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Fruitcake Wrap-up, Stats, Thank You’s & “Winners” December 21, 2007

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For those who missed it (and you should feel empty and alone if you did), the Fruitcake Film Festival was a huge success, standing room only, great films, great audience response. It was a great way to put TIFN back in the saddle with a new home for showing films.

It would have not been possible without major help & support from Joe Nierle for giving us a home at the Open Space Cafe Theatre, Rebecca Clark of the Piedmont Triad Film Commission, Joe Scott of WUAGs The Movie Show, Cathi Vogel of Velocity Trade Exchange, Marie van Vuuren who put in many hours of work and the News & Record/Go Triad for covering the event so well. A special thanks to Jason Pierce for spending hours helping setup the projection and solving our screen dilemma.

Here are the official stats compiled by Marie:

There were 20 teams filmmakers (many “teams” were just one person, a few , like the Moviemakers teen film camp, were over a dozen).

Lengths:
39 - ten second.
5 - sixty second.
6 - three minutes.

Categories:
14 - Starring Fruitcake
14 - Bad Santa
2 - Holiday Sweets
3 - Humans Must Die
2 - Misseltoe
15 - Holiday/Other

As for the “Winners” of the silly prizes, the prizes (mini-cakes baked by Marie van Vuuren), were picked by Open Space Cafe Theatre.

“Best Acting By a Fruitcake” = Leroy in “Everybody Hates Fruitcake by Justin Sale”
“Baddest Santa” = Reed Prevatte in “FRUITCAKE: THE MIRACLE FOR EVERY STREET” by Teresa & Reed Prevatte
“Best Use of Sharks” = “Shark Complaints #2″ by Phillip Powell
“Two Hankey Award” = “One Afternoon” by Les Butchart
“Funniest Appearance by a World Leader”, “Ho Ho Ho” by yours truly (despite the fact it was Britney Spears at the MTV awards, but who knows, she could be president one day)

Thanks to all the filmmakers and folks that came out.

stephen v2
TIFN

Fruitcake Deadline and other last-minute questions… December 8, 2007

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Okay, being getting some calls so here are the top questions and answers…

(1) Can I turn in my film after the deadline on the 10th? Yes, you can turn in your film anytime, even January 10th but there is a connection between when you turn it in and if it will screen. All films turned in on-time (assuming they are suitable for general audiences, the right length etc. per the rules) will screen. If you turn in your film late, then your film is not guaranteed a spot at the screening though it is guaranteed a spot for the online fest. So, turning in a 10 second film late is probably okay. We can almost always fit those in. Turning in a 3 minute film on December 19th is probably not a good idea and will have a low chance of screening.

(2) Do I have to make a 10 second film? Yes, we are trying to get as many 10 seconds films as possible this year. Plus they are fun to make and fun to watch. So for each longer film you enter, it needs a separate 10 second film entered (NOT a 10 second version of your longer film).

(3) Can I make more than one film in a category? Yes, you can make as many films as you like and if they are turned in on time, they will screen.

(4) What if you get too many films before the deadline? Since many people are making 10 second and 60 second films, we would have to get a LOT of films for that to happen. If it does, we will either use rules to sort out who gets in and post the rest online or perhaps add an additional screening. But knowing filmmakers and deadlines, the chances are almost zero of this happening.

(5) When is the screening again? Thursday, December 20th, 7:30pm at Open Space Cafe Theatre on W. Market Str. in Greensboro.

Let me know if you have more questions and I will update them here.

How to Submit your Fruitcake Film December 3, 2007

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Okay, word has it that people are having fun making Fruitcake Films. There is still plenty of time to make your film (after all, Triad filmmakers have had 4 years practice making 7 minute films in 48 hours), but if you’ve got some entries already in the can, send ‘em in.

There are several ways easy ways to send your films in:

(1) Electronic - You can upload any Quicktime, AVI, or most any video format by FTP - ftp.triadindie.org username is fruitcake and password is festival (send an email as soon as you send the file to tifn AT triadindie DOT org). If FTP freaks you out, you can use one of the many large file senders - click here for a list. Whatever electronic method and file you choose, try to make the files at least 720 x 480 pixels and high quality output for projection on the big screen. Hi-Def submissions are fine as well.

(2) Snail mail - Send miniDV, DVD, VHS or file on data CD or data DVD to Stephen van Vuuren, 4836-D Tower Road, GSO, NC 27410. HD is okay but don’t send HD on tape - put the HD file on data CD or data DVD.

(3) Drop off/pick up - just call or email to tifn AT triadindie DOT org and someone can arrange a time/place.

Can’t wait to see your films. Ask questions in the comments…

News & Record looking for Fruitcake Filmmakers November 27, 2007

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The News & Record plans to do an article on the Fruitcake Film Festival, to run in advance of the Dec. 20 screening. The deadline for the story to be finished and photos shot is Dec. 13. We are looking for a couple of projects to focus on. If you’re interested in us writing about you and shooting some photos as you film, please contact staff writer Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at dkane AT news-record DOT com or 373-5204. Please include information on your project and when you are filming. We can’t feature everyone, but we’re looking for some fun ideas that fit into our timetable. Thanks so much, and we look forward to hearing from you this week if possible.

Sincerely,

Dawn DeCwikiel Kane, Staff Writer
News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
Desk: (336) 373-5204 or (800) 553-6880, ext. 5204
Fax: (336) 373-7382
E-mail: dkane AT news-record DOT com

www.News-Record.com, www.GoTriad.com

How Anyone can make a Film (tips for making your Fruitcake Film) November 19, 2007

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If you’ve thought about making a 10 second or longer film for the upcoming Fruitcake 2007 Film Festival but feel like you don’t have the gear, expertise or resources to make a film, well, you would be wrong :)

Anybody reading this already has everything they need to make a film, not just a 10 second but a 60 minute or even a 3 minute film.

