Reflections

The deed is done. There’s so much blood.

I thought V-Day was going to be a whirlwind of fast moving people, loud noises, beautiful films, inspirational talks, and way too much food. I was so right. There was this electric energy flowing between not just the staff but between the faculty, visitors, and filmmakers and scholars. Last Friday felt like such a long day, but at the end, it was over far too soon. If I could live in the exhilarating energy that we were breathing in that day, I would do it in a heartbeat. Speaking of heartbeats, let’s just go ahead and discuss how amazing it was to meet, interact, and bond with filmmakers and scholars from all over. Jon (Heartbeats of Fiji) and Zach (Straight Down Low) were the two that I felt like I bonded with and connected with the most. It was such a crazy phenomenon to sit there and study and deliberate these films and papers in so much detail that I actually felt like I already knew the creators. Then, I actually got to meet them and see a glimpse into their lives and creative processes. As a whole, Visions was what I expected and so much more.

I have definitely dealt with a lot of stressful situations so in that realm, the way I operated and delegated that day didn’t really surprise me. One thing that did surprise me though was how I interacted with the visitors. After the Thursday night dinner, I saw myself going out of my way to meet as many people as I could and learn as much as I could about each individual.

The festival surprised me by showing me what we are really capable of. Not just in our hard work, but the way that we worked together. I didn’t hear or see anyone just completely lay down and not lend a helping hand. The amount of teamwork that we exhibited as a whole was extraordinary to me. I actually feel closer to the staff now than I did before.

Cucalorus!!!!

Cucalorus was awesome. I’ll list the screenings and events that I went to: opening party at Bellamy Mansion, Visual Sound Walls, excellent shorts, dance shorts, twisted shorts, comedy shorts, social shorts, Bus to Lumberton installation, and lots of hanging out in the filmmakers’ lounge and jengo’s backyard. Obviously, I really like shorts. My favorite shorts were the twisted shorts. They were super fun and dark. I wanted to see features, but a lot of them were playing while I was working and during some of them, I just needed sleep. One of my favorite parts was the Bus to Lumberton. That was so awesome. The entire place was interactive and really kind of messed with your head. You became part of this world that you didn’t know what was real and what was an act. It was sick.

            As far as learning about festivals, there were little things that I picked up on that I thought could run a little smoother.  Ok, maybe it’s just me, but I definitely pick up on little things.  For example, at the opening party there were no trashcans and no places for anyone to set their drink much less sit.  My sister and I actually started making jokes about it because it seems so ridiculous that it got overlooked. I’m definitely a logistics person as well as having the phrase “attention to detail” engrained in my head from the Coast Guard.  But these little details really set the tone for how this festival is going to run. 

            Cucalorus is always a fun festival, and they do a really good job at making it cool and intriguing. I think that we need to learn from them in a sense that we need to find our tone and niche.  The reason why everyone wants to go to Cucalorus is because it exudes fun.  Right now, we’re planning an event rather than an experience. 

Keynote

I would pick Sami el Hadi as the keynote.  I really like that he’s international, which in my opinion would bring more people to our festival and conference. The accent doesn’t hurt either. Also, it’s cool to have a screenwriter as the keynote too.  This could draw students from other majors to be interested in it as well.  Another thing that is super exciting about this candidate is that he has been interning at Raindance for couple years now.  Bringing in that knowledge of film festivals could definitely be beneficial for us, and means that he is good in the festival setting. That being said, he seems to be well spoken and would do fine speaking in front of crowds.

I procrastinated on this blog...WHY??

I know that I’m bad with procrastination. After reading this article on the different types, I think that I’m kind of mixed just depending on what the task is that I’m putting off.  Some things I put off because I absolutely HATE doing them.  I hate writing papers, and I almost always leave them to do at the last minute.  This goes hand in hand with the “maybe it’ll just go away” idea. I’m way smarter than to think that a paper will just disappear without repercussion, but for some reason, I definitely have the outlook of if I ignore it, it doesn’t matter. However, I’m mixed in the sense that if it’s something that I really enjoy doing, I might be apt to put things off or be a little apprehensive because I’m a perfectionist for certain things.  If I don’t think my work will stand up or isn't good enough, it will definitely take me a minute to actually get started. I want everything planned out precisely, which sometimes put me behind schedule.  That being said, the first reason for my procrastination is usually the one that’s happening because I like what I’m doing, I’ll almost always push through my need for my work to be perfect.

DVD awareness

Last year was the first time I attended Visions.  But after watching all the DVDs, it really surprised me how not just diverse the films were but also how much the budgets differed.  You can see in some films like The Understudy and The Big Drop that they had probably higher budgets and more means to sets, props, and other equipment. However, in other films maybe the filmmaker didn’t have a big budget and the best equipment, but their film still looks awesome and made the cut. I like this because it shows how far passion can really get you. And I think that is one reason Visions is such an awesome festival and conference.

I enjoy participating

I’m the party planner, which makes me quite happy. I really like this type of work. I get to interact with fun people, set up my own schedule, and make fun times for everyone. It’s just peachy. This upcoming event will be the second party of the class as well as OUR indiegogo ending party with a pinch of Christmas.  I’m presenting today on the plans, which is actually me trying to get a feel for what our class wants.  I’m torn between having a Christmas themed party and a classy speakeasy type shin dig.  But a more important issue is how to raise money.  I’ve been playing with the idea of a silent auction, but Zoe made a good point of how rowdy college kids are, and they probably won’t even listen.  Another option, that kind of plays with the silent auction idea, is a raffle. But each item can have it’s own raffle. You buy however many raffle tickets, then put them in whatever item you’d hope to win. The appropriate ticket prices would be from 1-5 dollars. On that note, I’m not sure if using the tips from the bar will work this time since I doubt one of the three bars I’ve selected would allow us to use their venue as well as take their tips. I don’t really see that happening. But a cover is a good option. We could charge $5 at the door for the party.  All of this will be discussed and hashed out in class today. After the specifics are decided, I can really start setting everything up and hopefully adhere to the calendar I designed.