Filmmaker Maclovia G Martel (SPACE FOR ART)

SPACE FOR ART, 15min., USA
Directed by Maclovia G Martel
Space for Art is an extraordinary documentary film on the power of hope, courage, and healing. Featuring astronatut, and artist, Nicole Stott the film follows her on perhaps her most important mission of uniting a planetary community of children through the awe and wonder of space exploration and the healing power of art. Meet some of the young children who are wise beyond their years.

https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/space-for-art-film

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This had all of the great ingredients for a remarkable story.

Space is sexy. Everybody loves an astronaut.

But for me healing children through art, completely grabbed my heart.

This is a story that was certainly worth telling!

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

This film took a year and a half to complete. This is a long time for a documentary short.

But for us it was important to get this right.

The film is global, which is a great part of the story, but adds to the challenge of the story as well.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Healing Power

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

We wanted the audience to appreciate the power of healing for children.

But we also wanted to tell the story of a remarkable start-up no-profit organization.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Tremendous satisfaction that a story that we struggled to get right, seemed liked it was clearly understood and deeply appreciated. We felt like all of the hardwork was fully redeemed.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I was speaking to astronaut Nicole Stott, and she humbly was explaining the purpose of her new mission in life.

Because she was so down to earth and so humble it took me about 20 minutes to appreciate how beautiful and impactful her initiative really was.

I begged her to trust me to try to capture this remarkable initiative and this remarkable story.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I have seen “Die Hard” the most.

But I have recently been touched deeply by the documentary “Wild Life.”

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

We were super satisfied. We always are open to cross social media leverage!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Of the entire film project, this was probably the most efficient experience!

10. What is your favorite meal?

Foreign, exotic and spicy

11. What is next for you? A new film?

We are looking at doing a documentary short on the California desert flower superbloom

Filmmaker Karl Fallon (GHOSTS MOVING FLOWERS AND PHYSICAL MEDIUMSHIP)

GHOSTS MOVING FLOWERS AND PHYSICAL MEDIUMSHIP, 60min., UK
Directed by Karl Fallon
This Ghostcircle film by Director Karl Fallon, is a thought provoking documentary about Physical Phenomena never captured before on film. The documentary is captures moments in time about modern day Physical Mediumship with Physical medium Patrick McNamara in which he explains that by providing the necessary conditions with people in a “Psychic Circle”, it will allow spirit entities the opportunity to move flowers in people’s hands. These Psychic or Physical Circles were demonstrated repeatedly and held in independent and reputedly haunted locations around the UK and Ireland. The film explores and captures the phenomena as he discusses the process around the demonstrations. All attendees were unknown to the medium and his team before turning up to see what they would get. The individual independent Psychic Circle sitters actually see and feel amazing phenomenon, and then give witness statements about that they experienced. See the strange and flower moving by the spirit entities with the sitters.

https://www.instagram.com/karl_fallon/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I originally made a TV series called “Ghostcircle” 5 individual Series now, and I have been filming our group of psychic mediums doing some pretty unique and amazing things, so I wanted to showcase some of the best of it from many different episodes. I selected the clips I wanted and put a narrative around it which was done by Patrick McNamara. Patrick explains what is actually going on in the filming from a spiritual or psychic side. It’s quite a complicated, and difficult to process because we never know how it’s going to turn out when we roll the camera, so to speak. The phenomena that we get is related to the conditions that we film in, and it’s affect by such things as the environment and the peoples energy that they bring. The more positive and excited people are, the more we get, and with that excitement there seems to be more energy created. How that all works I don’t know, but you know things are going well because it just feel good and the phenomena starts to happen. Some people don’t believe it, but you can’t argue when a flower moves in their hand and they are gripping it tightly too. So, if they aren’t doing it themselves and you can see that, who or what is doing it? That’s my motivation.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The idea took shape about a year ago, and I have already been putting clips together from time to time during my editing as I had always wanted to make a showcase documentary, something with impact. I had already filmed Patrick McNamara, who does the narration in “Ghosts Moving Flowers”; quite a while back and he basically sat down with me and we just did a Q&A about how we would explain things to a lay person. Basically, explain to the ordinary man or woman in the street as they say.

So Patrick has a great understanding of how it all works, he is also an excellent communicator, so he knew how to just do an inspirational talk without any script or prompting. I just asked a question off camera and he went off and answered it. We both knew the example clips that would be used in the documentary, so he just reeled off the explanation around the clips to be used. We could never use a script anyway, it wouldn’t work because Patrick cannot remember lines anyway!

