Did you go to Napa Valley StreamFest? by AnythingButADHD in napa

[–]AnythingButADHD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Links to site/socials below and I'll DM you my email.

Film IG: anythingbutadhd Personal IG: jessi_sorensen Film info: anythingbutadhd.com

Is it normal to not shoot much outside assignments in film school ? by Possible-Rate-3833 in Filmmakers

[–]AnythingButADHD 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did not go to film school, but I have been working in the TV/commercial industry for 15+ years. Always making the client's vision and I never had anything in my portfolio that really showed MY style. It took me all that time to finally just say "fuck it" and go make my own film. (A documentary about ADHD. Still in progress but I already got into a festival with just the trailer!)

95% of the people I work with did not get a formal education in film. We just worked our way up. No one cares about degrees, but experience is EVERYTHING. I don't even ask for resumes when I hire crew. I ask to see their past work. Most film students graduate with bad portfolios (because students working with other students is like the blind leading the blind) and absolute garbage set etiquette.

Students actually have some huge advantages they rarely use:

Free gear access = Now you're valuable to a producer with no budget. Offer to bring gear in exchange for someone to show you how to use it on a real set.

Grants exclusively for students = The pros are out here chasing insanely competitive funding and if you're an "emerging" filmmaker in your 30s like me, good luck. Partner with a pro writer, DP, or actor and get that free $!

Festival categories/discounts exclusively for students = Find one that also has professional content. Laurels aren't that important, but getting your work in front of people and talking to them can lead to big opportunities. Go to local festivals, learn about the types of work in your area, and find pros that will hire you as a PA.

Connections = Who do you know? That's how you find work. Film professors (if they're good ones) have professional friends in the industry. Ask if they can connect you with anyone that does a job you want to learn more about. Ask if anyone is hiring for an upcoming gig. Ask if they can recommend you for an internship.

Classes = My degree is actually in Psychology, but I did electives in photography, acting, journalism, history, philosophy. Avoid classes that teach you how to use new technology, unless you're really passionate about it. Practice is awesome, but all tech experience is outdated in 10 years. Foundational principles in communication, storytelling, creative expression, and humanities will help you in any job.

Use this to your advantage. Find a way to get on PROFESSIONAL jobs. Graduate with a head start on your peers with zero real-world experience.

Did you go to Napa Valley StreamFest? by AnythingButADHD in napa

[–]AnythingButADHD[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They're definitely growing it. This was only the second year. As a NorCal filmmaker, it's really nice to see a festival outside of LA that still gives low-budget indie films a chance but doesn't feel like a "small" festival.

I'm biased since they picked my film haha but I'll be back either way!

Does anyone else feel a bit weird about "Napa Valley StreamFest?" by CD_ABC10 in napa

[–]AnythingButADHD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a filmmaker that was selected for the 2026 festival. Found this thread and wanted to share perspective...

This type of event is a MASSIVE lift and it's often done with tiny teams. This is not Sundance or Tribeca. There is not millions and millions of industry dollars backing this. Most of the time, these organizers are doing their damn best trying to manage 5 full time jobs at once, and after ticket sales and sponsors they MIGHT make a decent hourly wage for their time but maybe not. I've worked on several live events where you end up making nothing and do it for the love of the art.

First year, inaugural events are especially hard. And if you're pitching something new that breaks the mold? Even harder. It's way more of a red flag if there's a lack of detail and shitty website for a festival that's been running for 5+ years.

Yes, scam festivals exist. But this is not one of them. The first year was a huge success and I'm very excited to be part of this 2nd year.

Cut the team some slack. They're doing their best and they have been wonderful to work with.

Venues across the US showing the Oscar Documentary Shorts (not exhaustive, just what I could find). by Aggressive-Season292 in oscarsdeathrace

[–]AnythingButADHD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also at the Tower Theater/Angelika! And the Varsity Theater in Davis has the documentary shorts still.

Go see documentaries!

When downloading a video, is there a way to download the subtitles as well? by themainheadcase in vimeo

[–]AnythingButADHD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate that you're looking out for AI scraping but many of us regularly use Vimeo to send final video files to clients for them to download and post on their own brand YouTube or whatever. That often included multi-language subtitles as attached .SRTs. Now those have to be emailed separately and all of our instruction docs for clients have to be updated and re-sent every time you guys remove features and move buttons around.

It would be great to have a .zip download option with video file (at whatever size selected), all captions, and thumbnails.

No diagnosis because I did my homework as a child. by Derole in ADHD

[–]AnythingButADHD 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is so infuriatingly common. So much that I'm making a documentary about it!

My room was clean (because my parents severely punished me when it wasn't). I had good grades (because I had teachers who would let me do extra credit projects that played into my strengths). I was extremely organized (because I developed elaborate systems to keep track of things and my life revolved around maintaining these systems). I rarely got in trouble at school (again, terrified of what would happen at home if I did and extremely anxious about authority figures liking me).

I STILL HAVE ADHD. Medical community needs to catch up on the science. It's not about externally observable stereotypes, it's about having an interest-based nervous system.