For the past year and a half, my team and I have competed in the monthly moviemaking competition known as Showdown in Chinatown. While the first place prize has always eluded our grasp, fame and a somewhat celebrity followed us, making us a crowd favorite, but alas, not the judges’ favorite.
I entered the competition, believing the playing field was leveled: everyone was given the same time frame and requirements. But I was forgetting the two elements that have quickly made the playing field a mine field: the crowd and the judges. I’ve seen some quality work come out of the pressure and grueling deadlines of the competition, but when a polished, well-executed and stylized movie loses to effects-laden toilet humor flick, it’s very clear what kind of crowd you need to cater to.
But no more.
No more will our thought-provoking and earnest films go up against gun-toting trash. No more will our intriguing storylines and colorful characters go up against wafer-thin or non-existent plots. Maybe at a later date, we’ll re-enter the competition. For now, we’ll focus our talents on feature films and telling stories that were so long left on the back burner. We strive to entertain an audience in the film festivals.
Filed under: Art, People, Rants | Tagged: filipino, movie, hawaii, film, showdown, chinatown, 5, foot, giants, productions, American, Filmmaking
