Project Breakout

The Importance of Short Film
By David Parfitt

As an independent film-maker working outside the Hollywood system I am very aware of how important good exposure is to emerging talent. Short films are a superb way to enter the film business. They test the production skills of even the most seasoned professional so for the entry level film-maker they are invaluable. When well produced they become a calling card and a potential entry to the world of film festivals where a huge percentage of deals are done. Finding a platform where you can get initial exposure is hard and that's where Project Breakout could help.

Filmmaking is a very complex business, whichever way you look at it. First there is the idea, then writing the script, then the financing, casting, crew, prep, shoot, post... the list seems to go on forever. Even some experienced professionals struggle to understand it all. Put these elements together in a (usually) short time-frame and you begin the experience of making a short.

I produced my only short (Swan Song) over a long weekend during the post-production of one feature and the prep on another. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding periods of my professional life and I recommend it to every aspiring film-maker.

British producer David Parfitt is perhaps best known for his work on classically based films "Much Ado about Nothing" (1993), "The Madness of King George" (1995), "Twelfth Night" (1996), "The Wings of the Dove" (1997) and "Shakespeare in Love" (1998), for which he won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Awards. He acted as Production Consultant on Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002) and produced "I Capture the Castle" (2003) and "Chasing Liberty" (2004). He is also Deputy Chairman of BAFTA.

Auditioning & Submitting Your Work
By Elizabeth "Biz" Ellis

When submitting a DVD of your show or stand up to a festival or agent, make sure that it is shot well and that the sound quality is excellent Even if you are the most brilliant talent the world has ever known, if the people you are submitting to can't see you clearly or are getting nauseated watching the camera bounce, they may miss your "gift." Try to have at least two cameras, (one for close ups and one covering the wide shots) so that you can edit together a good looking tape where you can see everything happening, including close ups on key moments. Sound is very important. You want to be able to hear the audience's reaction as well as your lines. If you are doing stand up, most big comedy clubs have someone who they use to tape shows. Use this person as they can get both the audience reaction as well as your set, allowing for a clearer tape. If you are sketch and don't want to perform in a comedy club (which may not be suited stage wise to sketch comedy) you can still reach out to a comedy club's videographer to see if they will tape you somewhere else. Whether using a professional or not, try to record all shows. When you pull together a reel, the people watching it want to see a whole sketch, not a whole show, so in a five - ten minute reel you could have your best complete sketches from three different shows if you want. If you are submitting sketch, don't edit down the sketch. Like I said before, they want to see a whole sketch. No one wants a surprise. If you feel you have to edit out the lagging parts to submit the sketch in the first place, you should probably be editing the sketch itself before performing it, period. Our best demos came from when we saved up the money and hired a professional videographer and editor to help us. We also pulled together a show of our best material and filled the theatre with people who would laugh.

If you submit to a festival or agent and don't get accepted, it is not always because they "hate you" or are "assholes" or "only choose their friends." A lot of times there only a few key spots available to fill and you are one of hundreds submitting. You might not be selected if you can't be heard on the tape or if the material is edited or if they are a live comedy festival and your reel is mainly video. It is not the fault of the selection panel if your tape sucks. Sometimes your tape may be great but it may be your first year on the scene and while the potential is there, the panel may want to wait a year to see how you evolve before putting you in front of industry and press with their name behind you. Sometimes you just suck. Ha ha ha. None of these things though should keep you from submitting each year. Take the time to work on new material and polish old material. Keep shooting as many shows as possible to try and create a better tape. If you really want to make it in this business, reach out to the festival, etc, and ask for feedback. Be prepared for it and open to the possibility that it might be helpful.  The last three years we have had a group apply to Sketchfest NYC with the EXACT SAME DVD. It did not get them in the first year, and it certainly didn't the last two years. Maybe the group is great now, but how do we know that. All we see is the same crappy tape from 3 years ago. It is not our job though to coddle applicants and say "Hey, submit something new."  A huge part of succeeding in this business is to be aggressive and thick skinned and to know that rejection isn't a personal insult it is a lesson to learn from.

Bio:
Elizabeth "Biz" Ellis hails from Birmingham, AL. Since moving to NYC 7 years ago as a stand up, she has been seen in a myriad of comedy clubs, from Gotham to Caroline's, and she was a featured comic on Good Morning America. She has worked as a freelance writer and performer for the National Lampoon Radio Show and the Daria & Mitch Morning show on Portland, Oregon radio station105.1 The Buzz.

Ms. Ellis has proudly been a performer and writer for MEAT, the most critically acclaimed all-female sketch comedy group in the country. She provides the voice of DIXIE the hamster in the upcoming children's DVD and CD, Hampton and the Hampsters, and the voice of Barren from the soon to be released Xbox 360 Live Arcade game "Street Trace: NYC."