Festival Research Part 1
Seattle Shorts Film Festival
1. Time of the interview: Friday, September 12th, 2014 at 12:30pm his time!
Who will you be talking with: Daniel Hoyos
Who will you be talking with: Daniel Hoyos
2. Who started it: It started 4 years ago in 2011.
Who runs it: Daniel Hoyos is the new festival director this year
3. What is the mission of the festival/conference?
Our goal was and is to bring Seattle film lovers the very best of short films from around the
globe. At the Seattle Shorts we have just one criteria in mind, finding brilliant short films and
bringing them to Seattle audiences.
Our focus is featuring the artistry of independent film making by searching for the
most extraordinary short films.
4. How does this compare with their actual programming choices from the past two years?
4. How does this compare with their actual programming choices from the past two years?
They have 4 different categories including their newest this year: College Student Shorts
Their other categories include: Narrative shorts, documentary shorts, and animation shorts.
This includes local, national and international filmmakers. There's not a big category difference
each year, and they accept all genres from thriller, horror, comedy to drama. Fun fact: They
previously screened 2 Oscar qualifying shorts, Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (2013)
and Curfew (2012), which won the Academy Award for best live action picture.
each year, and they accept all genres from thriller, horror, comedy to drama. Fun fact: They
previously screened 2 Oscar qualifying shorts, Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (2013)
and Curfew (2012), which won the Academy Award for best live action picture.
5. Where is the event: SIFF Film Center located in Seattle Center
6. When is the event: November 15th, 2014
7. How do you submit: Either with FilmFreeway or Withoutabox with entry form, fee and DVD
8. When are the deadlines to enter?
Early: March 15th, 2014
Regular: April 30th, 2014
Late: May 30th, 2014
WAB Extended Deadline: June 30th, 2014
9. How much does it cost to enter?
Animation, Documentary, and Narrative College Student Shorts
Early- $20 Entry fee: $10
Regular: $25
Late: $30
WAB Extended: $35
10. Who's eligible, what are the guidelines to enter?
Everyone is eligible to enter.
General Rules and Guidelines to enter:
1. Films must not exceed 30 minutes in length, including credits.
2. All non-English language films must have English subtitles or no dialogue.
3. A separate entry fee is required for each submission.
4. Preview DVDs must be labeled with the WAB#, title, running time and contact information.
5. Preview DVDs will not be returned.
6. Submissions may NOT be withdrawn from the Festival once they have been entered, except at the sole
discretion of the Festival.
7. All selected films may be excerpted (up to 2 minutes) for publicity purposes.
8. After selection, notification letters will be sent electronically: all acceptance letters will be accompanied by a
telephone call: please provide an email address, and telephone number.
9. Do not send DVDs via special delivery such as Fed Ex. Only regular U.S. mail please.
Also, if you are a student submitting, you must have proof the film was shot wile attending college or university.
Must be included with submission: emailed photocopy of Student ID as well as the University the filmmaker was
attending
11. Is there a Student Category?
Yes it's a brand new category this year!
12. What formats do they except for jurying? DVD, Vimeo, Flash drives?
DVD
13. What formats do they except for exhibition/screening?
DVD
14. How many films screened at the festival last year?
18 films out of over 800 submitted
15. How long is a typical shorts block or paper presentation block at their event?
Each block is about an hour and ten mins long.
16. How many films or papers do they program per block?
Each block showing at least 5-7 movies. Three blocks. Followed by an awards ceremony.\
17. How do people register to attend? Is there a cost to attend as a guest?
To register to attend, individuals have to buy tickets from the SIFF Film Center or you can buy
online at the Seattle Shorts website when searching and selecting which shorts you would like to
watch. Unfortunately, the links to see the prices on the actual website don't work, but they can
purchase online at www.siff.net. All costs can be found online at this website.
18. Look at the sponsorship page and see what businesses. Grants and private entities give money to the event. Figure out how many of each kind and note any leads that might be useful to us.
They have 4 big sponsors:
-I Am Entertainment: a leading Film TV, and Music magazine. Interviews of top actors,
musicians, filmmakers and record labels.
-MarQueen Hotel
-The Tin Lizzie Lounge
-Find Festival Jobs : connects job seekers, interns and volunteers with employers in the Festival
and Event Industry
I don't think any of their sponsors would be useful to us because they are mostly in-state. But the Find Festival Jobs sounded interesting.
