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Boring Indie Film - Major SEO Work This Summer
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 8:45 AM - Tampa Indie Film Log for Filmmaker C. A. Passinault
If A Tree Falls, And No One Is Around, Does It Make A Sound?
Please. There
is a small clique of people who refuse to believe that Tampa Bay Film
exists. It’s like “If we ignore it, and don’t admit
that it is the voice of Tampa indie film, we can deny its existence, and
therefore it does not exist”.
Except it does. Ignoring it does not make it less relevant. Just because
you are ignoring it doesn’t mean everyone else is. The irony? All
of you already realize this. You just refuse to admit it, at least publicly.
Privately, in the darkness of night, many of you spend long hours with
the glow of Tampa Bay Film on your screens. You ponder what is published
on the Tampa Bay Film sites, and worry about the film scene which is coming-
a film scene that may drop you like a bad habit, and if it remembers you
at all, you will be remembered as a has-been, never-was, or a failure
in the amateur era of Tampa indie film.
At this point, Tampa Bay Film and its armada of seven other web sites
have reached search engine saturation, and it’s only just the beginning
of what is coming (you should see the flyers and other marketing tools
that I am now using). Just about everyone, including the people who refuse
to publicly acknowledge it, read Tampa Bay Film, read this film blog,
watch indie films on the online film festival, and read the other sites.
This site influences a lot of people, and makes a difference. At this
point, Tampa Bay Film is one of the few sane, professional voices of reason
that the Tampa film scene has.
The Tampa Bay Film sites are dominant, and only increasing in popularity
and effectiveness. There will come a time when Tampa Bay Film will be
the definition of the Tampa indie film scene, and even the minority who
are detractors will be forced to acknowledge it as a standard. It will
become the standard, too, setting new benchmarks for indie film, especially
with all the work going into it. There will come a time when Tampa Bay
Film will be the source for all things indie film in Tampa Bay, will have
the most relevant network of film festivals, and will have the best indie
film events in the bay area. The next generation of Tampa filmmakers,
who will displace the small group of current filmmakers, will come along
in the next five years or so, and they will define the Tampa indie film
scene because of Tampa Bay Film.
I’ve experienced discrimination, slander, hate, threats (including
death threats and threats of assault by Tampa “filmmakers”),
and a lot of unprofessional and unethical behavior at the hands of the
Tampa indie film clique, a clique which was masquerading as a Tampa indie
film community. I did not start the fight. I’m certain at this time
that they regret starting their B.S. with me. I was the wrong person to
mess with. I am an entertainment ethics activist, with a proven track
record of disrupting, and then changing, industries, and the way that
business is done. I continue to work to change Tampa indie film. I am
sincere about helping make Tampa indie film a leader in the independent
film industry. I am also working to make sure that new filmmakers all
get a fair shot at contributing to the film scene, are able to become
a part of the upcoming Tampa film community, and will not be treated like
I was. I am fighting for your rights, the rights of Tampa filmmakers,
and the future of indie film in Tampa Bay.
We are winning the fight, too. The back of the film clique has been broken,
and now the remaining people are fighting each other (and I get a lot
of amusement witnessing those fights.... It’s kind of like flying
over a third world country in jets and watching the primitive natives
throwing spears at each other, below). They are defeated, and are becoming
more irrelevant every day. The Tampa Film Review, which was the hangout
for the clique, failed. A fanboy web site, their online hangout, is in
serious decline. I sit back and laugh at the infighting, and the ghost
town which used to be a thriving message board. I won many great fights
on that message board, and now, no one uses it because they chased away,
or banned, all of the cool people. I’m looking forward to the day
when the message board is deleted. The models, talent, and I will sit
back and celebrate. It will be a great day indeed.
The reason for your decline is not what you think. It’s not Facebook,
Myspace, Youtube, or anything else. It’s you. You did it to yourselves!
