When you submit a production to CINE, you submit a form that tells us everything we need to know about that film. CINE juries use that information when evaluating entries, so what you put on paper should best serve what you present on screen. Here are a few tips to help you avoid the mistakes that may set your production back right out of the gate.
“INTENDED AUDIENCE”
DO NOT OVERSTATE YOUR AUDIENCE. Our juries frequently see “for a general audience,” “for all ages” or “for moviegoers from 9 to 99!” While that’s a remarkable goal, in most cases, the viewing preferences of the 9 year old and the 99 year old won’t be identical. Even a seemingly narrow audience (ie., “for grades K-6″) can in fact be too general; as any elementary school teacher can tell you, a video for a kindergarten classroom is almost never appropriate for sixth graders, and vice versa. Our jurors are always checking carefully to see if a film communicates well to its intended audience. If a production misses the mark with anyone within the stated range (and with a “general audience,” that’s virtually everyone) it will lose points – and, potentially, an award.
If your production is intended for 25 year old steel workers in western Pennsylvania, say so. The better the judges know your audience, the better they can evaluate how effectively your film speaks to them.