WELCOME

Happy Halloween from Faceless Neil (and Festivus FF)

Some awesome Halloween art from Noella Borie! Noella won Best Animation at Festivus FF 2011 for her film The Face Shop, and is without a doubt one of the most talented and creative animators we’ve ever come across. She is one alumni we know we’ll be hearing from more in the future.

Deadline Watch – October 21

Filmmakers:

October 21st is fast approaching!

That means you still have a little more time to get your films in by the regular deadline!

Still working on the sound mix? Are you in a panic because you completely forgot to film a scene from your script? (Hey, maybe it was a long shoot and your script supervisor had to bail early…)

Don’t worry– that’s what our Late Deadline and WAB-only deadlines are for!

Visit our submissions page to see all the official rules for submitting your film.

And remember: deadlines are your friend.

Staffer Spotlight: Erin Brinkley

Erin has worn a variety of hats with the fest over the past several years, including event photography, screener, and grant writer. This season, she has stepped up yet again and taken the position of Marketing Director. In addition, she operates our internship program. Erin is an integral part of the team and it’s hard to imagine how we ever did it without her! She believes in the festival and it’s purpose, and it shows in her work. She’s beautiful, she’s talented, and really, what CAN’T she do?! If you see Erin around tell her hello, and thank her for helping make FFF what it is today.

Withoutabox.com SPOTLIGHT E-BLAST

One of the ways we get the word out to filmmakers every year is by sending out a “spotlight” e-blast through our submission partner, Withoutabox.com (They handle about 95% of our submissions.) This email goes out to about 200,000 filmmakers across the world, and our 2012 email just went out last week. In case you missed it, it’s copied below.

5th Festivus Film Fest rocks edgy programming, honors the truly independent

One of the circuit’s hottest young festivals, the 5th Annual FESTIVUS FILM FESTIVAL (FFF) is quickly becoming a premier event in the famous Mile High City, Denver, Colorado. The Festival features sold-out screenings, legendary nightlife, and a dynamic lineup of the world’s most “awesomely badass, truly independent film.”

Embracing the indie spirit, FFF solely pays tribute to independent filmmakers and chooses to overlook publicists, budgets, and previous awards to instead program its official selections based on their merits alone. The Festival has become known for its hospitality, treating its filmmakers like rock stars and providing all-access passes to screenings, famed parties, and exclusive filmmaker-only events.

Over the past four years, FFF has garnered recognition throughout the Denver community with virtually every media outlet in the city dedicating consistent coverage to the event. Alum Nathaniel Eyde (FREAKY DEAKY) sums up his experience: “Festivus is one of the best up-and-coming fests on the circuit. The programming is edgy and intelligent, the hospitality is top-notch, and the environment is fun and exciting. I am proud to be an alum of Festivus Film Festival.”

State of the State

On Wednesday, a few of us from Festivus attended the “State of the State”, sponsored by the CFVA (Colorado Film and Video Association).

Panelists were invited to discuss Colorado’s filmmaking future. They were an eclectic group of vocal film enthusiasts, advertising executives, union leaders and filmmakers.

The main topic of conversation was incentives. Why doesn’t Colorado offer better tax rebates for productions? Most films shot in New Mexico or Illinois get as much as 30 percent of their production budget back from the state, as long as they use local crews.

In Colorado, the rebate is 10 percent. In other words, hardly any films with a substantial budget are interested in shooting here. When no films shoot here, the jobs go where the productions go: New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, and yes, our neighbors up north.

Donald Zuckerman, the new director of the Office of TV, Film and Media, wants to change that. He’s trying to influence congressional leaders, bankers, and tourism officials to turn Colorado into a filmmaking haven.

But there is another way to do that. While panelists like Zuckerman talked about incentives, there is another conversation that deserves as much attention. In the same way musicians and filmmakers have shaped Austin’s reputation as an attractive cultural destination, what can Denver do to follow the same path?

Denver is poised to get there, and bringing a taste of Austin will help. The Alamo Drafthouse will be opening in 2012.

And we already have a passionate community of musicians, artists and filmmakers.

The state of Texas doesn’t have great rebates. Yet Austin has become a creative hub, and an attractive destination for filmmakers.

While Zuckerman and the CFVA are busy trying to bring incentives to the state, there’s something we can be doing too.

You don’t have to look far to discover the talent that Denver has to offer.  We just need an organized hub that’s supportive and communal.

At Festivus, one of our goals is to bring the Colorado filmmaking community together. As filmmakers, we should concentrate on nurturing our culture. We can determine the creative brand value of our state just by our creative passion. If we support each other we can keep pushing the creative momentum in our favor.

We can turn Denver into a unique creative destination, just like Austin, even without the tax incentives.

Staffer Spotlight: Richard Karpala

As we approach our upcoming fifth season, we thought it would be nice to tell you a bit more about the people that make Festivus possible: our wonderful staff! We’ll be regularly posting a Staffer Spotlight so we can all get better acquainted. First up is Richard Karpala! Richard is on our screening panel, as well as handling a lot of our social media and writing duties. Richard, we are stoked to have you as a part of the team! If anyone sees Richard out there skydiving, fighting crime, charming the ladies, or taming wild animals, (because those are pretty much what he spends his time doing), then be sure to give him a big high-five. Richard, you are awesome.

How to end your film

Filmmakers,

In a short or a feature, it’s always important to end your film on the right note. It will be the last impression you leave with audiences.

So make it count.

Here’s a good example of what we mean: