Screening hundreds of submissions is a monumental task for a small festival team. The real challenge isn't just selecting films; it's providing thoughtful, consistent feedback to every filmmaker without burning out your volunteers. What if you could automate the generation of structured, constructive screening notes? The Core Principle: From Abstract Rubrics to Observable Signals The key to effective AI automation is moving from vague criteria to concrete, observable signals. Instead of asking an AI to judge "Technical Proficiency (Audio)"—an abstract concept—you instruct it to identify specific, audible evidence. For example, a negative observable signal for audio could be: "Dialogue is muddy or inconsistent; background noise interferes." This shift transforms the AI from a subjective critic into a consistent note-taker. You provide a clear rubric of criteria and their corresponding observable signals, both positive and negative.…