The Masterson Awards for Fetish Film Excellence

[Grace X]

Happy New Year, everyone!

It is time again to kick off Masterson Award season! This is our third year for the Mastersons, and it became quite a blockbuster event last year. We gathered fans and producers on multiple community boards and virtually every studio, amassing 144 nominations in 20 categories. Bluestone was well represented, coming away with many nominations and some major awards (Best Strangle of 2015 and Best Director of 2015).

This year we're gearing up to celebrate our fine creators in the death fetish film industry again, once again on multiple boards across the community.

Blue, as there was last year, we will have a "Producer's Choice" category, where you are heartily encouraged to talk about the film you feel most proud and excited about from 2016, so I would love to hear your thoughts!

We'll also be talking about actors and actresses, directorial and screenplay accomplishments, technical excellence, and much, much more. I'll keep you updated in this thread and all around the community. The Mastersons follow the timetable of Hollywood's Oscars, so awards will be announced on Oscar Night. But in the meantime, let's talk fetish film, and applaud the amazing creators of our genre!

(Masterson Award Statuette designed by Syncret, based on Jill Masterson, the "Golden Girl" from Goldfinger)

[xj900uk]

Oh Golly Gosh, there sure is a lot of material there to choose from...

[Grace X]

There sure is, xj hon. Just browsing through the Producer section here at FF, or visiting the various official sales sites for clips, shows how active and creative the many studios of the death fetish film genre are.

I've really enjoyed getting to know so many of the producers better over the previous Masterson Award years. I talk to many of them on their sites, forums and blogs, and via email. Sometimes as fans I think we forget just how hard they work, how much effort and dedication they put into making our fetish fantasies come to life. (Of course you know, Blue, you live it.) It's nice to have this annual opportunity to say thanks to them, offer a little recognition for all of that hard work, and let them all know they are appreciated.

[Director B]

Hi Grace X, who votes on your award thingy? What are the categories in these The Masterson Awards? Is the voting system fair? For example - say a category is direction - the people that vote, do they understand what a well-directed film is, the techniques being used, a well-composed shot? What about performance, do the voters know what a good performance from an actor is? Or will categories be voted for by people who vote for what purely turns their crank or because they want their own company to win? In the Bafta & the Oscar academy, the voters are made up of Actors, Producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, people who understand the level of excellence. If the voters are just going to be people who buy or production companies that vote for themselves, it seems hardly fair on all levels. Not that I care about such things, I'm Just saying.

[Grace X]

It's a great question Director B (and as the co-recipient with Blue of last year's Masterson for Best Director, it is quite apropos).

Each year I reach out to a broad spectrum of fans, producers, screenwriters, even actors in our genre to join our own "Academy". We prepare a slate of about 20 (it will probably be more, this year) categories that are available for those people to vote on, and if an individual feels qualified to vote only in one or a couple of categories, that's fine. It was amazing to see how many folks from both the fan and production side of the industry were interested in taking part last year.

No person in our "Academy" can vote for their own work. But as I mentioned above, I do encourage Producers to make a "Producer's Choice" of their own, to let fans and potential customers know what they felt particularly proud of in a given year.

My hope (and this is Hollywood's master plan with the Oscars as well), is that not only winning but being nominated and discussing your work will open it to a wider audience, help with the sales of EVERY studio, and begin to generate a feeling of respect and appreciation for the work you all do.

Drop me a PM, Director B, if you would like to be a member of our Academy! I would be thrilled. By building a coalition across the spectrum of creation/enjoyment of our own film genre, it's exciting to celebrate together, say thanks to one another, recognize some splendid achievement, and (yes, I am a promo and marketing executive in real life, and I would love to see you all benefit from the added marketing punch of a broad-based event like this) potentially prosper a little more financially.

[Director B]

It's a great question Director B (and as the co-recipient with Blue of last year's Masterson for Best Director, it is quite apropos).

Each year I reach out to a broad spectrum of fans, producers, screenwriters, even actors in our genre to join our own "Academy". We prepare a slate of about 20 (it will probably be more, this year) categories that are available for those people to vote on, and if an individual feels qualified to vote only in one or a couple of categories, that's fine. It was amazing to see how many folks from both the fan and production side of the industry were interested in taking part last year.

No person in our "Academy" can vote for their own work. But as I mentioned above, I do encourage Producers to make a "Producer's Choice" of their own, to let fans and potential customers know what they felt particularly proud of in a given year.

My hope (and this is Hollywood's master plan with the Oscars as well), is that not only winning but being nominated and discussing your work will open it to a wider audience, help with the sales of EVERY studio, and begin to generate a feeling of respect and appreciation for the work you all do.

Drop me a PM, Director B, if you would like to be a member of our Academy! I would be thrilled. By building a coalition across the spectrum of creation/enjoyment of our own film genre, it's exciting to celebrate together, say thanks to one another, recognize some splendid achievement, and (yes, I am a promo and marketing executive in real life, and I would love to see you all benefit from the added marketing punch of a broad-based event like this) potentially prosper a little more financially.

Hi Grace, to tell you the truth I'm really not interested in being a part of it I was just saying that the voting system, on many levels as I see it, is flawed, just my opinion. Anyway, I'll let you get on.

