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TXU Energy Asks Film Critics: What Makes a Great Film?
Along with the Dallas Film Society we’re looking for some bright ideas about energy.
So we’re inviting High School and College filmmakers across Texas to enter the 4th annual
TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet Student Film Contest.
Competing students will be sharing their original short films about energy with us for a shot
at sharing $35,000 in prizes and a walk down the red carpet later this year and the Dallas
International Film Festival.
Since filmmakers are some where in the creative process right now we thought a few tips might
be helpful. We talked to some area film critics and here’s what they had to say.
I’m Mark Walters and I run a website called big fan boy dot com. I’m Todd Jorgenson
a film critic for Hartman news papers and cinemalogue.com. I’m Paul Salfen, I’m
the cohost of the Drew Pearson show on Fox Sports. Matt Mungle creator of the mungle
show dot com.
What are the elements that make a good film?
One thing that I look for as somebody who watches a lot of films is the script normally
draws me in.
The first thing is making sure you have a story that is worth telling and it could be
something from the heart or from someone else but the story has got to be there.
It’s got to have a good script an original script something that is compelling to people.
The most important thin is to come up with your own idea and it’s not easy to do to
come up with something that has never been done before.
For short films I think what’s particularly important is to grab the viewer right from
the beginning and it’s important with short films because you don’t have as much time
to tell your story.
And I would say that with any film the key to it being successful is that if you could
turn off the audio and just watch the movie and know exactly what is going on, that’s
a successful movie.
For more information TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet Student Film Contest txu.com/studentfilmcontest.