DIY Wishing You Happy Holidaze

This post is like the old holiday ornaments that are stuffed in the closet... it's that time of the year to dust them off and hang them on the tree, put them in the window, light the candles, do whatever it is that puts you in a better mood.  The world is a complicated place, and your camera is something you can pick up and use to change the world... so don't hesitate to do so...  meanwhile, here's some sound advice from a previous post.. reposted like an old ornament.........



We at the DIY Film Festival wish y'all a wonderful holiday season.

DIY Santa

We're getting closer to the deadline for submissions - and we will be announcing the finalists in February for the awards ceremony in March.

First, sit back and congratulate yourself for having finished your film!  Not everyone does that.  Many folks want to start a film and never get around to it.  So you've won that battle.  And now that you've done all that work and have started to submit it to festivals worldwide, also consider the most logical and best ways to market your film, as well as to consider how to distribute your film.

We here at the DIY Film Festival are fans of do it yourself distribution as well.  If you've entered it into festivals and gotten great feedback from friends and the viewing public, all the better. But if you want to find your audience online, there's no better way to do that than doing it yourself.

One method we've seen work is to:

1. Consider creating a method for distribution through Amazon.com - they're the largest online retailer, and posting your film on their website is a logical way to do reach people you never considered reaching.  How to do that? Easy.  Use Createspace.com - they're the aggregator for Amazon, don't charge you anything to create and build your own catalog.  You follow their easy instructions, submit your film in the way required, submit your artwork to their easy to design covers, and within a few days you could be looking at a sample copy of your film.

Once the film is on their site, it automatically becomes linked to Amazon.  Then make sure all your friends check out your film, and if possible get them to write a review of what they thought of the film. It's a way of building interest.

Also, the film automatically is offered as a DVD, as a streaming video and a download on demand. Amazon keeps a percentage of the money collected, but it's worth checking into.

2. Consider putting your film onto itunes.com - another giant retailer.  However, it's a bit harder to do so, as you must go through an aggregator to get them interested in your film.  And the aggregator has to be able to format the film in the way that apple will accept it - and sometimes they will charge money to do so.  However, KinoNation.com offers a simple and easy alternative - they will format and put your film onto all the major outlets, and retain a percentage of what the film earns.

3. Then its up to you to consider how to create public awareness and interest.  That would be offering your film to colleges and universities to review, getting yourself onto radio shows or television outlets, or having public screenings at your local library - which usually cost very little to do.  The only thing preventing the filmmaker from creating their own tsunami of publicity is themselves.  So get to work!

And good luck with all your festival entries, including ours!

Monty Python wants you to have Holiday Fun

Call for entries!!! And a word from one of our sponsors...

DIY FILM FUTURE

Everything seems back on track with WithoutABox - other than a couple of snafus, everything seems to be working fine. If you submitted a film a couple of weeks ago and haven't heard a confirmation, please let us know.

And now a word from our sponsors:

Corel has released some new editing software.Pinnacle 16 is a PC based editing system that seems designed for DIY filmmakers and filmmaking. Although why they name things "ultimate" is a bit loopy, as it's usually "the ultimate" until it's not.  That being said, if you're not a MAC based editor, Pinnacle is worth looking into.  Not expensive, but has the bells and whistles of Avid software backing it up.

Our sponsor Avid dealt Corel their Pinnacle division, so it remains to be seen how that will affect Avid's foray into the low end (DIY) editing world.  Currently they're focusing on Media Composer, a professional editing system that handles the higher end material, in a Final Cut Pro fashion.

Where there's a will, there's a way - there are free editing solutions and opportunities in every platform, whether windows "movie maker" or "ifilm" from Mac.

There are many camera platforms to consider, from Canon single lens reflex series that also shoot HD, to the standards of Sony, Panasonic and other versions.  With feature films using the RED digital film systems for their big budget pictures, it's a matter of time before these systems become prosumer.

Lighthouse to the DIY future

In terms of DIY film distribution, what appears to be the easiest to navigate, is the createspace.commodel - where you submit your DVD to their service, they digitize it, copy it, and make it available on Amazon.com in return for a percentage of your profit.  Once you've created the DVD or the streaming video, it's up to you to promote and sell and make it worth the effort to make it.  Itunes requires an aggregator to be the go-between between filmmaker and their sales outfit - and that can cost the filmmaker thousands of dollars in order to format it in their system.

 In that vein, KinoNation is a new company that will act as an aggregator, but takes their cut from the profit of the film.  Worth looking into.  It's a matter of time before DIY production, distribution becomes a larger share of the creative workplace. 

