Appendix 1
MUDDLED THINKING
What does concern me about the bfi/Film
Council is muddled thinking and ill-thought out presentation.
Someone had the good idea to give some short films some exposure
by having them shown to a cinema audience by having them tagged
to the 35mm print of a major feature film in such a way as to
not create any extra work for the projectionist.
I happened to see two of these presentations
before I knew the background. The audience was given no warning
or no explanation. There is a slight sense of panic when the 8BFC
certificate appears and it doesn't have a title you are expecting.
There was no advisory explanation at all to the audience, even
on the lines of "we hope you enjoy this short film".
The experiment did not survive long before being
dropped. It was a good idea, but being badly presented and sprung
on a cold audience without any explanation is not the way to win
the hearts of an audience.
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