I had a video that I liked pretty much ready to go, so I thought I'd do it for the sake of the Practicum, and hey, if I happened to win $25,000, I didn't mind. I sort of thought it could also lead to fame and fortune, if I were to be discovered.
So I paid Vimeo $20 to submit one video. I had to use a PayPal account, which I hadn't used in a while, either; it was sitting in the ether gathering dust.
I spent about an hour uploading this video, which wasn't that big of a file. I then decked it out with an artist's statement and credits. I got to pick which contest category my video fit into. Finally, I paid my dues and submitted it to the contest. This was all pretty exciting, as I felt like I was truly participating in the Vimeo community of artists and not just trollers.
So some time went by and no word about my great success. Finally I got this:
etc etc. Basically I wasn't on the shortlist. I was actually disappointed. What a waste of $20! I kept getting advertisements about buying tickets to the fest. Then I realized I'd been had - what a fool! They encouraged me to submit because they're making money off probably thousands of submissions, and they're making money off the festival. It's almost as bad as places like University of Phoenix - scamming people into thinking they're getting a college degree, and running away with their money. Vimeo was telling little guys like me that we could be great filmmakers if we only give them some money. Basically the same crap film schools spew. Vimeo is a business after all, no matter how nice their banners look and how much they claim to be an "artist's community." They are here to make money.
How disappointing! I was wondering if this negative experience with Vimeo affected your future interactions or perspectives with the website?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I would be able to look at Vimeo as an artist's community if I felt like it was a bandit that ran away with my money. Did the realization of its commercialization ruin the community aspect for you?