jcmatsundance2020

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Industry

Some of the things in common that I noticed between the Sundance Films were emphasis on minority groups. It really seems like a space were the stories of minorities are told both in an informative sense with documentary and in a creative sense with dramas and shorts. 

During the Film Pass Events, overall I learned that I should just be myself and tell the stories that are important to me. Pretty much every editor, director, and producer said something along the lines of that. That is what makes a good documentary, or drama, or short. When you’re passionate and dedicated to the story that you’re telling it shows and it resonates with the audience and it sets your film apart. 

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The Sundace Culture

My favorite part about Sundance really was meeting people. Watching the films was too of course, but meeting people was unexpectedly also so much fun. Not only did I enjoy the time with my class mates, I also talked to everyone I met everyday. From lyft drivers, to bus drivers, waiters at restaurants, people standing in line for films, people walking on the side walk, people riding the bus, people working at the box office, volunteers at the theater, everyone... so many people. It felt so good to be surrounded by individuals who felt the same passion and enthusiasm about film as I did. It was like a beautiful community hidden away in the mountain full of people who were creatively just like me. It was marvelous.  Everyone was so kind and so willing to share their opinions and ideas and their own story. I truly miss the friendliness that Park City showed me. 

I was also exposed to a level of diversity that I had never seen before. Where I’m from and even here on campus, I’m always surrounded by other black people, but at Sundance everyone was represented. White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian. There were people from all over the world who came to Sundance. Dre, Collin, Jason, and I met an Australian man at one of our screenings. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a real Australian accent in real life. It felt so good to be surrounded by so much diversity, yet having so much in common with everyone there. We were all cold, most of us were all far from home, and we were all super enthusiastic about films and film making.

It honestly felt good to be a regular festival attendee. At least for the first time. There’s something about waiting on the waitlist and not knowing if you’ll make it and waiting in line, and getting your ticket scanned and going to the box office hoping to trade something for something else that is part of the fun.

I remember while watching one of my screenings this girl beside me mentioned how she didn’t understand why we had to use paper as a voting ballot. She thought it was old fashioned and outdated. She also said that it was probably inaccurate because they have to be sorted by hand. I kind of agreed with her until someone else next to me mentioned how paper ballots were the best option because it ensures that the person who voted was actually there to view the screening and physical ballots are less likely to be tampered with, whereas digital numbers could be easily hacked. 

All of the panels that I attended definitely spoke to the brand of Sundance. I think Sundance is about creating a platform for the stories of specific minority groups to be told in creative ways. Also getting films distributed is a large part of Sundance as well. I think most of the panels were all about that. Filmmakers discussed how they felt as minorities and how they’re happy that they can share stories about other minorities that other wise wouldn’t be shared. And there was also a lot of discussion about funding, getting films financed, and getting films noticed.  

[jcmatsundance2020]

The People of Sundance

The variety of people that attend the Sundance Film Festival is both unique to the time and place yet entirely universal. Park City seems to attract people from all over the world, whether that be as filmmakers, volunteers, or viewers. The writers/directors I had the privilege of speaking with, such as Remi Weekes, Alexandre O’Phillipe, and Natalie Johns, each came from various places around the world. Each brought their unique perspectives to the audience through their work. There was also a wide variety of people at the festival that came to volunteer. It was refreshing to see that the festival hired people from numerous backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions. As far as those that attended the festival as viewers, a large portion of the crowd seemed to be locals, most of which could be identified as wealthy WASPs donning “mountain chic” fur coats and hats.

[jcmatsundance2020]

Category 2: The Culture of Sundance

What’s the feeling about technology at Sundance?- I think the feeling about technology at the Sundance Film Festival is very up-to-date.  They use the traditional projectors to show the films but they are very high quality and the picture is phenomenal.  I think the app was the most useful thing to me throughout the whole festival.  It was so easy to find the schedule, get on the waitlist...etc.  The waitlist was super convenient too so that you did not have to physically go wait in line to see if you could get in hours before the showing, which was very nice.  Maybe next year you will be able to vote on the film from a cellular device.  

[jcmatsundance2020]

Category 2: The Culture of Sundance

What's the hierarchy of sundance?- I think our first night in Park City we noticed people wearing their Sundance lanyards and they were different colors.  Mainly any other color than ours we thought was important and I think most people around them felt the same.  Filmmakers are very exciting to see as well as celebrities.  We met some “small’ celebrities on the buses that were in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Shameless.  I didn’t feel excluded really from the people with different color badges, but they definitely looked like they knew what they were doing and I absolutely did not.