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Totally unique

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle I faced is just filming it, hoping to capture something. When you make a film or documentary you generally have a script or story board maybe. Even with reality documentaries you can plan to a certain extent, and just follow the subject so there is always some result by doing this. However, what I have to do I end up just hoping to capture the phenomena and get an interview which is so difficult to do, and sometimes nothing or very little happens.

And there is no story board, and no script, or nor actors, or planning like in most filming. The team literally turns up and see what we can get. And normally as you probably know, it’s all so slow the filming business.

But that’s not the case with us. We do everything quite fast, usually within a couple of hours because it’s very tiring for us (especially Patrick and the other psychic mediums) and you are working with people who are not being paid, it’s all public volunteering, and they just turn up to see our psychic experiment. We have no idea most times who, or even how may will be there when we start the experiment. On one occasion, three people promised to turn up in the evening to film with us. We had only met them during that day, and in the end they never came back later on that evening. So, we actually went into a pub and asked three guys having a drink with some girls if they would like to do a psychic experiment in a function room we had next door. They said yes, and within 20 minutes, they had flowers moving in their hands. That’s what it can be like. We would do experiments with a lot of the staff at locations we film in, so we can only film them when they finish work which is usually quite late. Also, just trying to get the post interview reactions after filming was always a struggle because we usually filmed quite late like I said, and people normally wanted to get home straight afterwards. Patrick and I had a bit of an effort to try make people just stay behind, he would do a chat like a Q&A while I selected the people I wanted to interview. I normally had my interview targets after the psychic experiment, and I picked those who had the best experiences that I saw while I was filming. So, just to get a 5 minute reaction straight afterwards I would do it in a separate room because there was always chat afterwards and the noise can be quite loud, people were always excited after we did these psychic experiments. I would literally ask them for a quick reaction shot, with the emphasis on quick, and go do run and gun interviews with off the cuff questions. Then bang get the next person in who hopefully had not left by then. Next person, same thing again……

On one of the interviews on the documentary I had knocks on the door from the pub manager, that was a tricky edit to do as he was giving some great reactions too….I had to ask him to repeat what he just aid…but it was like 2:20am on a Wednesday night, so we had only finished about 1:30am…Filming for all of this, it was always a bit frantic.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It was kind of emotional a bit because the only people to see the documentary up till then, were our crew members who were involved with the making of it. And while they all loved seeing it, I wanted to get an independent reaction to the documentary. So it was great to hear their thoughts and reactions to the viewing which I really enjoyed.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Well, strangely enough…I was actually told by a psychic many years ago that I would be doing this…filming and creating lots of videos. It was shown or explained to me, as “I was standing next to piles of DVDs”. I didn’t even buy DVDs at the time. Yes DVDs remember those old things LoL? And, since then I have done about 50 episodes for a TV series called Ghostcircle. I did actually make DVDs afterwards for a while, and it was probably a large pile….So, there you go…I actually never had any interest in photography, or filming when I was told that prediction in the mid 2000’s.

Then when I started editing, I found I had a bit of knack, or aptitude for doing it…And I really enjoy doing trailers for different episodes I have done. I like putting the music and video together, that’s my fun bit.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I’m not one to obsess over a favorite film, watching it over and over like some people do, but I do love “Back to the Future” and if it’s on I’ll stop and watch it. And one of the funniest I lie is “Some Like it Hot”. These days some people won’t even look at black and white films, which is just crazy, but for me they are both fantastic films.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I think the reaction or feedback you do is really worthwhile, so thanks for doing that. And maybe other festivals should take note of that too and include it in their format somehow.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It’s a really great platform, I had not heard of it until recently but now it’s quite vital for submitting your films and documentaries.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Steak, mash potatoes, onions and gravy. Or chips instead of mash. And if the chef has no Steak, I will take roast chicken. And if there’s no Chicken, then the chef should be fired. He knew I was coming!

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I am thinking of another documentary, something a bit different, but storytelling. I have some filming already done, the core bits of interviews are in the can so I need to put some narration around it. And edit it.

However, my main focus is that I have also recorded some Music with the London Symphony Orchestra in London over 2 days, which is now being mixed and mastered at the moment. The music was actually created for the TV Series “Ghostcicle” and we have re-mixed it with the composer Jamie Wilkins to create 12 Classical Music tracks which were recorded in February. Jamie actually also appears in the TV series too, but he is a composer and conductor. This will be his first Classical music album, and it’s all as a result from the filming we did, and the music he wrote for the episodes that we filmed.