Your clique of hate, and your discrimination and slander against others,
caught up to you. People stay away from you because they figured out that
you are a clique of insecure haters. People are staying away, too. You
had your shot, and you blew it! I love the spin that you give, and the
excused, however; it’s amusing. In my opinion, you didn’t
give up covering Tampa indie film because a lot of others are now doing
it. It’s because Tampa Bay Film is doing it, and you can no longer
compete with the new standard, the voice of Tampa indie film. We don’t
need all the B.S. and propaganda. We need the real issues covered so we
can address what is wrong with Tampa indie film. We need solutions. We
don’t need some insecure kiss-ass endlessly promoting “popular”
film festivals which do not have the best interests of Tampa indie film
in mind. We do not need people selling out Tampa filmmakers, or selling
out Tampa indie film!
Nolan posted the following on what’s left of his message board:
My
original purpose in covering local film was because nobody else was doing
it, and I felt it needed to be exposed. In the beginning there was the
TamBay Film Festival which went broke after several years of groundbreaking
effort. There was also Saints & Sinners for a while. But there was
no Gasparilla Film Festival, no SunScreen Film Festival, no Facebook,
no MySpace, and no YouTube. There was the TFR, TFF, and us. All that's
changed. Through the efforts of The Tampa Film Review, the PCR, and the
tireless work of local filmmakers, Tampa finally got put on the map. Then,
the Gasparilla Film Festival grew way beyond its humbler roots into a
national attraction.
They've gone bigtime and certainly don't need me to promote them anymore.
My status as a reviewer and film judge apparently went with Eric Odum.
Doesn't mean I no longer support local indie film.
When the GIFF was originally announced at TFR, the format was a different
story. But that was then, this is now. I'm glad they've finally upped
the percentage of local films into what they originally said they were
going to do. And there's nothing wrong with the direction they took. GIFF
is rivaling the Sarasota Film Festival and soon may outpace even them.
I'm very proud of them. They bring money and attention into the city.
I disagree, Nolan. GIFF has
not hit the big time. Remember, too, that I WAS THE ONLY ONE who brought
up the issue of the original format, too, and the only one who addressed
it (also, when I dared to question Paul about it, he tried to attack my
credibility with slander instead of answering my questions, or having
a simple debate). The rest of you jumped on the bandwagon and blindly
supported it! After the first GIFF, a lot of people realized that I had
been right! In my opinion, it is an overhyped film festival created to
market the Tampa Bay area as a production location for outside productions.
Those outside productions would compete with Tampa filmmakers for limited
resources, undermining the creation of local Tampa films, and keeping
us off the map. It’s all about money, Nolan. In my opinion, the
GIFF was created by the Tampa film commission (with the help of a Tampa
filmmaker who sold out his filmmaker brothers. I was there at the Tampa
Film Network meeting in 2006 when this all went down!), as a way to attract
Hollywood here and bring business to the market. Hollywood has deep pockets,
and it would be very hard for Tampa filmmakers to compete with large productions
coming in, like locusts, and using Tampa resources at the expense of local
filmmaking.
I don’t believe that these current large film festivals have the
best interests of the Tampa indie film scene in mind. I don’t think
that they really care, despite what they say. In my opinion, GIFF is the
marketing pawn of the film commission. The other large film festival seems
to be more interested in selling expensive film workshops than in investing
in, or supporting, the local film scene. We don’t need the fake
pretension of Sarasota, either. Also, don’t get me started with
the film commission. They need to stop trying to capitalize on the Tampa
Bay Film brand, now! I don’t need them, and I’m sure that
Tampa filmmakers are beginning to realize that they don’t need them,
either.
Tampa Bay Film is the only publication which is addressing the issues
with the Tampa indie film scene. I’m one of the few who actually
question what is going on. The cool thing, though, it that everything
that is published on Tampa Bay Film is significant. The issues that we
raise are seen by everyone now, and many people are now asking those same
questions themselves.
Oh, again, GIFF has NOT hit the big time! I am hearing from more than
one source that the GIFF almost did not happen this year, and in my opinion,
that would have been a blessing for us all. A curious fact about GIFF
is that is was a lot shorter this year, too. I hardly call that growth!
