Trouble On A Plane - Test audience

Before sending out a screener to several festivals (including Slamdance), I decided to show the film in its current form and latest color correction, to some friends. I didn't tell them in advance that I was having issues with the grainy aspect of the film and just let them enjoy the film.
As expected (sorry if that sounds arrogant), they loved the film. After each screening, most of them said the same, that the credits were already so good and so intriguing, that you couldn't wait to find out more. The credits, the music and the colors were already setting the tone for the rest of the movie.
As for the grain, they said they didn't notice it at all. They all said that they were so sucked in by the story, that they didn't even notice the grain. As a matter of fact, all said that the film had a very warm feel and felt like they were watching a feature.

Of course, the film was viewed on a TV screen, which is way smaller and way more forgiving when it comes to grainy shots. However, I am now convinced that this copy of the film is good enough for festival submission. The colors look vibrant, the sound is good and the music fits perfectly. But most important of all, the story is appealing and the acting is superb. What more can you wish for?

This weekend I watched one of my favorite movies again, 8 Femmes (8 Women), but this time I watched it with the commentary track, in which you can hear director Francois Ozon talk about the process of making the film. What was fascinating is that he had his doubts about the pacing of the movie. 8 Femmes was made as a specific genre. A murder mystery, done in a 50ies style. While the main attraction was the fact that the film had 8 of the most famous actresses in France in it, Ozon was worried that the story would feel boring. But he was quickly reassured when kids would come up to him and tell him how much they loved the movie because of its story. Those kids didn't care about who was in the film. They had never heard of Catherine Deneuve or Daniele Darieux. To them, all what mattered was the story.

Okay, I'm off. Dropping off 'Trouble On a Plane' to Slamdance. It will be its first official festival submission. See you in Colorado in January! Or is Slamdance in Utah?!?