A Letter to Submitters

Once submissions close and before decisions are made, I like to send a letter to everybody who made the effort to submit a film or screenplay.  The impulse came from my own experiences with rejections letters supposedly softened by comments about how many people submit,  how hard it is to choose from so many good projects, blah blah blah.  All I could read was the rejection and I hated the sugar coating.  But it is true.  Good work does not always get in. So I tell the broads that their work matters separate from the yes or no, which is subjective and based on practical as well as artistic considerations.
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To all the broads and the broad-minded:

Submissions have closed for the 2012 Broad Humor Film Festival.  Within the next ten days, I personally will have watched or read every entry. Other members of the team who have been viewing or reading will meet with me and we will make our selections. You can expect to hear a thumbs up or down by the end of next weekend.  Sooner if we can, but we want to make sure all the submissions get a full review before making our decisions, so we're not going to rush.

Once again, I have been stunned by the energy that everyone has put into telling stories for the purpose of laughter. The number of people who wish to write a screenplay or make a movie are legion; the ones who actually do it are rare and in my opinion should be honored for that very fact. So I say congratulations to you all.  Please accept our appreciation for sharing your work with us.

Sadly, we cannot show all the films nor honor all the screenplays. Selection is not objective, cannot ever be completely fair, and will not do justice to the work you have done. Every year we turn down scripts or films that go on to win other festivals.  Taste is subjective yet we must choose according to ours. 


We will do our best to keep you all informed as we move forward.

Kudos to you all!

Greenhouse Studios to offer Filmmaker Awards at this year's BHFF

The Broads are happy to report that Greenhouse Studios, a post production facility dedicated to providing high quality post services to independents and high-end clients alike, has lent their support again this year offering two Filmmakers Awards. The prizes include a very generous post production package (including free Offline Editing time, HD Color Correction and Graphics) to the winners of both the Best Feature and Best Short. We can’t thank the folks at Greenhouse Studios enough for their commitment to the independent women of comedy.

Broad Humor DIY DAY: Paradigm Shift

We are starting to put together the panelists for our all-day workshop for independent filmmakers - DIY DAY: Paradigm Shift on Friday, September 28. Independent film is still struggling to find some solid ground in the new transmedia world, and we've got a whole day planned to take folks through the process of preparing, creating, and promoting your own content instead of waiting for someone else to pull a Prince Charming. For both professionals and newcomers who want to polish their production tools and get a handle on the process of building a career-sustaining audience.

NYC Theater Rental Rates for Screenings

Saw a list of theaters for rent around NYC with prices for renting them for screenings.  Anybody got a similar list for here in LA?  Click thru to see details if interested...

Sending Your Project "to School"

As I watch movies and read scripts for this year's competition, I am struck over and over by the unfulfilled promise of many works.  It is clear there is a story or characters there to love. And that love is getting in the way of the life of the work in the same way an overbearing parent can smother a child.  School does not treat your precious baby as well as you would like.  Social requirements are made.  It is painful.  But to learn to "play well with others" is the goal and reward of socialization.  Too many of these creative "darlings" have not learned that skill.  I can see what you love.  But you must cut the apron strings (aka cutting pages and scenes) by getting feedback from loving teachers.  Not all teachers are great, but most are not bad for the simple reason that if your story loses them, they will tell you and you will have to fix it. Don't argue.  Their solution might not be the right one, but try it.  Try other things.  Learn to help your baby "play well" with any audience. It breaks my heart when a work with legs is still crawling because the creator "loved it too much" to help it become what it could.

WTF of the Week - Fox/NYTVF Comedy Script Contest

25 finalists announced in the Fox Comedy Script Contest.  Only one woman out of 25 finalists (Santa Sierra) plus two co-writers (Heather Huntington and Tasha Gordon-Solmon).  Kudos to these women for making the cut, but come on.  We know from Broad Humor that women write wonderfully funny movies.  We know from a Meryl Streep speech at the Crystal Lucy Awards that women-oriented movies give a better return investment on average.  At the same event, wasn't Fox just honored by Women in Film for having so many women execs?  So I ask you...wtf?

Pixar Story Rules

The blog for the book The Pixar Touch posted a great compilation of tweets from Emma Coates distilling gems from her senior colleagues on creating great stories.  The blog gives you 22 examples of her tweets.  They are fantastic.  For example:

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

After reading hundreds of scripts from so many different writers over the years, I would like to paste this one on the wall above every screenwriter's computer. 


The one I committed to memory for myself was this succinct nugget:

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.


Check them out and share your favorites.  Follow her on Twitter.