Filmmaker Hugo Hebbe (RORQUAL)

RORQUAL, 43min., France
Directed by Hugo Hebbe
Have you ever wondered what creatures might be hiding in the Mediterranean?

http://rorqual-lefilm.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
This is my very first film as a director. Making this film was therefore a real challenge and a dream to achieve for me. I was fortunate enough to encounter the Rorqual (the animal in the film) several times before deciding to make a documentary about it. It was these encounters with it that pushed me to make this film. It was the best way for me to pay tribute to this fascinating creature and to the work of the WWF.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took me a total of two years from the concept of the film, through shooting, writing, post-production, and finally to its release.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Discovery and Awareness

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle I faced in completing this film was my seasickness, which made filming at sea extremely challenging. Additionally, as this was my first film, I often found myself questioning and doubting my decisions during the production process. Despite these challenges, I was able to learn a great deal, which significantly enriched my experience and growth as a filmmaker.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Seeing the audience’s reactions in the feedback video was incredibly moving. Hearing our work compared to that of National Geographic was probably one of the finest compliments I could receive. It reaffirmed the impact and quality of our visuals and storytelling. I am also very pleased to see that the audience appreciated the film so much. Their positive feedback is both heartening and motivating as we continue to pursue our passion for filmmaking and environmental storytelling.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I realized I wanted to make films from a very young age. I had always dreamed of encountering the wild animals that inhabit our planet. I watched a lot of films, like “Oceans” by Jacques Perrin, and it was this passion that sparked my dream to become a filmmaker. The desire to tell stories about the natural world and its magnificent creatures drove me towards this path.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The film I’ve seen the most in my life is “Interstellar.” I’m deeply influenced by its mysterious, musical, and contemplative aspects, and I strive to bring these qualities into my own films, particularly in the genre of wildlife documentaries. I aim to infuse this touch of mystery and contemplation into the stories I tell about the natural world, blending emotional narratives with the awe-inspiring visuals of animal life to evoke a deep sense of wonder and introspection in the audience.

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Submitting to the festival via FilmFreeway was a straightforward and intuitive experience. The platform was easy to navigate, which made the process of submitting my film quite smooth.

9. What is your favorite meal?
French Fries

10. What is next for you? A new film?
Following the success of my first film in collaboration with WWF, we have launched the production of a second film, which is even more ambitious. This new project aims to build on the achievements of the first and expand our exploration of critical environmental themes, using a deeper, more comprehensive approach to storytelling and visual presentation.

Filmmaker Elisabetta Zavoli (THE FISHERMAN, THE ALIEN, THE SEA)

THE FISHERMAN, THE ALIEN, THE SEA, 9min,. Italy
Directed by Elisabetta Zavoli
In June 2023, the population of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) boomed unexpectedly in the Goro lagoon, Delta of Po River, Italy. Here, amidst the alarmed but inactive shouting of the entire community, a young fourth-generation fisherman, Alessio Tagliati, leader of a small cooperative of clams farmers that has lost all their production to the blue crabs’ voracity, faces this new environmental challenge by reviving a traditional sustainable fishing technique his grandfather taught him and by following what the sea taught him: being ready to adapt to an environment that continuously change, thus showing a tremendous spirit of resilience in the face of the collapsing of his world.

http://www.elisabettazavoli.com/
https://www.facebook.com/elisabetta.zavoli
https://twitter.com/elizavola
https://www.instagram.com/elizavola/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’m a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker. In 2023, I investigated the invasion of alien species Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the Mediterranean Sea thanks to the support of the National Geographic Society – Storytelling Grant. One of the outputs was a short film telling the impacts of the blue crabs invasion.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I made this short film from July to October 2023, when I met Alessio Tagliati, the young fisherman, whose approach was the perfect subject for telling a positive story of human resilience and care for the environment.

3. How would you describe your film in two words?
Sea, Hope

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest challenge was to find the ideal weather conditions to support the narrative.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I think the audience got the right message from my short film and this makes me very happy and accomplished.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
The short film was one of the outputs I have to produce for the National Geographic Society – Storytelling Grant but until July 2023 I haven’t found yet the right subject for telling the story. When I found him, the story unfolded in front of my eyes.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Piano by Jane Campion

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I think that live screening events where filmmakers can meet the audience are always the best!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
My experience was very good and FilmFreeway was very well organised.