[jcmatsundance2020]

Category 1: The Business of Sundance

“The Streaming Effect”- In my opinion, films that are distributed through streaming platforms like Netflix are usually over-hyped.  I went to see the movie “Downhill” with Will Ferrel and was expecting it to be fantastic and hilarious, unfortunately, it was not what I expected and sadly I left the theater disappointed.  Although it was not a horrible movie I wish I spent my time at a different movie that I could have enjoyed more instead of a mediocre film that will be on Netflix next month.  Along with that movie, the Taylor Swift documentary was also very hyped up.  After watching this film on the plane ride home via Netflix, I do not understand the appeal of watching it at Sundance, unless Taylor Swift showed up in person to the venue.  

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Category 3: The Industry of Sundance

During the Film pass events we attended I realized that Sundance is more about networking with each other and helping one another get to where they want to be in the industry.  For example, in the Filmmaker speed dating event, all of the people we talked to were more interested in answering our own questions than talking about their own film.  Almost everyone we talked to was interested in our major or what we were looking forward to doing in the future.  Of course they all must be very proud of their work, but it was eye-opening to know that they cared to enlighten us on what their struggles were or things they would do differently in order to help us.  

[jcmatsundance2020]

Category 2: The Culture of Sundance

“Sundance Culture”- The culture of Sundance, from what I experienced, is all about helping one another.  Whether that is helping each other get tickets to a showing or being friendly in line, or simply someone giving you a free ticket.  Everyone wants everyone to have a good time at the festival.  Everyone that I had met throughout the entire week was nothing but friendly and easy-going.  Between riding on the bus to sitting next to strangers at a restaurant, everyone wanted to chat about the festival and wanted to talk about all of the events and films going on throughout the week.  

[jcmatsundance2020]

Category 1: The Business of Sundance

“The Biggest Buzz”- Personally I think one of the films with the most hype was “Palm Springs.” After trying to get on the waitlist for the film, twice (without even getting a spot on the waitlist), I was guessing it was a popular film to see.  Although I never had a chance to see it for myself, everyone was talking about it throughout the week.  I think this was because of the actors/ actresses in the film as well as getting good reviews throughout the festival.  I heard nothing but good things about it, I am just hoping I get a chance to see it.

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Business Side of Sundance

While attending the festival I was surrounded by quite a bit of opinionated people, and some had a little bit of knowledge on what was going on in the business world of the film festival. While attending the festival I befriended a student from Utah State named Collin. While Collin, Emma, and I were eating lunch Collin mentioned that one of the biggest deals in Sundance History took place this year. He said that Palm Springs was bought by Hulu for 17 million dollars and 69 cents. I laughed and said “why does that sound fake?” He said it was because the previous record holder, Searchlight bought Birth of a Nation for 17 million, so I guess Hulu just wanted to be petty, who knows. I looked it up later and I think the final number ended up being 22 million. Good for Palm Springs.

I also noticed a lot of people steered clear of the films that were already known to have a deal lined up. They actually did more than steer clear, they seemed quite repulsed at the idea of even watching anything of the sort. It was funny because I kind of felt the same way. I wanted to watch things that no one else would see unless they were here. I guess we all just want to feel like we’re apart of something exclusive and special. Then again I would have loved to see Palm Springs. I didn’t get to watch anything comical while I was there this time.

There seemed to be a lot of hype for some of the films there this year. Bad Hair, Minari, Run Sweetheart Run, Impetigor, Miss Americana, Zola, and Nine days staring Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz.

