hey...anyone notice a recent influx of the youtube-y user-generated film contests? does this make actual student films look bad or do you think its a way for us to get our work out there?

i just heard of NBC doing one, that's why im asking.

i don't know, i stopped watching youtube permanently when Google bought them and I started winning free plasm tv's and laptops everytime i tried top watch videos, and they repeatedly (though expectantly) ignored my complaints

ah . . . such is the way of things . . .

but for a serious answer to ur question: who cares. i think filmmakers in general get a much worse name from hollywood, the oscars, sundance etc... its better that things are cheap and easier to get out there, and while it deffinately doesn't translate to more great films out there, and its hard for some people to distinguish the garbage (Brick, Crash) from the brilliant (Brown Bunny, Gummo) that doesn't mean its all bad. I'd never seen "In the Mood For Love" or "Husbands" until I saw them on youtube 6 months ago. I think it's much more necessary for us to find some kind of map or fool proof **** detector for those who don't have the time to watch all trash there is out there to get to the good, but i'll start now:

Joe Meets the Ocean

I Wish, They Wish

El Asesino

I thought there was only one prentenious person on this board,but you my friend are pulling a close number 2.

What makes you call those movies trash? why because you don't like their message or mode? And that makes it trash?

BEcause I didn't like that about the movies you listed.... does that make them trash.

I mean not to speak ill of the dead but "I wish,They wish" went nowhere...I didn't even see any wishes. Plus I know there's a bunch of technical *****s on this board...that was technically alright? I mean I'm no grip but that movie had issues.

"Joe meets the Ocean" started good and then detoured to some uncomprehensible fixation. That had story issues.

You know if Hollywood or anything in theatres had made anything that hard to follow you would have had fit.

I mean there's a difference between student films and major films...but if you want to front , front with the best, I do not wish for any of those films to represent me.

HDK, Hollywood is just a town, the devil lives in the wallet of 13-25 year old males.

As for the billions of student films on Youtube and googlevideo and the dreaded myspace it just goes to show you just how hard filmmaking is. And it seems to be cheapening our medium.

People have all this technology, access to equipment and still the best most of them can come up with is a "Sabotage" like spoof featuring fake mustaches and retarded posturing.

Story continues to be king when it comes to worthwhile content, and all the painfull videos of "drug-deals gone bad, an assasin with a heart of gold or a writer with writers block" only prove this game isn't for everyone.

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quote:

BEcause I didn't like that about the movies you listed....

I went through this with REDking and it worked out quite well, so I'll ask you the same:

Q: What films do you think I should be watching (prefferably on this site) that aren't on my list?

Sorry I'm starved for attention today

The Liars
S.E.W.
Lost Springs
Undercut
Spring heeled Jack
Plot Fever
Variations on the Death of Gerald



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Well KtoI?

I organize user gen contests all the time and I don't think that support from the large entities that sponsor those contests cheapens the quality of the videos that are entered. Why do people think the 'purity' of a piece is compromised whenever the creator gets some kind of compensation/recognition for it? How ignorant and arrogant! People need to stop taking themselves so seriously. I come from a family of 'starving artist' musicians, and I think that their philosophy (success = betrayal of the art) is just their way of justifying never achieving success.
Bottom line, the user gen contests give all filmmakers -- amateur, student or professional -- a chance to make a buck and get their work out there and I don't think their work should be disparaged because of it. In fact the prize gives the contestant an extra incentive to make something good. And even if some people make **** movies, you can't blame your own lack of talent on the growing amount of commercial crap out there either (many bad movies should make you look good, no?). End of rant.

I also thought Crash tricked everyone into believing it was meaningful, though I can appreciate the individual performances.

jeesh...i should have checked back sooner cause it did help me formulate my feelings about the subject.
i have a few responses...

Redking: "As for the billions of student films on Youtube and googlevideo and the dreaded myspace it just goes to show you just how hard filmmaking is"

--i think that is the saving grace. there can be a ton of movies out there and it doesnt necessarily affect the good stuff, cause eventually what is good rises to the top.

Quay said: "Bottom line, the user gen contests give all filmmakers -- amateur, student or professional -- a chance to make a buck and get their work out there and I don't think their work should be disparaged because of it"

--that IS the bottom line...seriously. though i'm not sure how many professional filmmakers enter these sorts of things. hehe.

anyhoo i started this thread off specifically with NBC in mind. i would be curious to know people's thoughts on the site that they have up at www.itsyourshowtv.com.
to me, all in all, it looks like a pretty good way to reward people for being creative and it doesnt matter that its run by a big company. if someone wins $1,000 bucks for their work and can buy a new piece of software or something, then it seems pretty good to me. just by browsing around for a few minutes the differences between filmmakers are easy to spot...who tried hard and who most likely...didn't.

in the end...
there is no faking quality and/or talent. which makes me feel much better, you know?

hmmmmmmm do you work for them?

quote:

--i think that is the saving grace. there can be a ton of movies out there and it doesnt necessarily affect the good stuff, cause eventually what is good rises to the top.

Yes, with so much garbage it proves that it's a hard medium. BUT the contests cheapen the medium because there is no filter for quality, they let you upload your buddy falling down the stairs and boom you're in the contest. So people will no longer search youtube for quality narrative shorts but instead search for "real life" snippets like Mike Valley beating peole up, Kramer call black folks the n word or strippers webcams.

So you tube and google are great for free speech and publishing news maybe viral marketing but for narrative, creative and expressive films its a wasteland.

Quay said
"Why do people think the 'purity' of a piece is compromised whenever the creator gets some kind of compensation/recognition for it?"

That wasn't my issue, it's great to be paid and recognized, the cheapening happens when there is no filter for quality and people start tio think web video are just low budget trash.

As for the http://www.itsyourshowtv.com/ website I can't make heads or tails of whats going on theres so much info on the page! BUT it looks interesting and I'll check it out when I have some time! (aparently I'm busy typing useless posts)

Redking: I agree that there is a lot of trash out there, and some contests encourage the production of silly videos with no meaning or long term value. But not all contests cater to the viral video thing. If you entered the previous horror movie contest i organized, you definitely would have had to try as hard as you could to make something great. Or you would have lost for sure. Don't you think that competition would increase the quality rather than decrease it? It really depends on the contest.

Also - the majority of people are sadly into bull**** video. True filmmaking and art in general has and will always be in the minority. the problem is with the demand for crap movies, not the manufacturers/enablers of crap movies.


AHHHHHHH RANT! Sorry! I'm not so pedantic usually


Sheesh, poor Kramer. KKKramer. hehe.

i was also just thinking that video contests, while they may "...encourage the production of silly videos with no meaning or long term value..." they are still a way for people to get out there and do something, ANYTHING with thier brains/creativity. like...i'm comforted by the american public making a silly video vs. being a passive couch potato. and if one kid discovers a passion for film or editing or something in the meantime...that's an extra bonus.