Week 14 - VISIONS WEEK

Monday

This week we had the bake sale. I made lemon bars, and decorated them with little spring themed cups, put them in plastic bags, and tied them with ribbons. I stayed at the bake sale all day - and got really sunburnt. Next year, Visions should keep sunscreen at both tables. Visions should also keep ice in both coolers, because even though treats were in the cooler, they were still melting. My table was set up next to free ice cream - we cannot compete with that. There should be people checking to make sure that there are no other competition tables. 

Wednesday

On Wednesday, I met Matt Delman at Goody Goody Omelet with Adrienne and Simone - they ONLY TAKE CASH! So make sure you bring cash there! It was a great experience. From Shannon's DIS I was researching female directed films, and it was amazing talking with him about some of those directors. 

After eating with them, I went over to the Lumina Walkthrough. During the walkthrough, I made sure that each of the films was playing correctly sound wise and visually. I was acting as the filmmakers advocate. I thought about what if this was my film - would I be pissed if these things weren't fixed? And then I made sure that they were. 

That night, I chalked with: Michelle, Adrienne, Beth, Grace, Samantha, and the ACE staff. The ACE Staff provided chalk for us, and we tried to re-create the poster as best we could. Tips for chalking - rub it in after drawing the line and it will help it stay longer. The ACE Staff has a chalking coordinator who makes sure to check the weather before hand - but you should too! There's no sense in chalking if rain will just wash it off. 

Thursday

The Thursday night dinner was amazing! It was so awesome to see all of the filmmakers and scholars that I had been writing about, stalking, researching, and talking about all in the same room. It was an amazing experience to walk in and see them all and think "Wow! I did this. I was a part of making all of these people come here." Then I got to mingle with them, and play matchmaker when introducing them to the filmmakers that I thought they would enjoy talking to. I loved the festival, but Thursday night was probably the best night for me. It was really the only time I got to mingle the most with everyone - and I loved it!! Dig and Dive was such a great spot to host the event too, and name tags were such a great idea! 

FRIDAY - THE DAY OF ALL DAYS

First off, I LOVE walkie talkies. I've never felt more empowered. It was so easy too to get in touch with people, and it really helped at the beginning of the day and the end when everyone was really spread out and tired. Everything seemed to go really smoothly, mainly because of the schedule we did. I also printed out all of the materials that I needed for that day, and put it all into a binder. This was really helpful. I also had a clipboard, which helped me keep track of the schedule, and where I was supposed to be, as well as where everyone else was supposed to be and if we were on time or not. 

The Visionary Panel interviews went smoothly and quickly, but I missed the dinner. We also got behind during lunch because of the Video Race. Most people took more time shooting their videos which gave us less time to interview them. 

The Visionary Panel Moderation also went well. Our moderator guide - Dr. Johnson - came, and just having her there in the room knowing that she had my back was helpful. Having staff members there that I knew would ask questions if no one on the panel talked was helpful. There was one woman who advertised her own business during the panel - which was strange, but it was ok. I think the beginning was awkward, but once people became acclimated to the panel, it got a lot better. I wish we had an extra thirty minutes or less panelists. I think it would have been a lot more in depth if we had done one of those. 

The Award Winner Interviews were really messy - we forgot the consent forms, couldn't find the equipment, were working with a small and loud space, but we did it, and it turned out fine! I would say to keep the questions short though, because by the time we got to the last interview it was 1:30, and people began to get very sleepy (and intoxicated) and the interviews became not as great. 

I noticed during interviews that if you mimic the other persons body language if they seem nervous, then they start to loosen up. I also learned to keep each question short and to the point. 

All in all, it was a great experience. I felt like I do on set. Ready for anything - it's a zen like calm that comes over me when I know that I will figure out what must be figured out, and no matter what - the show will go on!! 

Saturday(Today)

We went to King Neptunes to say goodbye to all of the filmmakers/panelists/scholars still here. It's a really small space with not a lot of parking, and I would recommend not going there next year.