It seems to be the DIY way of the future.

And now back to the show!  Click on some of the films along the side panel to get an idea of the kinds of DIY winning films we've had the pleasure of honoring over the past 12 years!!!! Keep up the good work and thanks.

DIY Film Festival's New Sponsor: Kinonation

DIY Film Festival is proud to announce a new sponsor for our film festival!

Kinonation is a wonderful place for do it yourself filmmakers who’ve made award winning films to get distribution for their films. The grand prize winners from the festival will have an automatic window to sign up with Kinonation for distribution. The Winners in each category will also be eligible for distribution from Kinonation.

It’s not an exclusive contract, so there’s no fear of being tied up with one particular company.  You’re free to continue submitting your film elsewhere, but while you’re doing so, your film could be generating a revenue stream to pay for the festivals themselves.

We at the DIY Film Festival encourage filmmakers to find innovative new ways to get their work into the marketplace, or into the public eye. If you search our web page you'll find articles about DIY distribution, DIY filmmaking and DIY creativity.  We're only limited by our imagination, and while we're working on our next project, it makes sense to find a home for our last one!

Kinonation has taken all the stress of figuring out how to put your film in the marketplace, was created by a group of filmmakers with extensive distribution and filmmaking experience.

Kinonation also has distribution agreements with Hulu and Amazon Prime, and a host of other online resources, and can help guide your film into the world of online distribution.  You’ll be surprised at the number of outlets available for filmmakers to make money for their hard work and labor, and having checked into a number of various distribution entities and believe that their distribution offer of 80% for the filmmaker, is the best we’ve found.

The DIY Film festival is proud to announce this new relationship with Kinonation. For more information on how their distribution model works, check out Kinonation.com:

Filmmakers & production companies

Sell & stream your title on Hulu, iTunes, Amazon and many others

Whether multinational studio or indie filmmaker, Kinonation – distribute directly to Digital Service Providers (for example Video-On-Demand outlets) and other business partners, manage your catalogs, promote your titles and create digital revenue around the world.

How it works

1 You upload

Upload your titles and trailers using our unique Upload Manager. Add artwork and enter metadata. Easily resume uploads with unlimited file sizes, and parallel uploads from several locations – making the upload fly!

2 We transcode

Your video assets are transcoded into many formats as required by our digital outlets, for example iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and many more.

3 We author

Our system also prepares the artwork and "metadata" files which describe your title. Then we package everything into outlet-specific delivery bundles.

4 We distribute

Your title - including metadata, trailer & images - is automatically delivered to the chosen VOD outlets. They review the package and make their selection.

5 They watch

Consumers rent, buy or stream your film to their HDTVs, home theater systems, game consoles, Blu-Ray players, streaming players, computers, phones and tablets.

6 You get paid

We consolidate accounting from all outlets, and create convenient online reporting for you. The outlets pay us, we keep our 20% share, and you can withdraw your revenue anytime.

Call for Entries!

"Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper." 

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) French poet, novelist, painter, and filmmaker.

The DIY Film Festival is now in its twelfth year.  Hooray!

A festival that's dedicated to highlighting "do it yourself" filmmaking, we've been honored to be part of this totally independent movement.  Some of the films we've seen have been part of Kickstarter campaigns, some have been financed by friends and family, and many have been created under the auspices of a film school.

We've also seen films from across the globe; this past year's winners included films from Uganda and Ukraine - and their films tell fresh new stories from the point of view of people living in far flung places across the globe.  Film is a universal language, and whether it's shot in the streets of India, or the streets of Manhattan, the one thing these filmmakers have is a burning desire to tell a story.

We've had the great opportunity to honor documentaries from around the globe - this past year's winning documentary was shot in Antarctica over the course of an entire year.

Here are some notes on the winning films and the finalists from this past year's festival:

DOCUMENTARY

NO HORIZON ANYMORE; A YEAR LONG JOURNEY AT THE BOTTOM OF THEWORLD

Director Keith Reimink
Keith Reimink decided to head down to Antarctica with his Canon Vixia to see what he might be able to discover "down under."  His film is haunting and amazing.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION

Directed by Matthew VanDyke
Festival winner Matthew VanDyke's haunting portrait of the war in Syria told by two people who are in the midst of it.  The idea of being able to film under such circumstances is pretty astounding, but the heartbreaking visuals of what's happening now in their country is hard to turn away from.  

