Audience to judge film contest at Hammer Museum’s Open Projector Night
By Catherine Flanagan
Aug. 16, 2010 8:31 p.m.
Not all movies leave the audience blown away, or even content, for that matter.
But Tuesday, the UCLA Hammer Museum’s Open Projector Night will provide a comedic and audience-centered solution to displeasure with films. A blend between stand-up comedy and a night at the movies, the relatively new and growing program gives both amateur and professional filmmakers the chance to showcase their work where audience members are the judges.
Open Projector Night started a year and a half ago when the Hammer Museum was looking for fun ways to open its doors to more members in the community. According to Camille Thoma, the museum’s public programs assistant, this particular program gives an opportunity for people to bring and showcase their films in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
“It’s a very interactive event and kind of lets us shake our hair out for the night and hang loose,” Thoma said. “It also gives potential for young filmmakers to come and show their work and get some feedback from the audience.”
The first 30 films to be submitted a half an hour before the event begins will be screened. The only requirement is that the film must be less than 10 minutes long. According to the museum’s programs coordinator Darin Klein, the audience does the rest of the work.
The MCs first introduce and explain the procedures to the audience. Then, Klein said, their cheers or boos determine whether they will watch the rest or move on.
After all the films have been screened or booted, the MCs (with the audience’s help) will award the top three films prizes consisting of Hammer Museum store certificates and Hammer Museum tote bags.
“This is a hybrid of short films and stand-up comedy,” said Jason Sklar, who MCs the event along with his twin brother and fellow comedian Randy Sklar.
“For instance, Randy and I are stand-up comedians, and you know when a joke works or if it doesn’t the second you tell it. It’s not always that way with films, especially short films. In this way, (the event) is trial by fire.”
Instead of film critiques, the judgment of the films comes directly from the audience.
“One thing that I’ll say about the audience is that it’s probably one of the most honest reactions the filmmaker will receive about their film,” Jason Sklar said.
But to keep the audience from getting too hot and burning filmmakers and their films, the Sklars will try to keep the atmosphere light.
“The tone of our comedy isn’t mean, so we try to bring that attitude to Open Projector Night,” Jason Sklar said. “The truth is, while half the fun of the night is to have fun and shout out at the films screened, they are also people’s work ““ their art. They put it out there, but at the same time, they spend time working hard on it, so you can’t fault their effort.”
While in the past, the event has received all different genres, Thoma, Klein and Jason Sklar all agreed that the audience generally favors comedies. But Klein said the likability mostly depends on content.
“Sometimes the movie can be very shaky and amateur but can have really good content, and the audience really goes for it,” he said.
Thoma, Klein and Jason Sklar all said the event has grown considerably from previous shows. Jason Sklar said it has to do with its unique form of entertainment.
“It’s like going to a movie and a stand-up comedy show at the same time,” Jason Sklar said. “If you don’t like what you see, it’s going to be over in five minutes and something else will be on. There is nothing like it in Los Angeles.”