19. What are their sponsorship levels and incentives for each level?
The sponsorships are broken up into the type of sponsorship they're providing such as the
MarQueen Hotel sponsors them and the filmmakers stay there during the festival.
20. Did they have a Kickstarter or Indiegogo? What incentives did they have for each level of donor?
Not that I can see and I didn't see any incentives located on the website.
21. What kind of non-traditional film/video events have they had before? Things like Installations, 'Visual Soundwalls,'VJing, etc.
I didn't see any non-traditional video events listed or located on the website. What I did find is that the director from each selected film will have the opportunity to be interviewed by the Festival director, Daniel Hoyos in I Am Entertainment Magazine. It gives them press opportunities. They also have pre-festival meet and greets and a film night before the festival is held.
22. Are there ways in which they have expanded the typical film screening event? How have they branched out from sitting in a dark room in front of a screen?
They've added like I said before new opportunities to help filmmakers branch out and have more networking opportunities. Their jury consists of celebrities that have made a name and done a multitude of different work. That gives the filmmakers a chance to interact and asks questions not only amongst other filmmakers, but also with the jury, the press/magazine and more!
23. Is the layout easy to navigate? What makes it easy?
The layout is easy to navigate because it is short and simple. They have everything linked to the necessary websites and locations for the most part.
24. Is the layout difficult to navigate? What makes it difficult?
The only difficulty I had with the layout was that some of the links didn't work and I think it is just because they are getting ready to put on the actual event. For example, to buy tickets it didn't have the page linked up to the prices or anything.
25. Can you find the information you are looking for on the homepage or via a link on the homepage?
For the most part yes, but some of the information does not go into any depth. For example, the about page is extremely short. I didn't find information on who founded or created the film festival. I searched through the websites Facebook page to find some of my information. I couldn't figure out if they used Kickstarter or not and small things like that.
26. Aesthetically, what catches your eye? What's cool about it?
I like the color scheme and the phrases are catchy and memorable. Something that caught my eyes was how they added pictures for each of the films featured and linked up the actual directors and crew to their IMDb page which was awesome.
27. Aesthetically, what doesn't fit in? What makes it look bad?
On the homepage, I didn't like how the words and pictures were laid out. I got a little confused thinking they were films that were being featured, when actually they were updates and lastest news from the organization. I think if they had put the information under the pictures or put the date before to clarify that they were weekly/monthly updates.
28. Should there be more information? Is the page too bare?
I think there should be a little more information, regarding the about and how to purchase tickets better.
29. Should there be less information? Is there page too busy?
No it seemed a little bare; there was more information on the jury, in my opinion, then some of the films or the event.
30.What would you do differently if you were to redesign this website?
Go in and add more information to try to persuade more filmmakers to submit and come. You want to make sure that the website is easier to search and has all the information you need. I think it is frustrating having to find or search information from other sites. For example, I sat and searched through the SIFF website for tickets and they don't have anything for festivals.
31.What would you keep the same if you were to redesign this website?
The overall layout and pictures are good and most of the links are reliable. They also have the IMDb link which I love!
Animation, Documentary, and Narrative College Student Shorts
Early- $20 Entry fee: $10
Regular: $25
Late: $30
WAB Extended: $35
10. Who's eligible, what are the guidelines to enter?
Everyone is eligible to enter.
General Rules and Guidelines to enter:
1. Films must not exceed 30 minutes in length, including credits.
2. All non-English language films must have English subtitles or no dialogue.
3. A separate entry fee is required for each submission.
4. Preview DVDs must be labeled with the WAB#, title, running time and contact information.
5. Preview DVDs will not be returned.
6. Submissions may NOT be withdrawn from the Festival once they have been entered, except at the sole
discretion of the Festival.
7. All selected films may be excerpted (up to 2 minutes) for publicity purposes.
8. After selection, notification letters will be sent electronically: all acceptance letters will be accompanied by a
telephone call: please provide an email address, and telephone number.
9. Do not send DVDs via special delivery such as Fed Ex. Only regular U.S. mail please.
Also, if you are a student submitting, you must have proof the film was shot wile attending college or university.
Must be included with submission: emailed photocopy of Student ID as well as the University the filmmaker was
attending
11. Is there a Student Category?
Yes it's a brand new category this year!
