Indie Film Competition Scams
Although all indie
film competitions in the Tampa Bay area are not scams, there are some
that have professional issues, others are conflicts of interest, and
most are just questionable. Because of the nature of independent film,
a so-called competition is more like comparing apples and oranges. A
legitimate competition would group contenders together who are in the
same genre and which are structured alike; it would not be fair to have
a ten minute comedy go up against a documentary running over an hour.
Granted, some films are better than others, but isn’t this something
that is relevant and is difficult to truly measure? The viewing audience
is one variable, and there are many others. In many instances, it truly
boils down the opinion of the judges or the public.
So, what are the professional issues with indie film competitions?
1. Marathon film competitions that make filmmakers
rush.
Rushing anything really is wasteful. Avoid independent filmmaking contests
where you have less than 72 hours to write, cast, rehearse, shoot, and
edit a film. Save the entry fee as well as your reputation. Any film
worth doing is worth doing well, and you will have a difficult time
securing the resources that your film needs, like professional actors,
if you do some rush job in order to enter some contest. If you want
to maintain a professional reputation and eventually sell your films,
you must take plenty of time to do it right. Protect the professional
credibility of your name and attach it to films that are worth watching.
We have never seen any of these quickie film competitions work out. Most
are set up only to make the organizers money while being marketed as a
way for an indie filmmaker to be “discovered”. Most professionals,
thankfully, have enough respect for themselves, what they do, and the
people associated with them to avoid these dead-ends. Don’t kill
your career before it begins.
2. Indie film competitions with steep entry fees.
Certain indie film festivals and competitions are only around to make
money for the organizer. Check out their track record and get their promises
in writing before you submit anything to them. Weigh out if it is cost-effective
to invest your time and money with them and consider the potential return
on your investment.
3. Indie film competitions set up like a sports
ranking or talent contest.
Apples and oranges again. It is very difficult to have a fair, unbiased
film competition unless you are specific about the genres and categories.
All films thrown into a general competition is hardly fair, or worth
it.
4. Indie film competitions which may be a conflict
of interest.
Consider the source. Investigate the people behind the film festival or
competition and figure out their motivation. Are they a filmmaker? Do
they have a film in the competition? If not, could the competition
or film festival be an easy way of them to check out what their competition
is doing? If they do it for free, there has to be a payoff
somewhere!
5. Indie film competitions which are set up as bait
to sell a service or a product.
The bait and switch deal. Some con artists hold contests in order to
set up the participants with the solicitation of products or services.
Sometimes, the contest itself is a shoddy service only set up to cash
in with no real intention or potential to help the filmmaker in any
way!
INDIE
FILM SCAMS - SCAM TIPS - REPORT
SCAM
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UPDATED 12/19/07
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This Tampa indie film resource web site is dedicated to Tampa filmmaker Chris Woods, who is, in our opinion, the most talented and skilled Tampa filmmaker. His short indie film, Spaventare, filmed in Tampa Bay in early 2009, is a new benchmark for Tampa filmmaking; expect a lot of Tampa indie films in the future to follow the example set by this groundbreaking film. Not only is Spaventare, in our opinion, the best short Tampa indie film ever made, it proves that great films can be made on small budgets. Spaventare was done for less than $30.00, with a crew of three and a cast of two. Check it out on our online film festival by clicking on the link in this paragraph!
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