To Show or Not to Show – Deciding if Your Feature Film Should be Shared

Deciding whether the feature film you have worked so hard on is worthy of being shared is not easy.  With the size of everyone’s ego, as well as the amount of work put into the project it is no wonder that everyone is completely emotionally invested into the process which can make it even harder trying to make the right decision.  The fact remains that anyone who is looking to create a career in the film industry will eventually have their work critiqued by their peers.  Being able to accept this and properly decide if a film should be released is important.

You are going to need to look at the film honestly and make a clear decision.  There should be no struggles with should you release it or not.  The fact remains that some of the biggest factors are technical.  For example, if your camera equipment is poor, or you have bad sound equipment for the film that detracts heavily from the story line you need to avoid the temptation to release the film.  The one major exception to this rule would be releasing a feature film that has poor shooting or sound that was actually intended.  If your story line focuses around this and it works out perfectly to enhance the story for some reason then releasing the film is acceptable.

If you find out that you have suddenly encountered a legal problem that could arise if you release the film it might be best to hang onto it.  One example of this would be using a person that is well known to base a character on.  If the person feels that the character infringes on their rights they would be allowed to sue to protect their rights.  If you find yourself in this position then deciding not to release the film would be wise.

On the other hand, if you are merely nervous about your work and scared what people will say you will need to simply swallow your pride and introduce your film.  Taking a risk at what people have to say is important.  Not all feature films that are released are a huge success.  There are plenty of films that come out of Hollywood that are not a major commercial success.  Being fully aware of this is essential so that you do not take any rejection from viewers personally.  You need to keep in mind that everyone has different ideas about what makes a successful movie, and not all story lines will be widely popular.

You need to also ensure that you give the opportunity for people to provide feedback for your feature film.  Taking the feedback that you receive from viewers can be quite helpful as you are trying to work out what is working for your audiences, and what leaves them completely confused.  Your job as a filmmaker is to ensure that you are able to pass along the ideas that you are trying to portray, without completely confusing the audience.  If your audience is still lost once the movie is over, you will need to work more on your approach towards telling the story.  You might discover that the characters were not detailed enough, the script was lacking, or you were simply shooting from the wrong angle.  Information like this is quite helpful regardless of the type of video that you are creating.