12. What formats do they except for jurying? DVD, Vimeo, Flash drives?
DVD
13. What formats do they except for exhibition/screening?
DVD
14. How many films screened at the festival last year?
18 films out of over 800 submitted
15. How long is a typical shorts block or paper presentation block at their event?
Each block is about an hour and ten mins long.
16. How many films or papers do they program per block?
Each block showing at least 5-7 movies. Three blocks. Followed by an awards ceremony.\
17. How do people register to attend? Is there a cost to attend as a guest?
To register to attend, individuals have to buy tickets from the SIFF Film Center or you can buy
online at the Seattle Shorts website when searching and selecting which shorts you would like to
watch. Unfortunately, the links to see the prices on the actual website don't work, but they can
purchase online at www.siff.net. All costs can be found online at this website.
18. Look at the sponsorship page and see what businesses. Grants and private entities give money to the event. Figure out how many of each kind and note any leads that might be useful to us.
They have 4 big sponsors:
-I Am Entertainment: a leading Film TV, and Music magazine. Interviews of top actors,
musicians, filmmakers and record labels.
-MarQueen Hotel
-The Tin Lizzie Lounge
-Find Festival Jobs : connects job seekers, interns and volunteers with employers in the Festival
and Event Industry
I don't think any of their sponsors would be useful to us because they are mostly in-state. But the Find Festival Jobs sounded interesting.
19. What are their sponsorship levels and incentives for each level?
The sponsorships are broken up into the type of sponsorship they're providing such as the
MarQueen Hotel sponsors them and the filmmakers stay there during the festival.
20. Did they have a Kickstarter or Indiegogo? What incentives did they have for each level of donor?
Not that I can see and I didn't see any incentives located on the website.
21. What kind of non-traditional film/video events have they had before? Things like Installations, 'Visual Soundwalls,'VJing, etc.
I didn't see any non-traditional video events listed or located on the website. What I did find is that the director from each selected film will have the opportunity to be interviewed by the Festival director, Daniel Hoyos in I Am Entertainment Magazine. It gives them press opportunities. They also have pre-festival meet and greets and a film night before the festival is held.
22. Are there ways in which they have expanded the typical film screening event? How have they branched out from sitting in a dark room in front of a screen?
They've added like I said before new opportunities to help filmmakers branch out and have more networking opportunities. Their jury consists of celebrities that have made a name and done a multitude of different work. That gives the filmmakers a chance to interact and asks questions not only amongst other filmmakers, but also with the jury, the press/magazine and more!
23. Is the layout easy to navigate? What makes it easy?
The layout is easy to navigate because it is short and simple. They have everything linked to the necessary websites and locations for the most part.
24. Is the layout difficult to navigate? What makes it difficult?
The only difficulty I had with the layout was that some of the links didn't work and I think it is just because they are getting ready to put on the actual event. For example, to buy tickets it didn't have the page linked up to the prices or anything.
25. Can you find the information you are looking for on the homepage or via a link on the homepage?
For the most part yes, but some of the information does not go into any depth. For example, the about page is extremely short. I didn't find information on who founded or created the film festival. I searched through the websites Facebook page to find some of my information. I couldn't figure out if they used Kickstarter or not and small things like that.
26. Aesthetically, what catches your eye? What's cool about it?
I like the color scheme and the phrases are catchy and memorable. Something that caught my eyes was how they added pictures for each of the films featured and linked up the actual directors and crew to their IMDb page which was awesome.
27. Aesthetically, what doesn't fit in? What makes it look bad?
On the homepage, I didn't like how the words and pictures were laid out. I got a little confused thinking they were films that were being featured, when actually they were updates and lastest news from the organization. I think if they had put the information under the pictures or put the date before to clarify that they were weekly/monthly updates.
28. Should there be more information? Is the page too bare?
I think there should be a little more information, regarding the about and how to purchase tickets better.
29. Should there be less information? Is there page too busy?
No it seemed a little bare; there was more information on the jury, in my opinion, then some of the films or the event.
30.What would you do differently if you were to redesign this website?
Go in and add more information to try to persuade more filmmakers to submit and come. You want to make sure that the website is easier to search and has all the information you need. I think it is frustrating having to find or search information from other sites. For example, I sat and searched through the SIFF website for tickets and they don't have anything for festivals.
31.What would you keep the same if you were to redesign this website?
The overall layout and pictures are good and most of the links are reliable. They also have the IMDb link which I love!
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