THE UNAUTHORIZED REVIEW OF
THE TAMPA FILM REVIEW
The unauthorized review of the Tampa Film Review monthly film festival By C. A. Passinault
INTRODUCTION - PART 1 - PART 2 - FILM FESTIVAL SCORECARD
The Tampa
Film Review Film Festival Event Scorecard
2006-2007
Please note that a score of 5 is average.
Concept (1-10):
6
Good concept, but not as professional as it needs
to be due to the casual theme and the fact that the organizers only seem
to be motivated to do it for “fun”. With professional competition
on the way, the concept is now, more than ever, in need of a serious overhaul,
as the participants only seem to tolerate it because it is the only game
in town.
Venue
(1-10): 6
Mismatched venue. A busy retail store in a party
city, with noisy, often intoxicated customers, is not at all appropriate
for a film festival. Tampa Film Review participants can expect lots of
rude distractions as the store activity clashes with the film festival.
This was much better two years ago in a coffeehouse café!
Vendors
(1-10): 1
There are no vendors or sponsors outside of the
sponsoring retail venue. This is part of the problem, as vendors would
give the Tampa Film Review the capital that it needs for professional
improvement. The lack of vendors is also a missed opportunity, and proof
that the organizers do not see this as a business. With the lack of business-mindset,
how far can this go, and how long can the Tampa Film Review last? Film
Festivals are not charities, and those who operate as such don’t
go far.
Organization
(1-10): 3
The Tampa Film Review is plagued with poor organization
and a casual, unprofessional execution which, perhaps, is an offshoot
of the concept behind it. The production standards are amateur, the same
technical problems occur with each event and solutions are not even attempted,
and it is too difficult to meet and network with the few professionals
in the sea of fanboys. Again, a professional business mindset would do
wonders. This is supposed to be a film festival, and not a fanboy club
for a self-important, self-serving clique with shades of false modesty.
Entertainment
(1-10): 4
You get what you pay for, and in this case, it really
is true. The Tampa Film Review may be free, but count the costs of wasted
time, parking, and gas, and you may not be too happy. Sometimes the Tampa
Film Review is entertaining for unintended reasons. You can go there to
laugh at what are supposed to be indie films or the organizers cursing
at the technical problems, which aren’t the only repeats with every
event. As a film festival, however, it falls way short. The organizers
intend to show every indie film submitted to them regardless of the quality,
and don’t bother screening them. Some Tampa Film Reviews don’t
have a single good film to show. Others may, but prepare to endure the
onslaught of bad films before you can see anything even approaching mediocre.
The Tampa Film Review shouldn’t even be considered a film festival
because of the lack of quality control and the pathetic programming.
Attendance
(1-10): 6
Usually moderate, the attendance is only as good
as it is because this is the only monthly film festival event in Tampa,
for now. While it does demonstrate that people are interested in film
festivals and indie films, you can’t help but wonder if the attendance
would be much higher if the film festival was professionally organized
and executed, which it is not. The participants largely tolerate the shortcomings
of the Tampa Film Review because it is presently the only game in town.
When professional competition arrives, it will be interesting to see what
happens to the attendance numbers if the Tampa Film Review refuses to
get serious and improve.
Features
(1-10): 4
The only features would be what are being passed
off as indie films. The only purpose of the event is to sit and watch
indie films, often of laughable quality. There are reviews of said films,
which could be considered to be a feature, and the reviews can be seen
on the Crazedfanboy web site every month. Some of the reviews are actually
quite good, and add to the entertainment value if you had to sit through
the films with the review writers.
Admission Value
(1-10): 3
The Tampa Film Review is free, and be glad that
it is. There is no direct admission cost. When you add gas and parking,
however, expect to shell out around $10.00 for the privilege of attending.
When you factor in the high crime of Ybor City, the fact that you will
have to walk several city blocks at night in a crime Mecca to get to and
from the venue, and the fact that you could be spending time doing something
constructive, it just isn’t worth it. You are better off renting
a DVD somewhere and watching it at home. If you must watch indie films,
Tampa Bay Film does have an online
film festival, which is free and can also be viewed from home.
Overall Event Score
(1-10): 4
An overrated monthly film festival, marginally successful
in spite of itself because it is currently one of the few events of its
kind. The Tampa Film Review seems to always be organized at the last minute,
is held in a venue which is ill-suited for a film festival, always has
serious technical issues, has no accommodations or support for serious
professional networking, and is often hard to participate with. At this
time, we cannot recommend this film festival to anyone but someone with
too much time on their hands, a fondness of paying for their parking,
and a love for the dangers of Ybor City as they walk blocks to reach the
film festival. Perhaps competition will be good for the Tampa Film Review.
They will either be forced to become a professional venue for quality
indie films or will finally be put out of their misery, as little has
changed in the two years that this reviewer has wasted in attending this
sorry excuse for a film festival. As it now stands, the poor quality of
this event and the unprofessional attitude by the organizers is an insult
to the people who attend. There are a few who state that Pete and Paul
should be given a medal for the "work" that they have done for
the "indie film community" and this travesty of a film festival,
but given what we have experienced with the Tampa Film Review and the
questionable motivation of the organizers, we would have to say that those
who praise this are deluded, and their statements speak volumes about
their professional judgment.
END OF REVIEW
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UPDATED 04/14/08
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