wrong with them, but for some reason don't work. Yes, we here at Dances With Films are losing sleep trying to make you all better filmmakers.If you read last week's post, you know how bothered I was with films that "lay

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-20167055086909149172011-02-10T08:28:00.000-08:002011-02-10T08:30:10.130-08:00

It's time once again for the "live screening" blog. Here's how it works: I've got my laptop open while watching this week's short submissions. As the movie plays, I'll touch type my thoughts. At the end of each paragraph on the movie, I'll say whether I gave it a Must See, Second Look, or Pass.It's important to remember that I'm not the only screener. My vote is not final. So if you think

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-64626327732010741842011-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:002011-02-08T12:43:56.636-08:00

A break from Dances With Films for a bit of a rant. What good are blogs if not to blow off a little steam, hopefully in a Vishnuvian kind of way. My frustration at the moment is an old one – the Art vs. Business tension – specifically how the arts are sold these days.In film, publishing, fashion, and just about any other art form that is sold to a mass audience, a new dynamic has come into play

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-62508961224849276032011-02-03T09:03:00.001-08:002011-02-03T09:14:55.423-08:00

There are some exciting things happening this year at Dances With Films. Plans have yet to firm up so there's nothing to announce, but our discussions with "the industry" sparked an impromptu chat before screenings started last night. Both independent filmmakers and industry professionals might benefit from what we had to say to each other, so I'll bring some of it out here to the light of the

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-46327933865782116792011-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:002011-01-31T08:52:11.426-08:00

We started this week's screening with a pee scene. Imagine that, an independent film that has the guts to show someone taking a leak. That's something we never ... go a screening without seeing. If you want to set a seen in a bathroom, try something like I'M A FAT CAT (DWF 2010), with good sex, good actors, interestingly shot, and well-written. Of course, there are some great scenes set in

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-26070189134423576852011-01-20T14:27:00.001-08:002011-01-20T14:38:43.083-08:00

Granted, we’re a bit late, so April and May are going to be a bitch, but that’s life in the big city.From now until every submission has been screened, this blog will be a behind-the-scenes peak at our process. For those of you who are new, here once again, are the ground rules:1) Films will not be mentioned by name.2) Criticisms refer to TRENDS we see, not calling out one specific film.3)

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-22062461066983870982010-12-10T09:45:00.001-08:002011-04-13T13:36:38.308-07:00

While submissions roll in, which puts our focus on the finished product of the uber-indie film world, I ran across an ad on Craig's List that has my thoughts turning to other end of the process – fundraising. We've all seen these ads before, where some filmmaker has a script that's "a guaranteed hit." All they need is a producer with funding. This particular ad boasts "access to A-list talent.

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-77638549520618986102010-11-30T15:33:00.001-08:002010-11-30T15:36:39.547-08:00

We're finally open for submissions.So what does that mean for you folks that have just finished the first cut of your film? Should you rush off a DVD to get that worm the early bird keeps bragging about? I don't know. Is your film finished? I mean, actually FINISHED? Here's a quick check list to help you answer that question.Sound: Have you put the headphones on to listen closely to the

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-46120652789480414312010-10-09T15:30:00.000-07:002010-10-11T08:14:26.844-07:00

I've written stage plays, screenplays and novels with nearly the same success, and lack thereof, so I thought a comparison might make for a nice distraction while we wait for Dances With Films submissions to get rolling. I have no doubt arguments will abound, which is a good thing. Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis.THE STAGE: "Theatre is dead." That proclamation was made to me by the late, great,

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-33555886593404492552010-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:002010-09-23T09:34:51.952-07:00

It's getting close to that time of year again. Dances With Films will be putting out a call for entries soon, which means screening will start shortly thereafter, so once again this blog will take you behind the scenes of our selection process.For those of you new to the blog, the idea is this: Year-after-year we see patterns in the kind of movies floating around the festival circuit. For

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-14383799972850328232010-06-06T14:49:00.000-07:002011-08-08T09:15:31.857-07:00

Dances With Films festival is going on all around me as I type this on an unfamiliar laptop graciously provided by Hula Post Production. A few feet from me filmmakers are shooting a 2-Minute 2-Step movie on the Canon 5D Mark II cameras that will be seen on the big screen tomorrow night. I'm having to pause between sentences so the clicking of the keyboard doesn't show up on their soundtrack.

