According to Sundance Film Festival, Austin is the number three city for films.
Who knew?
With the hype about Austin being the Music Capital, many people forget the city's influence on the film industry. The October Austin Film Festival and Conference is a current event that helps rank Austin as an influential city. The conference ran from October 21 through the 24. The festival is ongoing until October 28.
"The Austin Film Festival actually manages to perfectly embody the spirit of the city which hosts it. Edgy yet mellow. Intelligent yet accessible. Cool yet completely geeky. In short, one of the best professional experiences of my career." - Damon Lindelof, co-creator “LOST,” producer STAR TREK
This is a national level festival, with guests this year including Phil Rosenthal (writer/director and creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond"), writer/director John Wells, director George Hickenlooper and actor Jon Lovitz.
The festival has grown from the imaginations of Barbara Morgan and Marsha Milam, who started the Austin Film Festival organization in 1994 to focus on the writer's contribution to film and television. Today, the organization is active year-round. The Young Filmmakers Program, for example, was started to support students, ages 9-18, who have a passion for screenwriting and film making.
The Austin Film Festival is also as unique as Austin itself because not only does it show case films, it educates and inspires the community about the film making process.
“Thanks to this wonderful festival, once a year we shy reclusive writers emerge from behind our computers and we get to hang out with our peers, to swap stories, compare scars, and remind and inspire ourselves why it is we do what we do... and hopefully learn to do it even better. Most film festivals are to show the end result, to display the films that filmmakers have made: while this festival also does do that, the heart of its mission is to show how to make films... and why. And that is something unique and rare. I know a number of writers who owe their careers to the advice, inspiration, and contacts made during this festival: what other festival can say that?” -Tim McCanlies, director ALABAMA MOON, writer SECONDHAND LIONS, THE IRON GIANT
Even though festival attendance is filled with big names in the film and television industry, there is still room for the average Joe. Festival badges can be pretty pricey, the most expensive being The 2010 Producer Badge which can cost you $650 - 720. A 2010 Film Pass, $50 - 120, allows access to over 190 film screenings in Austin. Tickets can also be purchased at individual screenings 30 minutes before show time for $9 - 10.
There are so many films to chose from which can seem overwhelming to an interested attendee. Luckily, the festival website provides short clips of films and a schedule to help organize your movie viewing experience.
A film that sparks my interest is The Spirit Molecule, an interesting and educational trip into a psychoactive compound called dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Since DMT is released in the brain at the time of death, this compound is said to replicate the feelings and thoughts that occur.
The festival is almost over but there is still time! Go out and catch some movies with some of the most influential writers and directors of the film and television industry!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Perks of Being Sneaky
A little mischief and rebellion can go a long way.
They can get you far enough to meet Ratatat. For free.
Well, besides buying a Fun Fun Fun Fest ticket, my friend and I were able to meet the band on stage at the 2009 festival. We managed this task by getting back stage (easier than I could have imagined), and waiting for the prime moment to run up the stage steps and greet the two member band we so admirably admire.
This accomplishment was a nice high light to the festival experience. Although, Fun Fest is a small scale festival and is definitely more low key than ACL, back stage was a nice hide out. Scattered around were huge bean bag chairs, perfect for lounging on after a day of rocking out to music, and free food and drinks which is never bad. I enjoyed the back stage experience so the next night I decided to give it another go. I literally just walked back stage following some one who had a back stage pass. One of the staff yelled at me, but no one chased me or attempted to kick me out - representative of the relaxed Austin vibe. I was yet again rewarded for my sneaky-ness with a side stage location to watch Danzig.
Fun Fun Fun Fest is being held this year on Nov. 5, 6 and 7 at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin. Sadly, this year I will be unable to attend due to conflicting commitments in Houston. If any one has the opportunity to attend, I definitely recommend it. More so than ACL, Fun Fest is representative of Austin culture because the attendees are (mainly) local people. Like Austin, the festival is growing. It is approaching it's fifth year in existence and has expanded from a 2-day festival to 3-day festival, meaning more bands, more music, and more fun, fun, fun. Even though the event is not as publicized the music is amazing: last year's bands included Of Montreal, Ratatat, Kid Sister, The Cool Kids, and Crystal Castles. Bands which played last year at Fun Fest that played this year at ACL include: Shearwater, Lucero, and Yeasayer.
The web site for the festival provides sound clips of all the participating bands, helping attendees plan ahead and making sure you know who you're buying your ticket for. All of the basic information for directions, transportation, travel and hotels, rules and contacts is also provided.
They can get you far enough to meet Ratatat. For free.
Well, besides buying a Fun Fun Fun Fest ticket, my friend and I were able to meet the band on stage at the 2009 festival. We managed this task by getting back stage (easier than I could have imagined), and waiting for the prime moment to run up the stage steps and greet the two member band we so admirably admire.
