Rough Cuts, Trust Us: Philly’s Filmmaker Open Mic Night

If you signed up for our Grip + Electric 101 Boot Camp last Fall, then you probably heard one of the instructors say: “nobody cares about your screenplay”. Of course, this was a joke, sort of. But when you are not on set, there are appropriate times and places for creative feedback and we are about to tell you about one of our favorite such outlets where your creative ideas will be very welcome.

You’ll have to finish writing your screenplay first, though. Plus, once that is done, you’ll have to produce the film. Bing-bang-boom, you’ve got yourself an edited video of some sort. Then what? Next, you’ll take this fledgling work of art over to our friends at Philly Rough Cuts! There you will be able to sign up for an open mic forum to present your work and get the very valuable feedback you’ll need to make it great.

You’ll love it! Rough Cuts is a place where people care about more than just your screenplay. They care about the work in its entirety and help you become a better filmmaker. This is not a finished film showcase, this is a work-in-progress feedback forum. All types of work are screened, from student films to passion projects, to broadcast commercials to corporate work for clients. Whatever the video is and in whatever stage of incomplete it is, you will receive valuable critique and criticism from industry professionals and creatives from all walks of video production at a variety of experience levels. Most importantly the mission of this group is to be supportive and facilitate a more creative and effective video production community and they do a great job of it.

On the first Wednesday of every month, the Philly film community gets together to present their latest and greatest works in progress. It is a great place to get your name out there, meet other successful film industry folks, and to just have a good time! Also, don’t worry if you’re a novice. This is a very inclusive and understanding group. Everyone is welcome.

There are a few guidelines. The most important of which is the run time limit; must be under 10 minutes. For more info, go check them out along with other FAQs on their website, join their private slack group, and get to filming or writing or acting or DPing or– you get the picture.

Roughcuts even creates opportunities to get experience on set through their Rough Cuts Minis initiative, but you’ll have to go to one of the events to learn more about that. Long story short, this is a great venue to get involved and collaborate in the community.

Rough Cuts is a monthly event from 7-9 PM at WeWork in Northern Liberties. Hope to see you there!