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-35653451546358886202010-05-21T09:08:00.000-07:002010-05-21T09:18:12.436-07:00

The slogan for this year's Dances With Films Festival is "Luck Is For Sissies."I would have suggested "Luck is for Suckers," myself, since we do screen in West Hollywood and don't want to hear from the Sissy Anti-Defamation League. I bare witness that the festival has never discriminated against, nor passed judgment on, any individual, group, film, or submission based on how an individual and/or

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-58403475164253047512010-05-17T15:26:00.000-07:002010-05-17T15:33:51.084-07:00

We're all busy getting the festival together... and, for those of you who would still like to participate, I believe the 2-Minute 2-Step deadline has been extended. Check the link to your right.So while we get all of our ducks in a row, I thought I'd bring you a guest blog from The Shumway Brothers. They are two times alumni of the festival and wrote to us recently about there experience here

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-23226220182494567262010-05-14T14:25:00.001-07:002010-05-14T14:25:57.182-07:00

I know I didn't post anything this Friday. I'm working on getting a guest blogger.But thanks for dropping by.

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-40463866091555700592010-05-07T09:13:00.000-07:002011-07-27T09:50:40.596-07:00

Stay in the entertainment industry long enough and you'll run across at least one actor, writer, director, cinematographer, or producer who has gotten bitter. They haven't worked in a long time, and you know right away from talking to them that they aren't likely to work again. They have a chip on their shoulder about the business, to which everyone's reaction is not to knock it off, but just

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-74289695626207102592010-04-30T10:24:00.000-07:002010-04-30T10:38:35.456-07:00

I wasn't going to write a blog this Friday since I'd written one earlier in the week and we didn't screen last night, but hey, who am I to deny people their harmless addictions? This is a marketing success story or sorts. It just happens to be about my own festival run experience, so I'm telling it not to blow my own horn, but to hopefully help those who are about to hit the festival circuit –

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-91222377455866791272010-04-28T15:39:00.000-07:002010-04-28T16:06:26.673-07:00

Since Dances With Films is in Los Angeles - where many of the filmmakers reside - and since we often have world premieres, which means first-festival experiences, we've taken to having an orientation meeting with the filmmakers. Much of this meeting covers marketing. I thought it might be helpful to say here what I often end up saying at the meeting.Marketing a film in Los Angeles is different

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-65276983858319118512010-04-26T13:40:00.001-07:002010-04-26T13:46:29.356-07:00

As some of you may know, I'm not only working for Dances With Films, but I'm also have a novel I'm trying to sell, which is going very well. I'll keep you up to date on it as events happen.I bring this up because I realize that submitting films to festivals is a lot like submitting queries to agents, and then publishers. As I have readers that are both authors and autuers, I'd post something I

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-71326611626325919742010-04-22T16:04:00.001-07:002010-04-22T16:19:58.530-07:00

There's a thread running in Without A Box about feedback from festivals, so I thought I'd cover that this week, as we're about to send out our acceptance notices and will soon get around to ... the other letters as well.Since year one (before my time) Dances With Films has included a "positive comment" in their pass letters. I don't like calling them "rejections" - we have passed on some great

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-23371910703186499842010-04-16T09:24:00.000-07:002010-04-16T09:31:13.352-07:00

The last of our official short films screenings was last night. Now the work really begins. Over the next week or so, we will hash out who's in and who's not. For those of you who have been notified that you are still under consideration, I hope you've kept your premiere status. World premieres have a major advantage for the coveted few screening slots. Like other festivals in Los Angeles,

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-7651320006332028812010-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:002010-04-09T09:51:26.559-07:00

Let's set the stage. It's late in a very long week. I was up until 3:00 in the morning the other day working on my own project, and I'm facing a long weekend with it – it's a novel, by the way, not a movie. My eyes are closing before we even begin. I have a bad headache and I'm grumpy. I say to the room, "These movies had better be good, 'cause I'm not in the mood to be kind."The first short

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-61041866191528092792010-04-02T08:05:00.000-07:002010-04-02T08:08:04.610-07:00

I didn't take a lot of notes last night, more from exhaustion than anything else. As we get closer to the end of the submission season the brain starts to get a little blurry. Not to worry, a good movie is still appreciated, as they make us sit up and take notice. A bad one is less likely to start a discussion as they do early in the season – so I end up with less to say.As we were leaving

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-59882202114708580652010-03-26T10:45:00.000-07:002011-08-08T09:06:31.896-07:00

We get a lot of submissions from film schools. Sometimes it's fun to play "guess that university" – if it's Sci-Fi and visual effects, it's bound to be USC; a drama about an important international or human relations issue, AFI, etc. This is all great. We love film school submissions. The last few years we've had small floods of films from one university or another that are head & shoulders

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-88483372746850260642010-03-19T09:29:00.001-07:002010-03-19T09:29:59.137-07:00

Before I get to the shorts this week… I watched a feature submission the other day that made me want to give a shout out to Romantic Comedies in the independent world. I think the genre gets a bad rap; maybe because they are so light and fluffy, maybe because they aren't serious or dramatic, people think they are easy to make. Having seen more noble, but bad, attempts than any one person should