DRAMATIC FILM FEATURE

KNUCKLE JACK

RUMBLESTRIPS

Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser
John Adams and Toby Poser have taken DIY Filmmaking to a different level - they enlist the acting talents of their kids while making these moving portraits and telling compelling stories.  The images are beautiful, the characters rich and full of development, and the stories are worth checking out.

DRAMATIC FILM SHORT

FOR ANABELA

Directed by Tyler Bodamer
Tyler Bodamer's haunting portrait of a love affair - with a boy who is trying to find roots in a rootless world, and a girl trying to find her own way on the planet - he creates a haunting portrait of a time and place where two young lovers can find each other.

WORLD CINEMA FEATURE

MY STREET – MY LIFE

Directed by Jeremy Etienne and Julienne Rathore (India/Norway)
This film was shot on the streets of India using local kids telling their own compelling story.  A film that looks like it must be a documentary, but is actually great story telling, is reminscent of the films of Satijat Ray, the great Indian filmmaker who also filmed on these same streets.

JURY PRIZE

WHERE WE BELONG

Directed by Krista Imbesi (Uganda)
Moving and compelling portrait of people working in Uganda to help those that have been neglected by society.  This documentary takes the viewer into the huts and homes of these people, and leaves an indelible impression not easily forgotten.

WORLD CINEMA SHORT

ICE CREAM

Directed by Mariia Ponomarova (Ukraine)
Mariia Ponomarova is a filmmaker working in Ukraine, telling unusual and fun stories of everyday people.  Her directing style and artistic sense is evidenced in this unusual tale about a train stopping on a snowy afternoon.

COMEDY FILM

MASQUE ROUGE

Directed by Godefroy Ryckewaert
This is just a really fun comic take on the idea of a local man who decides to become a super hero.  Last glance, Godefroy had taken down the link to the full film, but hopefully the trailer is still available.  Short but very funny.

MOCUMENTARY

THRONG

Directed by Chris R. Wilson and Zacharia Persson
Former DIY Fest winner Chris Wilson is at it again.  He brings a decidedly surrealistic sense of humor to his filmmaking, and this mocumentary, pretending to be a documentary about some guys trying to think up of a plot for a film, but filming the actors who come in for an audition when there is no script, is firmly out of left field.  

STUDENT FILM

IN THE GRIP

Directed by Eric Hayes
A stylish look at an unusual hit man.

ANIMATION

THERE’S AN OCTOPUS IN YOUR HEAD

Directed by Ari Grabb

A fun romp into the mind of an offbeat filmmaker with an eye towards cutting edge animation.

Congratulations to all of you filmmakers for finishing your film. 

Here are some novel ways to find DIY Distribution: 

KinoNation (which puts it onto Itunes) there are many creative ways to get your work in front of an audience, and to also get your money back from making your film.

CreateSpace (which then puts it onto Amazon) 

However, it's important to remember, we don't always pick up the paint brush to pay the rent; sometimes we're compelled to pick up the brush, to approach a blank canvas with our heart in our hand, to try and express ourselves in a way that only we can accomplish.  It takes courage to dip the brush and face the canvas; there's no time like the present to make that effort!

Congrats DIY Film Fest Winner Cody Blue Snider on winning the Seattle Film Fest!

Cody Blue Snider, winner of the DIY Film Festival in 2011 has just won Best Short at the prestigious Seattle Film Festival. Here's the trailer on VIMEO

Kudos Cody!

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE 
AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM
Fool’s Day, directed by 
Cody Blue Snider (USA 2013)

JUNE 8, 2014 | 10:30AM PT

Alex Stedman

News Editor, Variety.com

@a_sted

Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” was the big winner at this year’s Seattle Film Festival,

 beating out “How to Train Your Dragon 2″ and “The Fault in Our Stars” to win the

 Golden Space Needle Award for best film.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM

Fool’s Day, directed by Cody Blue Snider (USA 2013)

First runner-up: The Hero Pose, directed by Mischa Jakupcak (USA 2013)

Second runner-up: Strings, directed by Pedro Solis (Spain 2013)

Third runner-up: Mr. Invisible, directed by Greg Ash (United Kingdom 2014)

Fourth runner-up: Aban + Khorshid, directed by Darwin Serink (USA 2014)

Call for Films!

"Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper." 

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) French poet, novelist, painter, and filmmaker.

The DIY Film Festival is now in its twelfth year.  Hooray!

