The New Frontier

Well, we are back in the airport, heading back to Indiana.  Everyone is here, everyone is safe, everyone is exhausted.  I can feel my brain shutting down as I type.  But it’s okay. We played hard this week and learned a lot along the way.  Practical things, like checking for ice before stepping out the front door and theoretical things, like the power of ideas.

Now that the festival is over, you can see the winners on the Sundance website, but don’t be fooled, the winning films are good, but everything else we saw was amazing.

Its sad to think that many of these films may never get distributed to a wide audience, that we may never get to share the experience of watching these films with you.  I guess you will just have to ask us as many questions as possible to find out what you all missed.

If you asked me what film I enjoyed the most, it would be Safety Not Guaranteed, a romance about time travel, or maybe a time traveling tale with romance.  Fortunately, this film was picked up and should get distributed, so you will get to see it!  Unfortunately, you will never get to experience the short film that went before it and and the spontaneous laughter that rolled through the theater as we waited for in darkness for the film to start.

The biggest surprise to me was Ai Wei Wei, a documentary about art, activism and China.  It chronicles the career of one man as he seeks to push the Chinese government to continue to improve.  Between the title sequence and the end credits, this film revealed the power of ideas while remaining fun and entertaining.  It also won the award for Spirit of Defiance.  I did not expect to like it going in, but it might be my overall favorite.

We are about to board the plane, but we are taking our memories with us.  Please ask us about the films we saw. We all saw over 15. Though, as the week went on, they all congeal to becomes some sort of movie goo where all the plots and characters combine and form some ectoplasmic monster!  The only way keep it at bay is by talking about the movies!

Do your part, ask a Sundancer about their time.  What they liked, what disturbed them, how they have changed. You won’t be disappointed.

Trendy

I have now seen 11 movies and I have at least 6 more to go.  I am, by no means, an expert in film, but I have spotted some trends here.  I now present these to you as a list of the top 5 Sundance Film trends.

Top 5 Sundance Film Trends

1. LA – If you want to make a good movie, you have to make it in LA, about LA, with people who love LA.  I guess it’s better than everything happening in New York

2. A Musical Topic – There is no higher calling than being a starving musician.  Also, film makers relate to their struggle because they are also starving, not only for food, but your time and attention.  Unlike musicians, no girl has ever been impressed by an impromptu film making session.

3. Long Shots – I’m not talking about short shots or even medium shots.  Sundancers feel that quick cuts and exciting moments are inappropriate. A more appropriate and artistic method to tell a story is with long, slow movements.  It makes you feel like you are there, that is, if you can stay awake for it.

4. Existentialism – I chose to put this here by my own free will.  It was also included in every film I have seen by some clever director’s free will.

5. Unfocused Shots – If there was something going on in the background of this shot, I sure can’t tell.

Film hopefuls best take note, apply some of these to your footage and you will be headed to the festival in no time. Until the rules change and these go out of fashion.  I personally think the next big trend will be star fades but it has yet to be confirmed.

There’s Metaphorical Gold in these Hills

To be more accurate, I should say there is metaphorical silver here in Park City, or at least their was.  The silver mines here have been unworked for decades.

Inspiration comes in many forms but that does not mean it is easy to find.  Most movies we attend have a q and a session afterwards and most questions boil down to where the director received their inspiration.  But we are at a snobby film festival, so this question is often disguised, and you have to be clever to see it.  Take a look at some real life examples.

“Where was the genesis of this film?”

“Were there real life events that inspired this?”

“What galvanized you do to this?”

“Metaphorically speaking, the third act reconciled a nonfulfillment of propitiation between the protagonist and her posturer persona similar to the early creations of Wissou.  Is this where you received your narrative’s origin?”

It can get pretty ridiculous.

I think its important to note that, unlike every other member of our group (excluding Tim) I am not a film/production major.  I am a writing major (thus the blogging), and after being here for a few days, I began to wonder why I came.  What did I want to accomplish here at Sundance as a journalist?

Naturally I began digging deep, meditating and journaling about my feelings.  After I realized that came to nothing, I decided it would be easier if I just stole the thoughts of my film savvy and much more motivated friends.

Their reasons were spectacular: to network and keep advancing towards my dreams, to be surrounded by people who see God in film as much as I do, to be able to say I was at the most prestigious film festival in the USA.  I received no wrong or bad answers in these mini conversations held on crowded busses between film screenings.

The answer that sticks out in my mind the most came from Juan Cespedes, who just becomes increasingly impressive as I get to know him.  Wedged into a plastic bus seat, he didn’t miss a beat when I asked him why he came.  Juan was there  ”To get inspired”.

Though it is fantastic reason, inspiration seems to be one of the most fleeting.  A film that inspires on person may not inspire another.  When directors are asked about it, the replies are subpar.  We may not know where it comes from, and we can’t make it last, but when we get it, if we get it, we couldn’t be happier.

I am so glad I discovered I did not need to be studying film to be inspired by it.  Already, I have been immensely inspired on this trip.  Filly Brown and Ai Wei Wei have both inspired me to become a more diligent artist and  5 Broken Cameras has shown me the power of perseverance.  It’s hard to say what else is inspiring me because so much happens in one day, but the inspiration is there, and I am so glad I am looking for it.