Stro

[Drunk Monk]

smart play. kitteh litta!

[Greg]

So, stressing a little at the moment. I've sent two emails off to Warsaw IFF and they haven't responded. My bad mind is telling me that Warsaw IFF is now rethinking the whole Stro at the festival. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to invite me. He seems needy. Rational mind is telling me it's only been a day and they are probably a bit busy over in Poland. Bad mind has a bit of an edge at the moment.

Couple that with me trying to get my film uploaded for the Burbank IFF. I thought I should just get it to them now. Why wait? But Cinesend, the company dealing with the Digital Cinema Packages (DCP) keeps telling me that I should be receiving an email in a couple of months and I should wait for that. Yet, I have an email containing all the instructions on how to send the film to Cinesend. Grrr.

On the plus side, I did straighten out the delivery problem with SimpleDCP, the people who have my film. I had emails back from them saying they didn't know what to go about sending the film to Cinesend. But I called my point person at SimpleDCP, Kelly, and she said they had no problem with uploading the film to Cinesend's servers rather than delivering a Hard Drive. Excellent. Hopefully, Warsaw IFF has servers to upload the film to as well. But like I said, Warsaw hasn't responded to my emails!!!!

I'll be calm. Or I'll try to be calm.

In the scheme of things, against the backdrop of the world situation, these are minor inconveniences. But, I'm still twisting up.

Plus, my sisters have both indicated they want to be in Warsaw for the festival. Which is odd.

Also in the spying front, someone in Toronto has now seen my film twice. Or two someones have seen it once. Please, oh please.

[Greg]

Ah, the twisting continues. I've got it in my head that I'm going to a big festival, solely based on the fact they have screened the film in it's entirety twice. It's the insidiousness of hope, like a mosquito buzzing around my brain. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything. I'm waiting for that festival to tell me something, but their notification date isn't until August. I've got a lot of spinning in the chair to do until then. I'm seriously considering starting a massive building project in the studio to get the studio squared away so I can think of other things. I'm also scratching at a movie about Jerzy Pawlowski. I figure I could set up some interviews while I'm in Poland.

Here's the conundrum. The Big Festival conflicts with Burbank IFF. They are the same week. Back in the blissful days of just signing up for festivals, I figured I would go to one and HK would go to the other. Seriously, I never thought the Big Festival would give me a second glance. But if the Big Festival is going to screen my film, I really think I should give it the world premiere. This means cancelling about another dozen festivals including Burbank which I have already agreed to attend. Although, in their letter, if I don't upload by July 7, they will just assume I don't want to be part of the festival. I don't mind cancelling the ones who haven't selected, but I will feel bad about Burbank. They were the first to say yes!

In a perfect world, I will get a schedule from the Big Festival saying when they will screen the movie and then I can tell Burbank they can't screen until after that occurs. That will work. I'm sure the festival organizers won't mind getting jerked around by some newby filmmaker.

Of course, the Big Film Festival could pass entirely on the project. Like I said, they aren't supposed to talk until August. I'm thinking I should plan on going to the Big Festival and preemptively cancel all the festivals from now until September. But if I do that and the Big Festival cancels, then I've missed my shot at a bunch of mid-level festivals.

Damn Mosquito. I didn't think I had a chance at the Big Festival until I saw they had seen the film twice. Something, they also did at the Warsaw IFF. And Warsaw IFF wasn't supposed to notify until September.

Poor little me, right? My default state is pessimistic and this is really screwing with that. I expected very little after the run I had with The Last Captain. I'd be happy to screen at the SF Doc Fest. But Warsaw has seriously skewed my expectations. I think Stro could perform at the big markets. Maybe my view of the Warsaw IFF is skewed? Maybe it's just a small festival masquerading as a big festival under the imprimatur of FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers' Associations). The FIAPF only recognizes 15 festivals as International Film Festivals. Also on the list are Berlin, Venice, and Cannes.

Do I roll the dice or not? Decisions. Decisions.

[Drunk Monk]

Do I roll the dice or not? Decisions. Decisions.

Don't roll those dice until the croupier says so. 

My dad was a craps player. He once took me on a father/son trip to Reno to teach me the game. It was just us and I didn't really understand it at the time. We won like $500+ on the first day but put it all back the next day. For years, I fancied myself a craps player but I never won. At one point, and I don't even remember where this was but for some reason I think it was downtown Vegas, I was so drunk that I threw the dice and hit the croupier. I can still see his eye-roll reaction. I quit playing craps after that. 

Also, Greg, you need to see this: http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=5282

[cranefly]

Best proof of the Grothendieck–Katz p-curvature conjecture ever.

I was always annoyed by the story that Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind was rejected some 50 times before getting published.  Because us writers are constantly lectured that multiple submissions are not allowed.  Well, in very rare cases a publisher will permit it, but very rare.  So I do the math, which involves an average wait time of a year for a response.  And yes, even successful writers can get jerked around for length dealing with editors.  And it just doesn't add up.  Margaret Mitchell waited 50 years before Gone with the Wind sold?

Well, looking on the web, the number of her rejections vary, from 30-some to well over 50.  But as it turns out, and I just discovered it now, those numbers are all apocryphal.  She was never rejected.

I think multiple submissions are becoming more acceptable these days.  I can understand why editors and publishers would want an exclusive look at something, so they don't waste their time.  But still, writers are people too.

It's great that film festivals allow multiple submissions.  I mean, how could they not?  Who would submit to them otherwise?  Certainly not the big hitters.  But there is a down side to it.  You're making that clear enough.  Hope this all gets sorted out for you soon enough.  It sounds like some early responses would be a big help.

[Greg]

How does that help me? It's like you don't even care.

I've sent a letter off to a former festival coordinator to get his reaction.

[Drunk Monk]

Back when I was a publisher (  ), we did not accept simultaneous submissions, only simultaneous queries. No one paid attention to that. I'm not convinced that 90% of our freelancers ever even read our submission guidelines. Sometimes people would submit something that they already published (which wasn't nearly as funny as when people would submit rewrites of something I published years before). We contracted for First North American publishing rights. 

All this being said, I imagine any film fest organizer is in the same boat as I was juggling multiple submissions. As a contributor, I wouldn't move until you have to do so. No need to tip your hand - or toss those dice before it's time. There's surely a deadline shuffle with submissions. If you jump the gun, you might just knock yourself out of both festivals. Just be patient.

[Greg]

Have you been talking to the Queen. That's what she said.

I'm calmer now. I've got time.

[Drunk Monk]

I have not been talking to tQ (unless you count our short discussion of what we put in our mouths at night http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...8#pid38338).

It's really just common sense. You're in a good place with STRO right now. Stuff is happening. Don't freak out.

[Greg]

Don't tell me what to do.

I'm kind of excited. It's a change of pace to have this modicum of success.

My freaking out has subsided. Somewhat.

[Drunk Monk]

Don't tell me what to do.

Just don't do what I tell you to do.

That's all I'm going to tell you to do.  

For now...

[Greg]

I am telling a lie.

Thank you, Mr. Spock.

[Greg]

This is why I'm a pessimist.

I was just told that I'm not actually in the Burbank International Film Festival. The announcement was sent out accidentally.

[Drunk Monk]

gawddammit

[cranefly]

WTF?  What kind of a slip-up is that?  Can they really do that without some sort of kill fee?  I mean, even if they weren't paying you?

Oh, right.  They hold all the cards.  And dice.

But hopefully it becomes a moot point...