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-15030729135690965802010-03-12T11:30:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:32:55.407-08:00

After screening last night, I was up late working on my own stuff, so I'm a bit bleary-eyed. I hope this comes out coherent.The night started out with two movies and two different peeing scenes. Gee, thanks guys. If this blog accomplishes nothing else, I hope it will teach independent filmmakers that 90% of scenes containing the expulsion of body fluids are not unique, cool, hip, edgy, or

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-73650302963763475132010-03-05T10:04:00.001-08:002010-03-05T10:05:36.179-08:00

Someone told me I should be more positive in my blog; that I'm always focusing on what's not working. Obviously, this someone has never been to an art school.But point taken. This week, I'm Mr. Positive – and I picked a good week for it, as we had a ton of great movies last night. You'll notice with the good ones that I offer a few more details. If you've submitted a short this year, have fun

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-89142859816638944532010-02-26T10:26:00.000-08:002011-08-08T08:56:16.828-07:00

The sparks were flying last night as we screeners lobbied, discussed and argued over whether or not particular films were any good. Perfect time for a reminder that mine is not the only voice in the room – so if you think I'm full of it, you're not alone and chances are your opinion is well represented in the screening room. To the movies: Can we have a moratorium on slow piano and/or guitar

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-63832849482812859272010-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:002010-02-24T11:02:15.686-08:00

Taking a break for a moment from screenings to discuss an academic (meaning, not very useful) theory I've had about art in general over the years. While it is purely an intellectual discussion, the concept has sometimes helped when I'm faced with different styles of art or settling arguments between friends over the question of whether or not the movie we just saw was good or bad.I think that

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-18379541823136603942010-02-19T09:47:00.000-08:002011-08-08T08:54:23.750-07:00

To start with, the Lakers-Celtics game was last night during our screenings. Grrrrr… I recorded it for when I got home, stayed up until 1:00 watching it and the Lakers lost by one point. I'll try not to let my lack of sleep and bitterness spill over into the blog – but I can't guarantee it won't effect my grammar. It was Therapy Night last night. So many of the 15 movies we watched were

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-65148632879081344162010-02-12T11:39:00.000-08:002010-02-12T11:40:11.771-08:00

Okay, it's experimentation time.A couple of literary agents in cyberspace go through their stack of query letters "live" on their blog. That is to say, they read each letter then give a one or two line comment on it in their blog – always saying whether it's a pass or a request for the full manuscript. It makes for great reading. In one case I recognized my own query letter in the comments (

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-1950682333685138662010-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:002010-02-05T09:55:27.735-08:00

Before I get to this week's screening notes, a little business:For all the writers (or writer/directors or teams) – don’t forget that DWF has the 2Minute 2Step short film challenge. This is a contest where 2-minute-or-less scripts are submitted – preferably with a director and production team behind the project (aka, friends who'll help make the movie). DWF choices up to 8 scripts and gives

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-88222909711902998902010-02-01T16:20:00.000-08:002010-02-03T14:24:22.320-08:00

If you bother to check out the followers of this blog - a whopping total of 6 as I write this, but no matter - you'll find as many if not more novelists as you do filmmakers. This is because I've been slaving away for the past couple of years on adapting and selling my screenplay as a novel, and have picked up a few friends along the way.I've also discovered that knowledge does transfer from one

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-36514000110733778662010-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:002010-01-29T09:48:03.468-08:00

I've had little sleep and two sips of coffee, but who cares? Let's get right to it.Burn-ins, watermarks, whatever you want to call those "copy this movie and you will be killed" announcements on screeners. Studios have used them for years, and now thanks to digital making all things once cost prohibitive possible – including illegal copies – uber-indies are using them as well. Fine, no problem

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-4620847768739795442010-01-22T10:27:00.000-08:002010-01-22T10:28:21.064-08:00

I hope pathetic fallacy is just a literary, not literal, phenomenon as the weather was terrible for the first day of screening for year 13. Occasionally, though, the lightning, wind and rain were a nice distraction from some of the less than stellar submissions.Somehow every screening night follows a trend all it's own. This time it was a journey into the surreal – more often than not, the very

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5725829740839307597.post-16225842153051424182010-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:002010-01-22T09:26:09.287-08:00

For those of you who followed this blog last year on the Dances With Films message board, welcome to the new location. The message board is up and running for year 13, so feel free to drop by and say hi to your friends.For new readers, here's the deal: Screen festival submissions long enough, and you start to notice trends in storylines, styles, music, etc. Like old-fashioned mimeographs, the

RSMellettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957584006652753439noreply@blogger.com5