Thanks for being a volunteer!
Here are some basic instructions. First, I recommend viewing the website to learn the basic info. There is a good description on the main page, and info on the voting page.
Here’s a little bit about The Spirit of Capra Award. This is our main signature award. A film in each category will win this for its category.
The concept is well-illustrated in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” as George Bailey discovers how much of an impact he had on everyone. It’s true that in almost any film, people affect other people. But for this festival, we want to find out how well a film embodies this ideal. Some films will be much stronger than others in this regard. There can be multiple ways for the theme to be depicted, and it is amplified by how well the film illustrates it in the plot, action, and characters’ motives.
Of course, production quality of the film is important, and should be a factor in your scoring.
The Audience Favorite Award is mainly a popularity contest. The film with the most fans and votes wins this one. But you can vote on this, too. There is no other criterion other than how well you liked it, even if it didn’t embody the Spirit of Capra very well.
There are other awards (actor, director, etc.) for some (not all) films.
We encourage you to vote on each film, and its nominated actors and actresses. But other aspects, like editing, or director, there is no need to vote on these if you’re not sure about it. Just vote on whatever you can. However, I think the ballots give a helpful explanation of what to look for in judging these additional factors. If you should have any questions, please contact me.
Note: Films’ ballot ratings are not made public. Don’t be afraid to award low scores (1,2, etc.) to the least impressive films. Try to make full use of the range from 1-10 so that there is some distinction between the scores for the best of the films. I hope this makes sense. Any film or actor, etc., that you feel is below average, just give it a score of 1. And save the higher numbers for the better films.
Viewing tips: I suggest opening the ballot in another tab, while watching the film, so that you can look at it from time to time, to help keep in mind what you are looking to judge and vote on.
You can watch them on faster speed setting, if desired. And you can skip through parts of a film, especially if you find it unappealing and likely to get a low rating from you. Just be sure you give each film a decent chance.
You don’t have to view every film, however that is the goal if possible.
Thank you,
John Rodgers
Deputy Director, Life Fest Film Festival