A festival that's dedicated to highlighting "do it yourself" filmmaking, we've been honored to be part of this totally independent movement.  Some of the films we've seen have been part of Kickstarter campaigns, some have been financed by friends and family, and many have been created under the auspices of a film school.

We've also seen films from across the globe; this past year's winners included films from Uganda and Ukraine - and their films tell fresh new stories from the point of view of people living in far flung places across the globe.  Film is a universal language, and whether it's shot in the streets of India, or the streets of Manhattan, the one thing these filmmakers have is a burning desire to tell a story.

We've had the great opportunity to honor documentaries from around the globe - this past year's winning documentary was shot in Antarctica over the course of an entire year.

Here are some notes on the winning films and the finalists from this past year's festival:

DOCUMENTARY

NO HORIZON ANYMORE; A YEAR LONG JOURNEY AT THE BOTTOM OF THEWORLD

Director Keith Reimink

Keith Reimink decided to head down to Antarctica with his Canon Vixia to see what he might be able to discover "down under."  His film is haunting and amazing.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION

Directed by Matthew VanDyke

Festival winner Matthew VanDyke's haunting portrait of the war in Syria told by two people who are in the midst of it.  The idea of being able to film under such circumstances is pretty astounding, but the heartbreaking visuals of what's happening now in their country is hard to turn away from.  

DRAMATIC FILM FEATURE

KNUCKLE JACK

Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser

RUMBLESTRIPS

Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser

John Adams and Toby Poser have taken DIY Filmmaking to a different level - they enlist the acting talents of their kids while making these moving portraits and telling compelling stories.  The images are beautiful, the characters rich and full of development, and the stories are worth checking out.

DRAMATIC FILM SHORT

FOR ANABELA

Directed by Tyler Bodamer

Tyler Bodamer's haunting portrait of a love affair - with a boy who is trying to find roots in a rootless world, and a girl trying to find her own way on the planet - he creates a haunting portrait of a time and place where two young lovers can find each other.

WORLD CINEMA FEATURE

MY STREET – MY LIFE

Directed by Jeremy Etienne and Julienne Rathore (India/Norway)

This film was shot on the streets of India using local kids telling their own compelling story.  A film that looks like it must be a documentary, but is actually great story telling, is reminscent of the films of Satijat Ray, the great Indian filmmaker who also filmed on these same streets.


JURY PRIZE

WHERE WE BELONG

Directed by Krista Imbesi (Uganda)

Moving and compelling portrait of people working in Uganda to help those that have been neglected by society.  This documentary takes the viewer into the huts and homes of these people, and leaves an indelible impression not easily forgotten.

WORLD CINEMA SHORT

ICE CREAM
Directed by Mariia Ponomarova (Ukraine)

Mariia Ponomarova is a filmmaker working in Ukraine, telling unusual and fun stories of everyday people.  Her directing style and artistic sense is evidenced in this unusual tale about a train stopping on a snowy afternoon.

COMEDY FILM

MASQUE ROUGE

Directed by Godefroy Ryckewaert

This is just a really fun comic take on the idea of a local man who decides to become a super hero.  Last glance, Godefroy had taken down the link to the full film, but hopefully the trailer is still available.  Short but very funny.

MOCUMENTARY

THRONG

Directed by Chris R. Wilson and Zacharia Persson

Former DIY Fest winner Chris Wilson is at it again.  He brings a decidedly surrealistic sense of humor to his filmmaking, and this mocumentary, pretending to be a documentary about some guys trying to think up of a plot for a film, but filming the actors who come in for an audition when there is no script, is firmly out of left field.  

STUDENT FILM

IN THE GRIP

Directed by Eric Hayes

A stylish look at an unusual hit man.

ANIMATION

THERE’S AN OCTOPUS IN YOUR HEAD

Directed by Ari Grabb

A fun romp into the mind of an offbeat filmmaker with an eye towards cutting edge animation.

Congratulations to all of you filmmakers for finishing your film.  Find a way to get it out in front of the public, whether distribution, or self distribution, or finding a way to put it out through CreateSpace (which then puts it onto Amazon) or KinoNation (which puts it onto Itunes) there are many creative ways to get your work in front of an audience, and to also get your money back from making your film.

However, it's important to remember, we don't always pick up the paint brush to pay the rent; sometimes we're compelled to pick up the brush, to approach a blank canvas with our heart in our hand, to try and express ourselves in a way that only we can accomplish.  It takes courage to dip the brush and face the canvas; there's no time like the present to make that effort!

And the winners are....

are proud to present...