10. What is your favorite meal?
I’m vegetarian, so any dish based on vegetables and fruits.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I hope to be able to follow up the blue crabs invasion crisis in the lagoon and see how the whole community reacts.

Deadline Today: FEMALE Feedback Film Festival

Submit via FilmFreeway:

The FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (FFFF) was created for women filmmakers and screenwriters. The goal is to showcase the best of female talent in film & TV from around the world.

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Film Festivals (short & feature) occurs 12 times a year (every month) in Los Angeles and Toronto.

Accepted films get their film screened at 2 festivals. The Audience Feedback Festival where you will receive a video of people’s reactions to your film. (Great asset to promote your movie). Plus, the Film Festival Streaming Service Festival where it will be seen by people in the industry and film fans.

Plus, each filmmaker gets the opportunity to do two interviews to further promote them and their work. A blog interview, and a podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show.

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Screenplay Readings also take place EVERY SINGLE MONTH.

Every submission received full feedback on their script from an industry professional. Winning scripts get their script performed by professional actors and make into a video for you.

Watch the SCI-FI Film Festival – Best of South American Films – April 20/21 event

Go to the Daily Film Festival Platform http://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 7 day trial to watch a new and original festival every single day.

Go to the festival page directly and watch dozens of films:
https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Watch the festival:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/april-20-sci-fi-south-america

See the Full Lineup of Films:

GOOD NIGHT, 1min., Brazi
Diected by Paulo Leão
Strange sounds surrounding home

https://www.facebook.com/paulo.leao.31

NO MAN’S LAND, 15min., Argentina
Directed by Enzo Pedroni, Francisco Castro Inveninato
Threatened by imminent danger, Victoria and her baby seek refuge in an abandoned chapel where they meet Aquiles, an elusive village survivor who gives them shelter. Their bond will be tested when their paths cross with “El Golfista”, a young man who makes many promises.

https://www.instagram.com/tierra.de.nadie1/?hl=es

CNX´S, 15min., Argentina
Directed by Bernardo Alejandro LORENZO
Abel lives in a complex where he interacts with a strange talking computer and develops an alienating job under a system of merits and punishments. Due to the deterioration that this routine generates, he needs to add more merits to update his biomechanical body and continue to be functional. For that, he receives the help of a delivery man who allows him to develop a plan to hack the system. When he succeeds, he discovers the truth about the environment in which he is immersed.

https://www.instagram.com/cnxs_cortometraje

ANANTARA, 13min., Brazil
Directed by Douglas Alves Ferreira
In the not so far future, a little girl lives alone in a junkyard. One day, another girl appears, and life is not so lonely anymore. A big event occurs, and they will never be the same again…

http://www.douglasferreira.com/

SCISSION, 73min,. Venezuela
Directed by Luis Rojas España
Luis tries to lead a normal life since he left his country, but strange events begin to happen from his homeland, submerging him in a sea of doubts where it is impossible for him to differentiate reality from paranoia.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21916134/
https://www.instagram.com/escisionmovie/

Filmmaker Podcast: EP. 1191 – Filmmaker Yiou Wang (WATER ALWAYS GOES WHERE IT WANTS TO GO)

WATER ALWAYS GOES WHERE IT WANTS TO GO, 5min., Romania
Media Artist Yiou Wang
“Water Always Goes Where It Wants to Go” is an ecoperformance CG art video of the body in synergy with the storied landscape of water. How can we go back to something we already have? We are born out of water, and water constitutes our body, our territories, and our myths. Mapping water through the body, in between transitory space for waters, the short film investigates the relationship between the self, its embodied and somatic dialogues, and these physical and symbolic waters, questioning how we can return to our first water, the common body.

Works

https://www.instagram.com/yiou_wang_/

Get to know the filmmaker:
This short film is the natural product of a very rich and interesting conversation Alina and I have. Many of our ideas clicked and crosspollinated. Alina is an actress and performance artist, who expresses through her body; I am a visual artist who expresses through image and form. We are both empaths who share an intuitive, embodied connection to a larger, more-than-human world. Alina has been introducing to the world the method of ecoperformance for many years, where she embodies a forest, a river, a crow, or an ancient mythic being and shapeshifts in synergy with the consciousness of the embodied. We began to focus on water, as water is our first body – the amniotic fluid is where we come from, and our common body. In many precolonial cultures and epistemologies, the land is often also corporeal. In Tuva, the mountain peak is the heart of mountain ranges, where rivers are the aortas, the soil’s blood vessels.

