Weekly Check-In #3

This past week, we began the process of judging films so that we can begin to debate about which ones to keep in consideration. So far, the film grading process has been very insightful and has had an effect on how I approach my grading rubric. My opinion was swayed on certain films in class due to the fact that I was not looking at them from a different perspective. I like that we are able to give as much input as we like before making an educated decision on whether or not we'd like to nix a film or leave it up for consideration. Aside from this process, I have been rereading my Video Race Manual in order to figure out which ways Aedan and I can improve and embellish this event to make it our own. We have discussed the fact that since this race will be space themed, there will be more free range when it comes to aspects of our video race such as the questionnaire that determines the different teams. We are also trying to think of ways that we can use our budget wisely while still taking advantage of its full potential. We hope to accomplish our list of tasks in a timely manner, and in order to do this we have kept in constant communication during what is now our preproduction phase. I feel that this phase holds much importance because it helps to set the foundation for this event, which in turn will give us a sense of security as we pursue the production phase soon after. I'm so ready to make my mark on this year's Visions6 along with Aedan! We have already had several discussions about this project and gears are definitely turning!

Dirty Dozen on Budgeting for the V6 Video Race

1. To use the budget to secure needed items for the video race in a timely and efficient manner.

2. Visions Staff because they may be crucial in securing props for free or low price, therefore saving money in our budget and they are responsible for approving how we spend our budget on t-shirts, dye, etc.

3. The deliverables of this step in the video race preproduction would be securing items needed for participating teams in the Video Race.

4. The tentative budget is $250 to be spent on T-shirts, dye, bandanas, prizes, and potentially props for the upcoming video race.

5. It will take a couple days for the shirts to ship and be delivered, and possibly one or two additional days needed for extra item shopping trips. The time interval in which we need to accomplish this task is during our production phase, from March 1st-28th.

6. We need to acquire shirts, bandanas, dye, prizes, and props. In order to successfully spend our budget wisely, we must practice time management while we also track our expenditures via spreadsheets.

7. Potentially sponsorships that could fund our cause and help us expand our budget so we can afford nicer items.

8. The people responsible for this task are Devon and Aedan, this year's Video Race Co-Coordinators. They need to create a spreadsheet so that they can develop a budget proposal prior to shopping for items.

9. March 20th- Order T-shirts (Registration will begin in early March, and we are hopeful that by this date we will have a general idea of how many participants we will need to buy shirts for)
March 21st - Buy dye and bandanas
March 22nd - Buy props if staff can't provide them and prizes for the Video Race
March 23rd - The shirts arrive
March 24th- Get shirts as well as prizes ready

10. The risks are dividing the budget unevenly, not securing our materials in time for the festival, or underestimating our expenditures or amount of materials needed.

11. Aedan and I will communicate via calls (if urgent), text messages, or email (if necessary). We consistently stay in contact in order to stay on the same page and to develop a detailed plan and schedule.

12. We will know that the project was successful if we acquire all the materials we need in a timely fashion and if we satisfy the needs of our participants.

Weekly Check-In #2

This week, we decided to get the ball rolling on our assigned positions for this year's upcoming film festival and conference. Aedan and I are supposed to present during Week 4 of class, and I'm super excited to get the ball rolling on the video race. I have been thinking of fun ways to incorporate the space theme into our race and luckily, there is a lot of range when picking relevant questions to ask when we have our one hour, one take video race. I have been marking dates in my calendar and reading (and re-reading) so that Aedan and I can plan as far in advance as possible for our video race. So far, we are already emailing Pam Elliot to try and secure our location permit and are going to look into making our registration forms, which tentatively need to be done by 2/21. I am in the works of taking side notes on what we need to be prepared to discuss with the rest of the Visions6 staff, and I'm ready to face this project head on and to the best of my abilities. I am grateful that I get this experience and that Visions is treated as if it were a real job. I can tell that this class is going to be a test of my time-management skills and it will encourage me to stay on task while producing efficient work in the most timely manner. I love that this can prepare me for the challenges and successes I will face in a real job one day and that I am thankful gain this type of experience prior to graduating next year.

Response to Blackboard Reading: Festivals of Their Own

I found this reading to be very helpful when it comes to interpreting what makes a film festival so important and how they were started. I did not realize prior to this reading that film festivals started in foreign countries such as France, who had Cannes Film Festival, and then were followed by American film festivals that are more well known today, such as Sundance. When I continued to read about filmmaker Michael Williams and his BYOF Film Festival (Light + Screen in New York), I learned more about how film festivals are one of the best ways to circulate your work with the hope it gets noticed by mainstream, big-time film industries. However, the article goes on to say that that Light + Screen altered their feature-films only rule to accommodate the acceptance of short films of varying genres as well (which eventually escalated to Monday Night Shorts at the Freight Salon, ran by Victoria Clark, producer). For me, this also means that film festivals are a way for filmmakers to come together and view specific genres which they can then discuss afterwards. Following these festivals, audience feedback to artists' films was beginning to take root through a festival known as the Nomad VideoFilm Festival, which was also a traveling film festival. Mostly amateur filmmakers submitted their work, and this aspect of audience feedback reminded me of what are now our Q & A panels, which are so important in order for the participants of a festival to learn from each other as well as give each other pointers. As far as straying away from genre-specific goes, there are Underground Film Festivals, such as Cucalorous, which allow all types of genres to be screened and are often separated into different viewing blocks. This entire reading reaffirmed the stance that film festivals are important for a multitude of reasons: the networking amongst filmmakers, accommodations for all types of audiences, and the endless opportunities to learn from other filmmakers.

Weekly Check-In #1: Job Description/Manual Response and Goals

I am so excited to be working on this year's Visions Film Festival & Conference as a Video Race Co-Coordinator! From this job, I hope to be able to gain so much experience and knowledge about what it takes to plan an event, which will be important for producing as well. For my job, it is first important to start brainstorming with Aedan, my fellow coordinator, as soon as possible! Currently, I have already started thinking of ways to incorporate our fun space theme into this year's video race! In order to make sure this event is successful, we must budget accordingly for the following items: T-shirts, dye, props, etc. Dustin and Ashley, the previous coordinators, left a bunch of useful information that can save Aedan and me lots of money. They mentioned how they had staff members each bring in their own prop which can be utilized during the video race. I also read about how they created tie-dye shirts for their teams, but diluted the dye so that they could dye more than two T-shirts. I love the amount of resourcefulness that goes into being a Video Race co-coordinator, because in the film world we are typically faced with situations in which we need to make the most of what is available to us. I know that we also must keep locations and liability in consideration and be sure to secure those rights from Pamela Elliot. We are also responsible for having the rules and regulations of the race outlined prior to contacting Pam Elliot for permission. I feel that this job will be a great fit for me because I love to work with people and brainstorm new ideas while being part of such a fun event. I can't wait to see how Visions can benefit me, and how our work will pay off at the festival!