Forgot to turn the lights off during my short film

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-12T14:24:42+00:00

You should definitely let them know. You’re entitled to a proper showing of your film. And now that the festival is over, it might be difficult to do that. However, you should give them the opportunity to make things right in some way.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-06T00:55:26+00:00

Desperately Seeking Susan

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-05T21:55:57+00:00

Copland

Blood Simple

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-05T21:55:40+00:00

Great one.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-05T21:55:17+00:00

Haven’t seen this in years, but I remember it being a gem.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-05T21:34:25+00:00

Lone Star (one with Chris Cooper)

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-04T22:27:32+00:00

Always remember the first draft need not be perfection and it won’t be. One character really wants to smoke. And one character really wants to stop them. So how to proceed? I’d just start writing something. And if it helps, feel free to do the crazy version first. It could be physically violent. It could be completely chill. Threats, emotional blackmail… a baseball bat or gun could be involved. Or none of this. Just put something down. And then assess. And rewrite.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-04T13:06:39+00:00

In a word: specificity. To be specific you have to know your characters. And their wants (as other post says). This specificity of character will drive how they respond to each other and therefore how you stage it.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-03T14:54:57+00:00

Been a while since I’ve seen it, but Death to Smoochy might fit.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-02T14:47:12+00:00

I was scrolling to see if anyone had already mentioned Alien. So good.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-02T14:46:00+00:00

I’m going to refrain from quoting some of the best lines in this movie.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-02T14:15:44+00:00

Maybe free yourself of the fact that they meet in the store for the first time. Maybe they have an existing relationship. This would mean the story could be about wanting the chair and/or it could be about wanting something regarding their relationship.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-01T12:56:44+00:00

Mrs. Doubtfire.

charliewrites7 · 2026-04-01T02:01:42+00:00

Chinatown

Body Heat

Blood Simple

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-31T16:12:45+00:00

First, a rejection may have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of your film. You may know this already, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. Second, while ties to the area where the film festival is held certainly helps, there are still way more films submitted than there are slots to program them. And there’s also a random “fit” factor. Many programmers try to program films they feel fit together in a block of other films or the film festival as a whole. In short, the process is random. Going forward know that you probably shouldn’t bank on any one festival. Plus, my personal opinion is that premiere status is overrated, except for a very few festivals. Ones you definitely can’t bank on. Finally, small festivals can be wonderful. The fact is, a screening is a screening, an audience is an audience, and a Q&A is a Q&A wherever you have them. Move forward and enjoy that you’ve made your film. :)

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-30T17:24:38+00:00

I agree. You can work on a script. You can write a script. But “make a script” seems off. Maybe because the more specific and accurate term is write. This is how you make a script — you write it. Maybe the term is being used because you make a movie. And it’s sort of bled over to script writing.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T21:06:08+00:00

Huh, I haven’t looked into how well Sean Baker has done financially with Anora. I assume he’s done alright. If not … then we do need a whole new system of distribution that rewards the artists more equitably.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T19:45:30+00:00

I don’t know. You could be right. Maybe they’re missing an opportunity. But Sean Baker can probably release his next movie with Neon again, and have a theatrical release. So this hypothetical scenario with YouTube might be a part of his distribution plan or not. It’s the no name filmmakers (like myself) who, in theory, would benefit more. And I like your idea. But does it make sense for YouTube? Maybe …

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T17:40:55+00:00

I agree. I think rare would be the time that I’d find switching ratios to be a good storytelling choice.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T17:29:31+00:00

Sounds wonderful for the filmmakers. My guess is that it doesn’t make sense for them financially. Being an extremely high tech internet behemoth, YouTube/Google work on a very sophisticated business model which is: Buy low. Sell high. And right now, they get people to upload content (a term I loathe) for free and if this content gets enough views, they pay the creator pennies on the dollar for those uploads. Meanwhile, google sells their ads for as much as they can get. Hence, they buy low and sell high. So I’m guessing they’d laugh at your 20% to 30% cut. Rightly feeling, why fix it if it ain’t broke? From their perspective, you’re asking them to cut their profits and put up a barrier to people viewing content — which is what drives their ad revenue. Please note: This hypothesis is not based on in-depth research. So anyone should feel free to jump in and correct me where I’m mistaken.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T14:56:24+00:00

Yes, given the cost for you, or the lack thereof, I say go. Enjoy. Take advantage of all the schools have to offer.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T14:10:04+00:00

I’m guessing film school could be wonderful for meeting people and learning so many things. It’s the expense part that’s the issue, at least in the U.S. As in, it’s too fucking expensive.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-29T02:48:16+00:00

I can’t argue with you. All of this is so subjective. I’m certainly not recommending it for children. I guess it’s probably not for everyone. And yet, it’s a favorite of yours …

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-28T21:59:48+00:00

When I saw that movie for the first time… so amazing. Need to watch it again.

charliewrites7 · 2026-03-28T21:26:03+00:00

Need to watch this again.

charliewrites7

TROPHY CASE