Alina and I wanted to create a branch of artworks embodying water combining her ecoperformance and my virtual filmmaking. She performs embodying water from our animistic perspective, and I do the motion capture, transferring her movement to the avatars of water. The scenography is designed with a root in theatre arts, where I put my 3D scanned natural environment pieces in the scene reminiscent of stage.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It is hard to pinpoint the start of this project, since Alina and I have been communicating for a year and our minds grew into this rich constellation. Since the beginning, we agreed to draft some proposals to apply for certain live performance art grants. After that, we thought why not make a film to further illustrate our proposal? And the actual production and editing of this film was about three weeks. But it’s hard to say it’s only three weeks, because a lot of the models I put into the environment were from my longtime habit of 3D scanning in my forest hikes.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at http://www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/
https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Deadline Today: EXPERIMENTAL, DANCE, MUSIC Film Festival

Festival occurs 3 times a month at our Los Angeles and Toronto events. See website for next events: https://experimentalfilmfestival.com/

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Festivals take place at various Cinemas in downtown Toronto, Canada, for the audience feedback video.

NOTE: The festival has created a hybrid festival with 4 tiers to enhance your film and your festival experience. All accepted films receive all four tier options:

Tier #1 – Your film plays at either a public live event where we will record the audience reactions of your short or feature and then send you the feedback video. Or, it plays at a private festival event where the audience will record their comments/reactions to your film on their camera or phone, then we edit them and send you a promotional video. No matter what you will receive a promotional video of your film of people commenting on your film.

Tier #2 – We put up your film live on the Film Festival Streaming Service for 30 hours and invite a select industry audience to watch it. With this system, some films have already received a distribution deal as many platforms are looking for solid feature and short films. We can not guarantee anything of course but this has been very helpful to many in the past. (see testimonials below)

Then (Tier #3) we will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film. Then after that (Tier #4) we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we chat with you about the process of how the film was made.

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The goal of this festival is to showcase the best of new experimental short films and independent music videos from around the world. Films that don’t get a fair shake from other film festivals because programmers don’t know where to “categorize” these films. There isn’t a typical linear story occurring so most festivals can’t truly understand the talent and beauty around these films.

We want to showcase films that showcase true originality and talent from filmmakers from every corner of the globe. And also showcase new musicians who have made a music video and want it to be shown.

Deadline Today: LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival

This festival is designed to showcase the best of LGBTQ+ stories from around the world today! We accept screenplays (short, TV Pilot, feature) and short & feature films.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Film Festivals:

Festivals occur every single month. We accept an assortment of shorts & feature films from around the world today monthly. We are proud to announce that we will be using the audience feedback format where all accepted films receive a video of people talking about their film at the festival. Excellent video to use for promotional purposes too. NOTE: To enhance the feedback video for the filmmakers, all festivals are held for a private selected audience only.

Screenplay Festivals:

We are proud to showcase 2-5 winning LGBTQ+ screenplays at our festival every single month!! Go to the site and watch the winning readings each month.

All entries receive full feedback from the industry. Accepted screenplays get their screenplays performed by professional actors.

One of North America’s leading gay destinations, Toronto has been holding Pride observances since the ’70s. The Pride parade draws more than 1.2 million spectators and participants annually, making it one of the top such draws in the world. The cinema is located in the Church & Wellesley area, where all of the Pride Events take place.

LGBTQ+ festivals occur 12 times a year. Go to the website for information on the next events.

All submissions receive feedback on their film no matter what.

Deadline Today to Submit: FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival

FANTASY and SCI-FI Stories used to be a fringe market. Now they are in the mainstream now and forever as movies, television shows, and stories in fantasy/sci-fi are a gigantic multi-billion dollar market. This portion of the Film & Writing Festival serves the Fantasy and Sci-Fi filmmakers and writers from all over the world.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Get your script and story performed by professional actors at the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Festival. WINNING reading every single month!

Get your short or feature film showcased at the FEEDBACK Film Festival and get an audience video. Now a monthly festival taking place in either Chicago, Los Angeles, or Toronto

All festival dates have been updated to private screenings with the same Audience FEEDBACK videos made for the short & feature films, and recorded script readings performed by professional actors for the screenplays. This is our way of showing community over distance so everyone around the world can experience our Audience Feedback videos.

We specialize in showcasing Fantasy/Sci-Fi stories and making sure that when the work is ready, the writer will benefit by at least obtaining a solid agent.