Q: Who is Pencil Head? -Where did the name
come from?
A: Pencil Head is the name
of a monster(our mascot) that was designed and created by William
R. Dobson III in college in 1989 for a claymation short by the same
name, shot in 8mm. I (Mike Garcia) assisted with sound effects, titles,
and special effects.
Q: Will the fest really be from dusk til
dawn?
A: Well, while we hope to get enough submissions to show films
for that length of time, we are also going to have live entertainment
to accompany the films.
- update: We tried it at the premiere and found that most people lost
their stamina close to midnight. We may have to keep it in name only
unless we have enough feed back from people who think they might last
from dusk til dawn.
Q: Why did you create this festival?
A: To give independent and small scale filmmakers a venue for
their work. It is also a personal memorial to a wonderful and talented
friend/brother/artist/filmmaker, William R. Dobson III.
Q: I was wondering about the 'rating' of
films you select. Are there any ratings restrictions? What is acceptable?
A: We do not have any ratings
restrictions at this time. We haven't had any problems so far and
I hate to limit creativity if I can help it.
The one thing we ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ALLOW is Suicide.
Foul Language is acceptable as well as Nudity, Sex, Violence, and
Adult Situations.
Both the audience, and filmmakers alike, must be at least 17 years
of age to participate.
This is done to avoid any potential problems or conflicts between
the films and possible sensitive or younger viewers. (ratings info
now added to info page).
Q: I have a couple of films that I'd like
to submit. May I submit them on a single DVD?
A: No, we require that each entry be on a separate DVD or VHS
tape and appropriately labeled with a completed submission form for
each entry. However, you can mail them in the same package.
Q: May I combine publicity materials
(bio's, synopses, stills) from more than one film onto one CD?
A: Yes, as long as they are
in separate folders appropriately labeled.
Q: How do you decide which films to show?
A: We look at a variety of
factors but Story, Originality, and Acting, are key elements...However,
Budget is NEVER a factor...
The Director makes the final decision on all submissions.
Q: What is the criteria for judging the winning
films?
A: The films are scored privately
by each judge using a number system in the following categories:
Story, Acting, Cinematography, Directing, Pacing, Editing, Sound,
and Originality.
The judges also add an "overall" score for their overall
impression of the film.
The total scores of all judges are then tallied and the winner in
each category is determined by the highest score.
Q: Why do you have dancing, isn't this a
"film" festival?
A: The dancing has actually
been an integral part of the festival since its inception. The dances
are meant to compliment the films and are all film-themed performances.
Other festivals have bands, jugglers, etc. and we have had a very
positive response always.
Also, this is Angel's personal contribution to this memorial tribute
to our dear departed friend Willie.
Other questions and comments can be sent to:
director@dtdfilmfest.com
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