Festival Entries Tips
Film festivals have to evaluate all kinds of films, no matter how big or small. Since the first day it was founded, MHFF has been evaluating every applicant film without accepting any bias. As MHFF Team, we examine and evaluate each film from every aspect and give the fairest score and evaluation in line with the criteria. Especially with the developing technology and opportunities, everyone can now produce works of film or artistic arts comfortably and easily. What is important here is the message that the work wants to give, its narrative style, and its ability to go beyond the creator of the work. As the MHFF team, we and our judges have determined certain methods and criteria to evaluate each project in the most fair way. What are these criteria and how are films evaluated? MHFF criteria 1-Creativity "Its not What, Its How" There are many works on the market that are similar to each other or have been shot/remade before. It is completely normal to re-tell a story that has been told before, or to tell an original story and take a different stance. What is important is how you say it, rather than what you say. 2-Editing "What is your style? Every director's storytelling should be independent and different from each other, and the nature of being an original director requires this. The editing part is a careful and valuable part of a film project, which is about how you want to present your story to the audience and how you want to tell the story. Before applying to festivals, you should control your editing in the most detailed way and review the omissions and minor errors many times. 3-Story/Script " What is your story is about?" Every film, from animation to music videos, must have a story and a subject it wants to tell. Although some directors may find it exciting to confuse the audience, the general audience and festival juries are more interested in the course and outcome of the story being told. If it is your first project and you intend to apply to festivals, it may be more advantageous for you to have your film understandable. 4-Directing "What's next? Producing a film or artistic work is a difficult endeavor, and it is not easy to bring people together and form a team for your project. As a director, it is most important to pay attention to every detail and to give importance to your team and crew as much as to your vision. The first thing that catches the eye in successful and high-quality projects is to see how harmoniously the entire production progresses. Flawless acting, lighting settings, sound and image quality, editing are all matters that a director should pay attention to. 5-Light " Is it too dark or too bright? While one frame of your film is dark, another frame may be bright, the weather conditions or light sensitivity may not be equal on the day you shot. All these elements need a continuity following each other. The same scene can bring out different emotions in different lighting. Remember that the lights are the silent dialogues of your movie. 6-Sound "Cant hear Actors" One of the biggest mistakes in festival applications is that the sound quality is not good enough. Sometimes actors may not be heard, sometimes music and background sounds may overshadow the actors. Before applying to the festival, you should check the sound quality of your project and test it with different equipment. Remember that the judges will want to hear everything clearly while watching your projects on their laptops. 7-Cinematography "the devil is in the details" Sometimes it's a drop of water, sometimes it's a leaf grain, sometimes it's eye expressions. These can be very useful in telling a story or character development. Even though you like to use different angles and shots, sometimes small details can make your story more interesting. 8-Casting/Acting "Do I need A+ Actors?" Casting and acting are indispensable in a movie. No matter how great your script is, it is the actor who will bring the character to life. Sometimes the story may not be very good, but your actor can do outstanding work beyond the story. It is very important to work with good actors as much as your budget allows, and moreover, for the director to guide the actor at the level he wants. 9-Promising "Do I have a vision? Am I good enough to make films? As MHFF Festival, the issue we attach most importance to is eyes looking at the future with sparkle. Sometimes, stories shot with a small budget or with an old camera, with an amateur spirit, can be much more beautiful than million-dollar projects. Lack of equipment and lack of budget should not deprive you of your vision and the story you want to tell. As MHFF, we stand with the storytellers who do not give up. You should believe in yourself, because we believe in you. Good Luck MHFF Team