Also, who in the hell in their right mind is going to travel to all of
those different venues all of the days it ran and pay $10.00 per screening?
Did anyone have the time, or the money, to attend the entire GIFF, despite
its shorter length? These film festivals are the biggest load of B.S.
ever, with simple movie theatre screenings branded with the GIFF name.
I know a lot of people who did not go to GIFF because it sucked, it was
overpriced, and it doesn’t do anything, in my opinion, to put Tampa
indie film on the map.
Why are we one of the few who are openly pointing out that the Emperor
has no clothes? This, at least, is my qualified opinion.
This is one of the reasons that Tampa Bay Film did not cover GIFF this
year. We don’t see it as being relevant to the future of the Tampa
film scene. Don’t believe the hype. Ask questions. Also, don’t
blindly support something just because you think that everyone else is
doing it!
Check the search engines lately? All the resources poured into Tampa Bay
Film are working. I own 53 web sites now, and soon it will be 60. Of those
53 sites, 8 of them are Tampa Bay Film sites. Tampa Bay Film, out of all
of my internet investments, is the single largest investment that I have
made into online resources. Even my top modeling and talent resource sites
take second place to the resources that have been invested in Tampa Bay
Film. I’m serious about Tampa indie film, and am also serious about
addressing all of the fake B.S. crippling Tampa indie film.
Progress cannot be stopped. Market domination is inevitable, and the first
place that will happen is online. I’ll keep doing this, and working
on this, until our objectives are met.
Do you think that we would do all of this work, and not do anything with
it? There is a plan, and although some progress has been slow, things
will get done.
For now, though, I am happy about how far Tampa Bay Film has come in the
past three years. I’m also looking forward to making indie films,
bringing new filmmakers into the Tampa film scene, and then launching
a network of revolutionary film festivals which will be sincere about
supporting the advancement of the Tampa indie film scene.
I will say this now. Right now, in my opinion, the only reason that GIFF
is still around, and is hyped, is because it is the only game in town
(much like the TFR used to be). Everyone of you sheep out there who jump
on the bandwagon and blindly support things like GIFF should be ashamed
of themselves!
Once my film festivals, real film festivals, are introduced to the market,
I’m looking forward to putting as many of these film festivals out
of business as possible.
I’m C. A. Passinault, and I am honest about supporting the advancement
of Tampa indie film. I don’t cheerlead, I don’t hype, I don’t
sell out Tampa filmmakers, and I don’t compromise. How many out
there are with me on this?
I don’t roll over. I don’t go away. I don’t give up.
I don’t stop. I fight the good fight, within legal and ethical boundaries,
and stand up for what I believe in. I am the opponent that you don’t
want to go up against. I win.
It may not seem like it now, but the movement is growing. Tampa indie
film, and Tampa filmmakers, will one day be taken seriously, and these
false people now making a mockery of Tampa indie film deserve the backlash
that they get from the professionals who are fed up with all of the pretense,
politics, and B.S.!
You should see all of the emails that I get denouncing all of the crap.
It’s like “Hi, I am so and so, a filmmaker in Clearwater.
I am a regular reader of Tampa bay Film, and I agree with the points that
you have brought up on your site. Before you continue reading, please
understand that I am, in no way, affiliated with Paul, the fanboy clique,
or.........”.
That’s right. They denounce the Tampa film clique. They denounce
the unprofessional B.S. that the Tampa film scene has had to endure. I’m
not the only one who is fed up with all of this. Our numbers are growing.
People are opening their eyes to the truth. Deal with it.
Tampa filmmakers do not need Hollywood to come here and “save us”,
creating Hollywood East. That won’t happen. Hollywood productions
in Tampa Bay, in my opinion, and as the production of The Punisher demonstrated,
would undermine Tampa indie film. With Hollywood here, local filmmakers
would find it much more difficult to make their films, and to sell put
Tampa indie film on the map.
Tampa filmmakers need to make it happen. We need to form the first professional
indie film community, and establish our own Hollywood east! I’m
determined to help make this future happen.
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UPDATED 01/03/11
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