Strange
From: Christchurch
Since: Apr 2013
Posts: 108
in reply to Bloydd:
Good Thoughts
There needs to be (an option for) some award at a regional level
Yes. 100% yes. Duh?!
Ultra should be judged on how well you use the extra element
Yes. 1,000% yes. Duh x1,000,000
Change the requirement from 5 years in the comp to 1
Disagree. I like the idea that ultra is something for new coming teams to look up to, something to aspire to. A set of stripes that need to be earned.
To that end though. Ultra just needs to be more a special badge to add to your team intro. A unique T Shirt at the launch, ‘literal badges’ or collectables that you earn by doing ultra and that you can collect over the years. There should be a special section in the site screening room. (There isn’t even a badge for it in the screening room is there?) these are all pretty small and stupid but in I think a little would go a long way here.
And I’ve said it before but here goes: ultra should grant a team extra powers. (Extra maximum runtime feels like the obvious choice to me, but I understand the arguments against this*) or what if Ultra teams got to trade the ultra requirement for one of the other requirements? Or if signing up for ultra ment you were guaranteed to be able to pick your own genre from the selection, I don’t know but make it a bigger deal, not just extra challenge. Make it exciting! If the teams going to take on a potentially weekend crushing extra challenge (and it should be potentially weekend destroying) there should be some give and take.
Diversify which part of production Ultra affects
Agree, but also, we’re only two years in. The key thing I think ultra should do is blindside teams.
Ultra has to be completely clear by 7pm on Friday
Abso-freaking-lootley
Having never done ultra, I’ve never run into this problem, but I’m aware of it. Even if you think its obvious as to what ultra is, a blog post diving deeply into the technical requirements of the challenge should go live at 7pm. What does and does not count as completing the challenge.
Possibly also a a fair play rule could also apply. As in, ‘subvert the rules at your own risk, we want teams running at the challenge head on not trying to get around it.
Make it optional on the weekend?
Disagree for ultra. BUT, really like this as an extra extra thing? Would need to put those teams in the running for a special award. But i like the idea of something extra to opt into for fun. Like a second even weirder line of diologue? Or an added technical element, something that will broaden teams use of cinematic language and thats easy to judge and give a special award to (like the match cut one year - side note, best technical requirement there’s ever been)
I like Ultra in concept, I look forward to doing it one year, but so far I haven’t regretted not doing it
*arguments for and against giving ultra teams extra run time
It’s easier for the judges, comp and everyone involved if the films overall are shorter. shorter by and large makes for better films. Agree agree agree. BUT
Shorter makes for better films, disproportionately in the area of the newer in experienced teams. Ultra’s supposed to be for veteran teams that have already learnt that the shorter/tighter edits will make their films the better. So why not open the runtime back up to those veteran teams, most likely many of them wont even use the extra run time, but my hope is that some teams will use that extra time to tackle ideas and scenes that need some extra room to breath.
And I’ll just counter one possible counter argument, ‘its not fair to give some teams extra runtime, while all the other teams are stuck with mins, 48hours should be a level playing field’
Well, it’s not, and it never will be. By design, 48hours is ‘unfair’. If 48hours was as fair as possible, every team would be given the same genre, truth is some genres are way way harder than others. (That’s the nature of the beast, and thats OK)
