What They See is What We Get 
When audiences file into the Harkins Sedona 6 for the official opening of the Sedona International Film Festival and Workshop on Feb. 23, it kicks off four days of happy discovery for fans of independent films. But by that day, at least three and as many as five of the 30-35 volunteer screeners have been there and then some, having waded through somewhere between 900 and 1,000 submissions to identify the cream of the crop. They watch the dross, so you don't have to. Debbie Williams, the Film Festival's Operations Director, claims a little space by the window in a small office at the Chamber of Commerce building for her chair. It's late October, and closing in around her are stacks of bulging looseleaf notebooks, DVD cases, filing cabinets, mountains of paper, and, most important for her sanity, two computers that hold a database. With a month to go before the final, final (more or less) final deadline for submissions, she's juggled paperwork and/or discs for about 600 films. She's grateful about 500 so far had come from a Website called Without a Box, (www.withoutabox.com), an online clearinghouse that, for a fee, allows indie filmmakers to enter information about a film just once, and send it to any of 1,700 participating Festivals with one click. For Debbie, it is a lifesaver; info from Without a Box feeds directly into the Sedona festival's database, developed by her brother, Tim Owen, drastically reducing the need for data entry. The 100 or so submissions that come into the office by other means require Debbie to enter all particulars into the database by hand, and there's lots of it: Is it a narrative feature, documentary, short, or, in one of the Sedona festival's fastest growing categories, animation? Is there a press kit? What format have they submitted in? Was the processing fee paid? And that's just a start. Films are color-coded by category, and labels, and a master score sheet and tracking number generated and filed in a notebook. All applicants receive a note saying their film was received and is in consideration, a courtesy that sets Sedona apart and generates good will among filmmakers. With paperwork and database record in order, the submitted films, almost all on DVD, hit a shelf, all in plain sleeves so screeners focus on the film, not any slick packaging. They can grab as many as they can watch and return in 48-72 hours. After recording what they've taken on a paper sheet, which Debbie tracks, they go home to grade each film in eight categories, including acting, direction, and maybe most important and trickiest to put their finger on, Suitability to the Festival on a scale of 0 (No!) to 5 (Great!). A remarks field lets them flesh out the numbers, and a quick scan of sheets shows they have lots to say. When at least three screeners have seen a film, indicated by dots on the case, Debbie sends the grade sheets and the films to Dr. Sheila Jackman, chair of the Screening Committee, who tallies scores and comments, and puts the title in question in the Yes, No, or Maybe pile. Unanimous thumbs-up or -down are easy; when opinions diverge widely, she decides where it goes next - back for more screenings, or for Pat Schweiss's view. She's also careful to see there's a diversity of opinion - asking for a male perspective if scores are from three women, or ensuring at least one younger screener weighs in. Films stay on the bubble until weeks before Festival weekend, when acceptances go out and programming begins. The Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop takes place Feb. 23-26, with Premiere Night sneak peeks on Feb. 22. For tickets and updates, see www.sedonafilmfestival.com. THE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2006
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2006
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2006
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January/February 2007: Sedona Film Festival Preview 2007
July 2006: From the Ground Up June 2006: Gown Town May 2006: Residential Arias April 2006: Love on the Rocks March 2006: Go Out and Play! January 2006: 12th Annual International Filmfest: What They See is What We Get December 2005 : Queen for a Week: A Visit to 7 Sedona Spa's November 2005 : Happy Holiday's: Sedona Style! October 2005: Curves September 2005: All that Jazz! July 2005: New Kids on the Block June 2005: Summer Fashion 2005 May 2005: Opera Houses April 2005: A Tour of Five Stylish Wine Cellars March 2005: Sacred Mountain January 2005: 11th Annual Sedona International Film Festival December 2004: Luminarias November 2004: Fun Trips to Cool Places October 2004: Book Preview: To Life in the Small Corners Augest 2004: Open Portfolio: Paul Hawkins and Susan Zalkind July 2004: Sedona's Televisionaries June 2004: Open Portfolio: Mike Medow May 2004: Partners in Mime April 2004: A Sedona Day in Pictures |
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