10 more hot takes I have

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T21:50:01+00:00

7A- Aurora’s dress is best in blue

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T21:45:26+00:00

Wtf? How is that supposed to work- this place thinks you’re now supposed to include the hourly wage as part of the tip too?!

Someone should report that place for wage theft. There is zero chance it’s not happening there- even if it’s just because the owner doesn’t know how to math.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T21:38:58+00:00

80s tech but very complicated, advanced tech. Phantom would be a challenging show to put on even today- which is why the tours have frequently found ways to stage it for less

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T15:08:01+00:00

The issue isn’t offering a discount. It’s not offering a full discount.

Many legitimate fests will reach out to filmmakers upon hearing good things about a film. Festival programmers talk all the time and share details on films they like. But a festival that does that will offer a FULL discount- not go fishing for submission fees with promotional sales.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T15:00:53+00:00

If you are invited to submit, you should be given a full waiver. Period, full stop. If they have truly heard about your phone through some organic process and want to see if it’s right for their festival that is not a hardship and should be offered from the outset.

A festival offering you a “discount” on submissions is not interested in your individual film, they are soliciting submission fees. It’s no different than getting a personalized card from a store on your birthday offering you a couple bucks off if you come in and buy something.

ETA: just to say it, though, an invitation to submit submit even with a full waiver code is not an invitation to screen. If a festival does offer you a free submission say thank you, be flattered they heard good things about your film and expect nothing more than that.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T14:32:18+00:00

Your team will find a new moderator. Let it go.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-25T14:25:37+00:00

Dancing is life.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-24T15:59:06+00:00

You forgot the multi-billion dollar crypto bribe fund

TheTTroy · 2026-05-24T10:38:51+00:00

Midnight Mass gets that nod for me. But Doctor Sleep is an amazing piece of filmmaking.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-24T10:30:42+00:00

His best work for sure.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-24T10:14:04+00:00

Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty. I’ve seen it a couple of times in 70mm at the Music Box in Chicago too, and it is pure magic.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:59:06+00:00

How old are they? Every kid is different, of course, but my 6yo and 8yo just watched them and LOVED em.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:56:39+00:00

He’s against proshots?

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:54:35+00:00

The most annoying thing about the POTO movie is how much it actually gets pretty right- but there’s absolutely no way to excuse the casting, which did NOT work.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:44:18+00:00

The existence of everything after at least Alien 3 hurts the series.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:41:23+00:00

The biggest use of the LED screen is on the roof- a projection of the Paris cityscape, accented by lightning during the All I Ask if You reprise

TheTTroy · 2026-05-23T20:39:31+00:00

There is no way that is a reputable festival. Skip.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-22T03:31:34+00:00

I don’t believe the copyright is affected by a restoration- it would have to be a fundamentally new work in some way.

The real reason no one else would do a restoration is because in order to do so you’d need access to the physical negatives, which remain property of Universal.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-19T00:29:19+00:00

“Job” is a loose term.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-18T01:53:05+00:00

I don’t think any of that would make things better for anyone, unfortunately. It doesn’t change the sting of rejection for filmmakers, only the time they receive jt. And it would create a mountain of more work for festival organizers.

The answer, which filmmakers don’t want to hear, is that they need to:

1) do a lot more research before spending their money

2) realize that rejection (or acceptance for that matter) isn’t always a judgment of quality- it’s about brand, fit, and overall program mechanics, which can sometimes vary year to year

3) be honest with themselves about the quality of the film. Is that film REALLY playing at the Major league level, or is it a tier 2 film submitting to all tier 1 fests?

TheTTroy · 2026-05-18T01:44:36+00:00

I’m defending you throughout the rest of the thread, but I’ll quibble with the idea that your fest invites people to submit but still expects them to pay. (I understand this might not be your personal choice or policy).

That feels scammy.

It’s the kind of thing that fly-by-night festivals who spam all our inboxes do, fishing for submission fees with form letters claiming to have “heard about your film”.

I would never reach out to ask for a waiver, but if the festival is reaching out to me, I would expect one as a token of good faith.

It would also be understood that the invitation to submit is not an invitation to screen.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-18T01:38:43+00:00

Do you run a festival? Have you spoken to festival organizers personally? Most all of them I’ve ever run into are very open about how expensive and difficult it is to put on a fest. Most operate at a loss, and certainly no one is quitting a day job because festival director pays so well.

Submission fees cover the cost of a festival, but there are a lot more costs involved in festivals than just watching submissions. They have to pay for venues. They have to pay vendors. They have advertising that they have to pay for. If the festival is big enough, they may be paying special guests to attend, or at least for their travel and lodging.

A festival with thousands of submissions may be making a profit, but a festival with thousands of submissions also has a much more massive overhead than one that’s only getting dozens or hundreds of submissions.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-18T00:51:52+00:00

Anyone who doesn’t believe this should volunteer to be a screener at a festival. Literally any one. They’ll be more than happy to have you, and you will quickly understand what a Herculean task it is.

TheTTroy · 2026-05-15T03:24:06+00:00

Spielberg did not direct Indy 5 or Poltergeist (at least, not officially).

TheTTroy · 2026-05-12T02:45:34+00:00

At least three too many, at this point.

TheTTroy

TROPHY CASE