NO CAMERA?

First, while you may not have a professional motion picture camera or even a video camera, well, again, you’re wrong. You probably have a video camera and may not even know it. Where?

(1) On your digital camera. That cheap little digital still camera you bought has a video mode. Almost every digital point and shoot camera ever made has a video camera mode. Even if it only takes short 30 second videos - that’s 3 times as long as a 10 second film. And most films and TV shows are made up of short takes edited together and 30 seconds is plenty of time to even make a 2 hour feature film.

(2) On your cell phone. Many cell phones not only have still cameras but video as well. Think you can’t make a film with a cell phone? Tell that to all these cell phone film festivals up and running around the world.

STILL CAMERAS

But if you don’t have or don’t want to use a video camera, still cameras are perfectly good for making films.

(1) Use Photographs. You can simply use photographs to tell a story (Ken Burns is world famous for this). Several previous Fruitcake filmmakers have done exactly this. You can even use photos (or clip art) you already have - so no camera required at all. Add some music (see resources at end of this post for plenty of free resources). Even easily add some effects and camera moves on your computer. How? Mac users click here. Windows users click here.

(2) Stop Motion. Stop motion animation is used for everything from teaching filmmaking to young kids to huge effect sequences in films like “Lord of the Rings”. All you need is still camera, something to move (including yourself - human stop motion is really fun) and some time. Here’s one tutorial and here’s another quick tutorial for Window’s users. Here’s one for Mac users with human stop motion (sample movie is rated PG).

If you need more resources, here’s a ton of claymation, stop motion & animation tutorials as well as examples, free software and more.

(3) Animation. “Animation” can mean complex million-dollars Hollywood visual effects or full length Pixar 3D films. Or it can be stick figures in flipbooks, real animated films done with that boring slide show software PowerPoint, or hand drawn animation. Animated films are popular entries in the Fruitcake. Always fun to do.

MUSIC, SOUND EFFECTS AND OTHER FREE RESOURCES

No matter what kind of film you make, you will need music, sounds and maybe stock footage. Here’s a list of some of the many resources available online.

Need editing software? Most newer Macs come with iMovie and Windows machines with Windows MovieMaker. And tons of free stuff is available online for both programs to add features.

The bottom line is there is no excuse for not making a film if you want to. It’s fun, free and easy.

Fruitcake Film Festival 2007 Flyer Online - Spread ‘em Around November 12, 2007

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We’ve got a one page handout done for this year’s festival. The important details are all on it. Download yours here, print them, hand them out, email to friends.

DOWNLOAD FLYER (PDF File, 2.7 Mb) 

Watch Past Fruitcake and Short Short Films November 10, 2007

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All the films that screened at the 2004 Fruitcake Film Festival and Short Shorts Festival are online.

Watch the Fruitcake entries here and the Short Short entries here.

Fruitcake Film Festival 2007 Entry Forms

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Download your official entry form here.

Fruitcake Film Festival Returns to Greensboro, December 20th, Open Space Cafe Theatre November 1, 2007

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It’s back, December 20th at Open Space Cafe Theatre. 10 second, 60 second and 3 minute short films in wacky categories

Three years ago, TIFN ran the Fruitcake Film Festival which featured ten second, sixty second and three minute short films, many made by first-time filmmakers. Well, it returns to Greensboro. It’s back, December 20th at Open Space Cafe Theatre - now that TIFN has found a home again.

You have the next few weeks to make a ten second (yes, 10 seconds), a sixty second and/or three minute short film. (NOTE - you must make at least one ten second short to enter a sixty second or three minute short). Beginners are strongly encouraged to enter. Professional film snobs can enter as well, but since the prizes are very crazy, you don’t better chance of winning (that means you, George Lucas).

Reminder - This is an exhibition, not a competition. But there will be audience voted prizes (e.g. most creative destruction of a camera, baddest Santa, etc.).

WHY YOU SHOULD ENTER (and why no excuses for not entering)

  1. The most fun film festival ever (okay, we’re lying, but it’s pretty fun)
  2. It’s free - free to enter, free to attend. But plan on buying $100 worth of food and drink at the Open Space Cafe :)
  3. You don’t want us to read out your name as a “lazy butt wannabee filmmaker who talks the talk but never walks the walk” at the festival.
  4. You don’t need a camera (use PowerPoint!), skills (never stopped Ed Wood, Jr.), talent (never stopped Michael Bay) or anything resembling hard work — point a camera at a fruitcake for 10 seconds and you’re in, baby!
  5. You can impress all of your phony friends by telling them your film is “hitting the festival circuit this winter in preparation for Sundance”.

THE WACKY RULES

  1. You may make as many films as you want, but you must make one 10-second film for EACH sixty second or 3-minute film you enter.
  2. We only have one tough rule. Time! Films must be NO longer than specified - no 10.5 second films. You are allowed titles and credits, but only under the following guidelines:
    1. - Ten-second films - 5 second title and 5 second credit
    2. - Sixty-second films - 20 second titles and 20 second credits
    3. - Three-Minute films - 30 seconds titles and 30 second credits
  3. No explicit sex or gory violence - we have kids making films and attending the festival. Basically, think primetime TV that does not have the “viewer discretion warning” in front of it. Of course, if you are thinking primetime TV, that means good taste is highly optional.
  4. Deadline is December 10th. We will screen every film that is entered. BUT - if too many films are entered or you drift from the rules, it will be first come, first follow the rules, first screened.

THE WACKY CATEGORIES

THE CRAZY PRIZES

Starting making the films and stay posted for details on submitting!