Being a judge for an amateur movie competition is being doomed. Almost anything you say will be held in evidence and used as proof that you are not only an idiot, but a blind and deaf one! What's more it is hard work.

BUT ... there are certainly some awful judges.

SO ... what can we do about it?

IAC considers all sorts of ideas about how the judging of amateur movies might be made more consistent, more useful to entrants and less subject to individual whims. We want your ideas, please. If you have suggestions please contact us.

I ought to add that at the time of writing (March 2000) Jan and I have just finished the written comments we had to prepare after helping to judge part of Movie 2000. ;The organisation of that judging was formidable. ;Mike and Liz Donlan watched all the entries as they arrived to make sure they were playable and to log them. (Every evening for weeks!)

• First round involved 12 judges who between them saw all the entries over a weekend which started at 7pm Friday and finished about 5pm Sunday. ;They awarded Certificates of Entry, Blue Seals and Bronze Seals. Everything else was passed forward.

• 3 judges saw entries in the Youth and Junior categories on a separate weekend.

• 3 judges saw entries in the Open category.

• 6 judges between them saw all the entries passed forward by first round. ;They awarded Silver Seals and passed on everything else to the final stage. ;That too was a weekend running 7pm Friday to 6pm Sunday.

• 3 judges saw the final selection awarding Gold Seals, International Medallions and the many trophies. Another long weekend.

All those people had to be found beds for the night, and be fed. ;Each weekend required the commandeering of someone's home to turn it into a mini cineplex with two or three viewing rooms in operation simultaneously. Suitable kit had to be found. ;All the movies had to be sorted out for viewing in a timetable which ensured so far as possible that judges did not see work from their own Region.

Don't knock the Competition Officer, his wife or parrot! ;They did not judge!!!

;Mike Donlan, Competition Officer and Sid.

Page updated on 21 March 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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