[elsullo]

But don't millions of illegal immigrants vote fraudulently? I realize there is no evidence of this, but of course there wouldn't be, would there? Lots of people are talking. I hear many, many things. I know things that other people don't know. Believe ME!.......................elsullo

[Director B]

But don't millions of illegal immigrants vote fraudulently? I realize there is no evidence of this, but of course there wouldn't be, would there? Lots of people are talking. I hear many, many things. I know things that other people don't know. Believe ME!.......................elsullo

Sorry elsullo, maybe it's just me being stupid but not getting what you're saying, please explain.

[Grace X]

If I was to guess, Director B, elsullo is being playful (referring to our recent US election in an amusing way). Elsullo my dear, you are impish, but delightful.

Your thoughts about the structure and methods for voting in the Masterson process are something I think about much myself, Director B. There are a lot of challenges in building an awards format for our genre (among which are finding folks who have seen a broad array of films from many studios...who have expertise in the technical and authorial area of the field, etc). The first year we did the Mastersons it was pretty small and few noticed, but last year as I mentioned I reached out to a much wider cross-section of fans, producers, and creators in our community, and we ended up with 144 nominations from across the spectrum of studios. The coalition of folks interested was a lot of fun to interact with. I learned about studios and films even I had never heard of.

In any case, just having a broad-based effort to raise awareness about the quality of filmmaking in the death fetish genre is a project quite dear to my heart. You all give me immense pleasure, and it's very satisfying to do my best to give back to you all a little.

[elsullo]

Director B, don't worry, I wasn't responding to you but rather the subject of the "voting process" which in the USA doesn't make much sense at all. This nation has gone insane, now headed by insanity personified, whose speech patterns and irrational thought processes are fun to mock. He believes, with ZERO evidence, that "millions" of illegal immigrants voted fraudulently against him, he just KNOWS it; otherwise he would have also won the popular vote. I NEED fun, now especially. Oh, I need fun DESPERATELY: I believe Rasputin has been reborn in New York City to mesmerize the populace with a new kind of tortured false twist on Christianity---Holy Wall Street Capitalism. Goddess Grace can see through my madness to what little humor I have left! Bless her sexy little heart ...................elsullo

[Director B]

Director B, don't worry, I wasn't responding to you but rather the subject of the "voting process" which in the USA doesn't make much sense at all. This nation has gone insane, now headed by insanity personified, whose speech patterns and irrational thought processes are fun to mock. He believes, with ZERO evidence, that "millions" of illegal immigrants voted fraudulently against him, he just KNOWS it; otherwise he would have also won the popular vote. I NEED fun, now especially. Oh, I need fun DESPERATELY: I believe Rasputin has been reborn in New York City to mesmerize the populace with a new kind of tortured false twist on Christianity---Holy Wall Street Capitalism. Goddess Grace can see through my madness to what little humor I have left! Bless her sexy little heart ...................elsullo

Oh, I see thanks for the clarification.

[Chris B]

Grace, in my experience when people pretend to be ignorant and not understand something, when they are actually very intelligent and understand completely, they are just throwing sand in the other kids eyes because they are not happy the other kid's toy is shinier and better constructed then theirs.

Almost everyone has a childish side, reactionary and quick to denounce something that is not theirs, or that works better than theirs. It is just insecurity and fear of change. It is also called "hating". Haters gonna hate, just shake it off.

There are so many people that LOVE those awards and the process couldn't be anymore honest than with you. I know the non haters do appreciate everything you do, and even though they might not really truly get how much you have helped this genre, ESPECIALLY PRODUCERS, then it is their loss and just makes them look childish. You do more for this community than anyone I have or do know in this genre.

Shame on you Director B for acting like this and calling out someone who has helped even you. (I know you will probably say, "I never asked for help"!) Yeah well the thing about Grace is you don't have to.

Thanks Grace, I appreciate everything you do, and I am not even the winner of Best Director.

Chris X

[Grace X]

Thank you Chris, sweetheart. You are the best, and always one of the most generous and selfless individuals in our community.

I do totally understand those who are not yet excited about the Mastersons...there have been various film award events organized in our community before, and they have mostly ended up with a somewhat narrow focus and limited participation, which naturally prompts skepticism.

I'm personally filled with enthusiasm for the project. We leaped from a tiny event in our first year to a cross-board, multi-studio-spanning celebration last year, and I'm seeing plenty of shared enthusiasm from producers and fans right now as we've kicked off the 3rd Annual Masterson nominations formally this weekend over at FetNoir. I'll be posting at FN, here at FF, and at the PT Forum, JohnM's PKF Forum, Dark Peeps, and other gathering places in the community. I have some cool people who have volunteered from the producer and fan sides of our genre to serve with our "Academy". It's an opportunity for us to come together as a wider community and celebrate death fetish film and the great people who create it.

And Blue, the very first formal nomination was for one of your gals! Best New Actress: Melanie Dunne.

XOX Grace

[Bluestone]

...Blue, the very first formal nomination was for one of your gals! Best New Actress: Melanie Dunne.

XOX Grace

Great news! Yes, Melanie is gorgeous and talented. Glad to hear that the fans are showing their appreciation for her through the Mastersons.

Blue

[red_dog_7]

Where does one go to vote????