Both JM Northern Media's Book Winners and DIY Film Fest Winners

Congratulations to all the 2014 DIY Film Fest honorees!  Both Honorable Mentions and the category winners, and all DIY film enthusiasts everywhere, we salute you!

We did a little bit of saluting on Saturday night at the annual Gala festival, which honored both DIY Filmmakers and JM Northern Media's Book Fair contestants (www.diyconvention.com)

We had a handful of filmmakers on hand, and the ones who could not make it sent in clips of themselves, or a thanks in lieu of there being there in person.  Understandable, as we have finalists from Israel, Iran, Ukraine, Uganda and Norway to name a few.

But those who could make it had a great time.  Here's a list of the WINNING ENTRIES and some photographs to go along.  All Honorable Mentions and Winners will get a certificate, and the Winning films will get editing software from our sponsor Pinnacle Editing systems, now a division of Corel Industries.

See the post below for links to the films and filmmakers.
Thanks again and keep the DIY flag flying high!

BEST FILM  

"NOT ANYMORE: A STORYOF REVOLUTION" 

Directed by Matthew VanDyke

A scene from the gripping documentary, Fest Winner "Not Anymore"

Scene from the dramatic film shot in Aleppo Syria

Shot DIY in Syria during many gun battles

 

BEST DIRECTOR(S) 

FOR BOTH "KNUCKLE JACK" and "RUMBLESTRIPS" 

Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser

 

Knuckle Jack's co-director Toby Poser

JURY PRIZE

"WHERE WE BELONG"   

Directed by Krista Imbesi (Uganda) 

Documentary about handicapped children in Uganda

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"NO HORIZON ANYMORE; AYEAR LONG JOURNEY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD"

Director Keith Reimink

 

Director of the South Pole Doc Keith Reimink sent a video message

HONORABLE MENTION:

"THE SILENT EPIDEMIC – THE UNTOLD STORY OF VACCINES"

Directed by Gary Null

"GAMERS"

Director Christine Farina

Tyler Bodamer and Christine Farina (and others)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT 

"REAL CHANGE"

Directed by Adam Becker

HONORABLE MENTION:

"SECONDHAND ROSE"

Directed by Chad Withers

BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE FILM 

"KNUCKLE JACK"   

Directed by John Adams AND Toby Poser

Best Feature and Best Directed "Knuckle Jack"

HONORABLE MENTION

"RUMBLESTRIPS"

Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser

"CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTS"

Directed by Casey Puccini

"BROKEN SIDE OF TIME"

Directed by Gorman Bechard

BEST DRAMATIC FILM SHORT  

"FOR ANABELA"

Directed by Tyler Bodamer

For Anabela

Tyler Bodamer "For Anabela"

HONORABLE MENTION

"CATCH"  

Directed by Jennifer Sheridan and Matthew Markham

"BURIED TREASURE"

Directed by Leslie Hope

"IF I WERE A BELL"

Directed by Sherese Robinson Lee

BEST WORLD CINEMA FEATURE  

"MY STREET – MY LIFE"

Directed by Jeremy Etienne & Julienne Rathore (India/Norway)

BEST WORLD CINEMA SHORT  

"ICE CREAM"

DIRECTED BY MARIIA PONOMAROVA (UKRAINE)

HONORABLE MENTION

"MAYBE LATER"

Directed by Adi Navon (Israel)

"LEFT"

Directed by Elham Sepehrjou (Iran)

BEST COMEDY FILM

"MASQUE ROUGE"

Directed by Godefroy Ryckewaert

HONORABLE MENTION

"MIEDO A LAS ALTURAS"

Directed by H.J. Leonard

BEST MOCUMENTARY  

"THRONG"

Directed by Chris R. Wilson & Zacharia Persson

Zach Persson & Chris Wilson

Scene from Mocumentary "Throng"

BEST STUDENT FILM 

"IN THE GRIP"

Directed by Eric Hayes

HONORABLE MENTION

"MIDNIGHT CRASH"

Directed by Dan Siegelman

"A MORNING CALL"

Directed by Vasily Chuprina

"STRONG HOLD"

Directed by Benjamin Warhit

BEST ANIMATION 

"THERE’S AN OCTOPUS IN YOUR HEAD"

Directed by Ari Grabb

HONORABLE MENTION 

"SUNSHINE FOR BREAKFAST"

Directed by Parker Winans

 

The gala event

Fest Co-founder Rich Martini

Stacy Green & fest co-founder Bruce Haring

Applause for all of you!!!