20 Questions Film » NFFTY

WATCH: Don’t Underestimate The Importance of Good Acting

Mads Black — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 19:52:11 +0000

It sounds pretty obvious, right? Don’t underestimate the importance of good acting. And why would you? If you have spent months – perhaps even years – developing a project, why would you put it all in the hands of an amateur when you’re right at the finish line?

When we asked Jesse Harris (filmmaker and founder of the NFFTY film festival) what he’s learned about filmmaking, both from creating his own projects and from helming a large, international film festival, he remarked how often a fine film turns sour because of bad acting.

Case in point. Wonder how these would have turned out with different casting decisions?

Maybe this one could have even been saved with a different lead?

WATCH: You’ve Won An Award At A Film Festival – Now What?

Mads Black — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:25:27 +0000

Hollywood A-listers and a handful of Oscar newbies are still recovering from their hangovers, marking the end of the prestigious awards season. But for the rest of us, not yet on any Oscar shortlists, awards season continues year round with hundreds and hundreds of film festivals around the globe. But what happens if you actually win an award?

Jesse Harris, the found of the NFFTY film festival in Seattle, shares some insight on what filmmakers should – and shouldn’t – expect from taking home awards at a film festival.

Much more from Jesse is available here or on our YouTube channel.

WATCH: The Difference Between Commercial And Narrative Directing

Mads Black — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 19:27:12 +0000

Jessie Harris, Director and Founder of the NFFTY Film Festival in Seattle, discusses the differences between commercial and narrative directing. He’s done both and he’s bringing up some good points to keep in mind, if you are currently doing one and want to try your hand at the other.

Jesse Harris is a Los Angeles-based commercial director with numerous projects under his belt, working with some of the biggest companies in the world. He is also the founder of NFFTY – a Seattle film festival for talented, young filmmakers. The biggest of its kind, actually.

WATCH: How To Get Professional Representation as a Director

Mads Black — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:27:05 +0000

What comes first; the chicken or the egg? The representation or the jobs? While it might not be feasible to put yourself in the running for directing national commercials right out of the gates and without representation, that doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) do the same work under the radar.

Commercial director, Jesse Harris, talks about how he first got professional representation as a director and how he got to a point where he felt he was ready for it.

And while on the subject, let’s have him elaborate a bit, shall we?

WATCH: Common Traits In Films By Young Filmmakers – And How To Fix The Problems

Mads Black — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 02:44:17 +0000

Filmmakers of any age are wise to speak from their heart and to draw on their personal experiences. Which is probably why NFFTY-founder, Jesse Harris, sees a lot of coming-of-age stories from younger filmmakers. No surprises there.

But if you wish to stand out from the crowd, listen to what Jesse also sees a lot of – and how to fix some of the common problems.

Much more from Jesse and a great many other exciting filmmakers on our YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to both our channel and our newsletter.

WATCH: What Is A Commercial ‘Treatment’?

Mads Black — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 01:10:08 +0000

Jesse Harris – commercial director for clients such as Volvo, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Disney and Virgin America – explains to us, in layman’s terms, what a treatment is and why you make one as a commercial director, when you are bidding for a project.

Much more from Jesse and a great many other exciting filmmakers on our YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to both our channel and our newsletter.

WATCH: What Can You Learn From Attending Film Festivals?

Mads Black — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 00:06:25 +0000

Jesse Harris has seen a lot of movies. Some good, some bad – all made him a better filmmaker. In this video he talks about how attending film festivals, even if your own film isn’t screening, can be a learning experience.

Jesse Harris is the founder of NFFTY, the world’s largest film festival for young filmmakers, and a self-taught director. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and our weekly newsletter for more inspiring videos!

WATCH: How Are Films Chosen For Festival Programming?

Mads Black — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 01:39:37 +0000

Don’t let the boyish smile and relaxed charm fool you. Jesse Harris is the founder of the world’s largest (yes, THE WORLD’S LARGEST!) film festival for young filmmakers, so though he’s young, he’s no spring chicken and he definitely knows what he’s talking about when he’s talking about film.

In this particular video – part of our on-going series of video interviews with interesting young filmmakers – Jesse explains how NFFTY selects the films for their festival programming. A lot of what he mentions applies not only to NFFTY, but to all film festivals, so if you’re thinking about submitting your 5-minute masterpiece to some of the thousands of film festivals around the world, take a minute and listen up:

Jesse is currently a commercial director at World Famous. Variety named him one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine’s Top 50 Culture Makers. This is the third video in our interview series with him.

WATCH: How Can You Benefit From Submitting To Film Festivals?

Mads Black — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 22:46:57 +0000

As the founder of the world’s largest (yes, THE WORLD’S LARGEST!) film festival for young filmmakers, Jesse Harris should know what he’s talking about. He’s a self-taught director and is now making a living in the field. All this to say that the video below should be well worth 2 minutes and 24 seconds of your time.

Much more from Jesse Harris will be posted shortly, so please check back soon. Or even better, subscribe to our newsletter and our YouTube channel.

WATCH: How To Become A Director Without Going To Film School

Mads Black — Wed, 20 May 2015 18:45:47 +0000

Next up in our on-going series of video interviews is this little chat we recently had with Jesse Harris, the founder of the world’s largest film festival for young directors and a self-taught professional director, about how you can become a working director without going to film school.

Whether you’re a youngster with a dream of making it in Hollywood or a seasoned veteran in the field, do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with NFFTY; the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. NFFTY is now the largest film festival for young directors and hence the place you’re likely to first see the talented directors of tomorrow. But Jesse Harris didn’t dream up NFFTY out of thin air. After completing his first distributed feature film at just 17 years old, he realized there was a need for a place where young filmmakers could exchange ideas and experiences. Enter the Seattle-based film festival NFFTY.

Hear how Jesse describes his path to first becoming a director (without a film school background), then founding an internationally renowned film festival, and then transitioning back into working as a director in Los Angeles.

Jesse is currently a commercial director at World Famous. Variety named him one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine’s Top 50 Culture Makers.

Check back for more videos with Jesse coming up soon! In the mean time, check out his work here.