There are always the underdogs no matter where you go. I saw some good shorts, and some good dramas but I think my heart is invested into documentaries. So the underdog award from me goes to Time. No one really talked about it. I felt like I was watching a hidden gem. I almost went to a different film instead of that one but I am so glad I went to see it. It was so beautifully done and Garrett Bradley, the Director of the Film won the award for best directing in the U.S. documentary category. She did a fantastic job! I am so glad I got the chance to connect with her and get a picture! Truly inspiring

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Sleeper Hit

One of the best films I saw Sundance was also one that appeared to receive little to no critical attention: Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor. The first thing that I recognized liking about it was perhaps the most simple, being that the film had a clear and well executed direction. I think the reason this basic and essential aspect was so appealing to me is because it was so refreshing to see a film that actually felt “finished”. So many movies, like Promising Young Woman and Zola, felt like they were rushed out of the editing room so they could premiere at Sundance, even though they were very clearly rough cuts. So when I saw Possessor, a film that actually felt ready, I was blown away. That being said, it had a very interesting plot, that I personally thought could have been expanded upon a little further, and good performances from Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott. One could definitely view it as a feature-length, highly stylized Black Mirror episode, and they wouldn’t be out of line seeing it that way. Overall, it first and foremost made me very excited to see what the young Cronenberg will do next. 

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Hits and Misses

There were several films I was able to see without much or any prior knowledge. One of them was the episodic documentary Untitled Pizza Movie. I decided to get a ticket for this screening because the stills had an old school, VHS look to it that was interesting. Unfortunately, the film ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of the festival for me. Its “episodes” had no clear narrative structure, a fault that was reinforced by the film’s repetitive and directionless editing. The b-roll entirely consisted of shots of New York in the winter with psuedo-poetic narration about the “decay of urban society” or one of the same dozen objects rotating on a stand in a white room. I say this with complete honesty, every 2-3 minutes it cut back to the same shot of an old camera rotating in a white room, regardless if it was related to the scene or shot. 

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Business of Sundance- The Hit or Miss

Arriving at Sundance, I knew very little about the film “The Fight”. I was a little apprehensive because it was a film about cases the ACLU took on soon after the Trump Administration came into office. I’m still amazed at not only how amazing the storytelling was but also the process the director went through to capture the fascinating stories they did. These cases involved tough subjects like abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights. The documentary tried to remain as objective as possible by showing a case where they supported a group that later on people criticized them for later. To me, this documentary was definitely a hit due to how it appealed to morals in not just giving a voice to those who don’t have one, but also protecting those who do.

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The Culture of Sundance- Sundance Culture

The culture at Sundance is very welcoming. Anytime that I had a question about where I needed to go I had no trouble with going up and asking a random stranger how to go to the bus station. That was another inviting aspect of Sundance. Anyone you walked up to was willing to help whether they were a volunteer or not.  I also experienced people coming up to me and asking if I could take a photo for them. This was a cool experience because everyone was very welcoming and just happy to be at Sundance. My favorite experience with these friendly people was when I met this volunteer on the bus whom after I informed her of the scavenger hunt I was doing, she wanted to be apart of it as well as do the scavenger hunt on her own.

[jcmatsundance2020]

The Culture of Sundance- Panels

The panels that Sundance hosts definitely speak to the brand of the festival. I went to the Cinema Cafe panel with panelists Zazie Beetz, Elle Lorraine, and Taylour Paige. The panel started out with talking about how everyone was excited about being at Sundance. The more that was discussed about each woman’s film, the more serious it got. The conversation began to lean more toward how to feel confident in your skin as an artist. They spoke about how they were afraid to make mistakes because they felt like they were wasting everyone on set’s time and then realized that they were allowed to take up space. They were allowed to experiment with their character. This speaks to the brand of Sundance of not only making mistakes, but making mistakes on purpose to develop your craft more.

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The Industry of Sundance- Ignite Breakfast

I went to the Ignite Breakfast which definitely had a theme that Sundance continued to reiterate through the week. One of the panelists used the Sundance Collab for creating the foundation of his film. He continued to build upon it and through Sundance, he was able to find a producer and a team who supported his idea. Then once his film was finished, he was able to submit it to the festival. This connects with how Sundance is about creating their filmmakers and guiding them on their path. Sundance was the leading force behind why the filmmaker had as many opportunities as he did. This is the Sundance way of finding talent and developing it  in order to showcase it later.

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The Culture of Sundance -  Technology

Technology is used at Sundance as a way to make life easier. During my experience at Sundance, I heard many times how much easier it was to get on the waitlist given that it was online now. I met a couple on the bus who have lived in Park City for a few years who never attended Sundance. After a quick conversation with them, they made plans to see a movie they originally thought they could not see. They were amazed at how easy it was for them to join the waitlist. The technology that Sundance incorporated into their program made it easier for everyone to enjoy the program and not have to wait in a waitlist line for hours before a movie.