THE BIG NEWS
I am, for all intents and purposes, KCPW‘s 2008 Sundance Film Festival correspondent. My Interviews and Reports will be broadcast (if they don’t suck) on KCPW and their web page, as well as here on JM Bell.org. Pretty bitchin’, huh? Now, as cool as this is, there are a few catches, and I need your help, faithful reader!
- I need advice. I’ve never gone to the festival in this capacity (I’ve been several times) and I need your ideas on what to do and how to do it. Sound off in the comments section.
- What the hell should I see? There are too many films for me to catch all of them, so, give me a hand picking the venues (Salt Lake and Park City, please). Sound off in the comments section.
- I need a sponsor. My 1980 Yamaha 850 Special is just not a good winter vehicle. Bryan Schott already busted his hump to get me credentials, so, I’m selling something. I’m selling, for one time only, two months of top-right corner ad space on JM Bell.org for the $300.00 I need to rent a car for 12 days. Let me know if you’re interested HERE.
The Good News
For those of you paying attention, it looks like our studio at Defenestrate Film will be finished this weekend. For as long as I’m doing all this freelance work, I’ll be moving in there to work. I’ll also be putting their new website together, as they just split from their parent company and no longer have one. So, that’s something right there, no?
The Bad News
This will be a big let down. The “bad news” I had yesterday actually went away, so, I’m still in Utah for the next few months at least. I know that there are several Republicans and even more Democrats that are going to find this very bad news, indeed.
Yay! We’re not losing our favorite blogger! Glad you didn’t tell us yesterday, I’d have had to be bummed for no reason.
Sundance sounds like fun! I can’t wait to see how it goes for you!
Oh this is excellent news! I’m so happy for you and oh-so jealous.
Some tips on Sundance…
1. The movie-watching experience in Park City is completely different from here in Salt Lake. You MUST go see a couple of movies in Park City just to understand the atmosphere of why people love Sundance (and Park City) so much. My favorite venues in PC are the theatre on Main Street and the High School. Sometimes, it’s fun just to walk around on Main Street (you can walk ON/IN the street with your BEER, sometimes).
2. Pick movies that sound kinda controversial in nature but that are not the main picks of Sundance. These movies are guaranteed to be enjoyable. Also, if you find yourself without a movie to see at a particular time, check out a documentary. Chances are, there will be no wait line.
3. Venues/movies in Salt Lake are also sometimes easier to get into.
4. Just because a big star who’s won a couple of major awards is in a Sundance flick does not mean that it will be a good movie. (I won’t mention any here….)
5. Attend the film/director discussions. The ones I’ve been to hardly ever have any one but the press attend and they are very informative.
6. If you can, try to attend the “opening” of a movie. You are more likely to see celebrities (if you’re into that) and are definitely likely to participate in the post-film discussion with the director/producer/actors/costume designers. Ask questions at these discussions. They’re fun.
That’s all I have for now. If I think of more, I’ll let you know.
Congrats!
My advice;
#1 Don’t sleep with Lindsay Lohan.
#2 Don’t drink out of anything that Paris Hilton has touched.
#3 DON’T SLEEP WITH LINDSAY LOHAN!
#4 Don’t let Tom Cruise give you a ride in his space ship, no matter how drunk you are. It ends badly.
#5 And of course, don’t make eye contact with Britney Spears. She’ll try to trick you with her delicious brownies, but all you have to do is back away slowly. She’ll get distracted by the brownies, and when she says “Imma gitcha! Imma gitcha!” she’s talking to the brownies and your home free.
Have fun!
I’ve been going to the festival for a long long time, and a couple of things I have never seen make it on the air in local coverage are how far some people travel to attend (I volunteered last year with a woman who came from Scotland to be a part of the festival staff), and where all the free swag is.
In fact, it might be cool to spend an entire day (I’d recommend during the first weekend) collecting as much free swag as possible. My greatest swag highlights have been a North Face jacket a few years ago with “Dubious” written on the back, and a very cool coffee mug (from just last year). You can collect an amazing amount of free junk just standing on the street up there for a day or two. Might be fun to hear how much you can get.
Also, film-maker interviews! The festival guys always interview/promote the award winners, but there are a lot of excellent movies that don’t win end of fest awards, and the film makers are wandering around Main Street for days hoping for an interview (you can spot them by their credentials, they’re usually a different color).
Those are my suggestions, if I think of more, I’ll stop back.