Blogger’s Panel: Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Blogger’s Panel, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Saturday Jan. 30, 2011 at the Museum of Art

Reviewed by Dorothy Littlejohn at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Blogger’s panel began with a discussion among the panelists and moderator about the Academy Awards nominations coming up soon. Nobody was introduced except the moderator, Peter Rainer, who is not a blogger but a film critique for several publications including the Science Christian Monitor, National Public Radio (at times), The New Yorker (at times) and others.

The audience who stayed (many left) seemed to enjoy the banter. It was possible to read between the lines to determine the type of effects these established bloggers have on not only the Academy Awards and other awards, but how they can get more hits. Pete Hammond said that a friend taught him how to write headlines that will draw in hits and that if you can get Bradd Pitt in the title it gets hits.

Anne Thompson said that reading blogs makes people change their minds.Also that
people who blogs are often targets to get smeared which usually backfires, giving them more hits and more readers.

Steve Ford says, “Actors sometimes call me up and ask what the heck I’m up to. Or will comment on my blog”. And that twitter is what he uses to send out in a short blast and not what he’s going to write about.

Scott Feinberg says, “Some keywords get hits, like someone’s real name. I posted a tweet as a joke about one actress. People pay attention to those things.
You have to be committed to voicing your opinion and be passionate about your views.When you genuinely love movies and like to write about them, it shows through.’

My expectation in attending the blogger’s panel was different than what I got. I did get a sense of what established bloggers do, but I was looking for more of the nuts and bolts:how-to-do-it kinda thing. It’s all good. It was worth my while.

Here’s who was on the panel:

Scott Feinberg (Scottfeinberg.com), Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood), Steve Pond (The Wrap), Sasha Stone (Awards Daily), Anne Thompson (IndieWIRE), and Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood-Elsewhere).