This accomplishment was a nice high light to the festival experience. Although, Fun Fest is a small scale festival and is definitely more low key than ACL, back stage was a nice hide out. Scattered around were huge bean bag chairs, perfect for lounging on after a day of rocking out to music, and free food and drinks which is never bad. I enjoyed the back stage experience so the next night I decided to give it another go. I literally just walked back stage following some one who had a back stage pass. One of the staff yelled at me, but no one chased me or attempted to kick me out - representative of the relaxed Austin vibe. I was yet again rewarded for my sneaky-ness with a side stage location to watch Danzig.
Fun Fun Fun Fest is being held this year on Nov. 5, 6 and 7 at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin. Sadly, this year I will be unable to attend due to conflicting commitments in Houston. If any one has the opportunity to attend, I definitely recommend it. More so than ACL, Fun Fest is representative of Austin culture because the attendees are (mainly) local people. Like Austin, the festival is growing. It is approaching it's fifth year in existence and has expanded from a 2-day festival to 3-day festival, meaning more bands, more music, and more fun, fun, fun. Even though the event is not as publicized the music is amazing: last year's bands included Of Montreal, Ratatat, Kid Sister, The Cool Kids, and Crystal Castles. Bands which played last year at Fun Fest that played this year at ACL include: Shearwater, Lucero, and Yeasayer.
The web site for the festival provides sound clips of all the participating bands, helping attendees plan ahead and making sure you know who you're buying your ticket for. All of the basic information for directions, transportation, travel and hotels, rules and contacts is also provided.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Let the Experiences Begin
Austin City Limits music festival this past weekend has finally kicked off a year of Austin festivals. Considering last year's festival was rained out and mudified, the sun filled clear skies made this years experience more enjoyable.
Some improvements to be noted:
The highlight of my weekend was the performance given by M.I.A. It felt like she was singing to us, and the upbeat, visually charged performance was a perfect cap to a music filled Saturday. I was standing in front of the sound booth, so a pretty good distance from the actual stage. Near the end of the performance she came to the back of the crowd allowing every one to enjoy a front row seat. Kuddos to the crowd too! No one hurt her, or hurt each other, with the excitement of M.I.A. being in the crowd which shows how peaceful and enjoyable a densely populated festival crowd can be.
I built up a lot of anticipation for The Eagle's performance and was ultimately let down due to bad sound quality. An enormous crowd turned out for the show, and over all of their talking and yelling, if you were far away from a speaker, the music was barely audible. However, after the first hour of their performance the crowd started to disperse and the music grew louder.
Oh, and did I mention how I got to ACL? By a boat. Yes, by a boat! Apparently, there is a shuttle boat that leaves from the Hyatt Town Lake, drops you off a short walk from the festival entrance, and then picks you up around 10:30 p.m. My friends and I took this shuttle boat on Saturday and Sunday, costing each of us $10 a day. If you think that is expensive, on the boat ride to the festival there is free beer and on the boat ride back there is free beer, wine and margaritas. I think it was extremely affordable considering once inside the festival, a beer costs $7.
Now, if I can only forget how much this weekend cost me, my life could be complete.
Some improvements to be noted:
- the mock capital building in the middle with each day's schedule and a map of the Zilker park on either side
- they had really cool water bottles
- a farmers market, with locally grown food
- my mode of transportation
- THE MUSICIANS!
The highlight of my weekend was the performance given by M.I.A. It felt like she was singing to us, and the upbeat, visually charged performance was a perfect cap to a music filled Saturday. I was standing in front of the sound booth, so a pretty good distance from the actual stage. Near the end of the performance she came to the back of the crowd allowing every one to enjoy a front row seat. Kuddos to the crowd too! No one hurt her, or hurt each other, with the excitement of M.I.A. being in the crowd which shows how peaceful and enjoyable a densely populated festival crowd can be.
I built up a lot of anticipation for The Eagle's performance and was ultimately let down due to bad sound quality. An enormous crowd turned out for the show, and over all of their talking and yelling, if you were far away from a speaker, the music was barely audible. However, after the first hour of their performance the crowd started to disperse and the music grew louder.
Oh, and did I mention how I got to ACL? By a boat. Yes, by a boat! Apparently, there is a shuttle boat that leaves from the Hyatt Town Lake, drops you off a short walk from the festival entrance, and then picks you up around 10:30 p.m. My friends and I took this shuttle boat on Saturday and Sunday, costing each of us $10 a day. If you think that is expensive, on the boat ride to the festival there is free beer and on the boat ride back there is free beer, wine and margaritas. I think it was extremely affordable considering once inside the festival, a beer costs $7.
Now, if I can only forget how much this weekend cost me, my life could be complete.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)