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Day 6
- My Life, she is a festival about to end for me
- But she goes on and on and on...
- after I am gone...
- after I am home...
Got up, packed and checked out. Web drove Tim The Wonder
Horse and I to Main Street before he headed to the airport.
His flight was earlier than ours. We had left our luggage
at the condo and arranged shuttles to take us to the airport
later in the afternoon.
Tim and I walked up Main and decided to go to Slamdance
and check out some shorts.
We stopped by the NoDance headquarters because Bob Ray had
told us they had added some shows later this week. We were
hoping they had added a showing of "Rock
Opera." Their office was closed but they had a list of
films that were going to be shown on Thursday that did not
include "RO." Maybe they'll show it on Friday.
They also had a list of their festival winners:
Jury Feature: Cons Jury Short: A
Clockwork Maury Audience Feature: Waiting
(ugh) Audience Short: Star Geeks Golden Orb: (tie) Show Me
the Aliens/Waiting
Continued to go uphill and got to Slamdance. Once there,
we watched the 3 o'clock round of Dramatic shorts. These were
all black and white and some of the best films I had seen
all week. The 4 films weren't necessarily "Dramatic" as much
as sort of avant-garde. The first was "CrashPad"
and "The One Armed Bandit," 2 shorts by the same guy.
They were very French, almost Tati films. The second, "Dot
Down," was very New York; the third, "Mosquito,"
was very German; and the finally was a masterpiece of Asian
expressionism called "Rosewater."
It was awesome.
Tim and I decided to go grab some grub. We went to Main
Street Pizza and Noodle and although the food was good, the
service was lousy. They just didn't have enough people to
handle the crowd. I wonder if there will be similar problems
here in Austin during SXSW. At least we have a pool of college
students to draw on who might like to pick up some extra work
for 3 weeks or so in March. Park City is so small they have
to import people from Salt Lake City to help out.
That's some good advice to those who would put on film festivals:
Make sure there is a pool of people who are willing to do
some extra work for a week to handle the enormous crowd you
hope your festival will attract.
As we were about to leave the restaurant, I thought I saw
Alice Cooper on the street but I don't think it was him. Maybe
it was Steve Vai or some guy from Motley Crue or something.
It may have just been some long haired local or producer.
Everyone in Park City looks like a famous person, or like
someone you have met who has their own film and whose name
you can't remember.
We got on the street and Tim TWH found $10 on the sidewalk.
How come I'm always looking up when I should be looking down
and vice versa? We went into a chocolate shop and I got a
piece of candy. It was good. We were going back uphill to
Slamdance when Tim bumped me and said, "Michael Stipe." Sure
enough, there he was, big as day on the street. He looked
like he was just trying to get around. We took some video
but tried not to bother him. He was stopping to take pictures
with everyone and seemed very nice. I feel sorry for celebs
who just want to walk down the street and sightsee or shop.
It's almost impossible for them. It makes me feel sorry for
them, which is kinda insane. Some of the members of the band
were there also. I don't know who is who in the band, I've
seen them a million times but the only name I could remember
was Michael Stipe.
Afterwards, Tim and I wished we had said, "Thanks for 'Man
in the Moon.'" You always think of the right thing to say
much too late.
We went back up to Slamdance, in a sort of haze. We went
in and saw a short or two and then decided to call a cab to
take us back to the Condo. We got one right away. We shared
the cab with some guys we knew from Troma. The cabbie was
a real character and the Troma guys asked to interview him
about what he was doing this week. He agreed and when they
turned ont he camera, they started asking him the stupidest,
most offense questions, like "Do you shower?" and stuff like
that. It was juvenile and crude. What jerks. My perception
of Troma as a cool film company has been shot out of the water
this week. They are just stupid assholes. After they got out
of the cab, the driver said they were jerks. He played along
on camera but I could tell he was personally offended. They
totally mishandled doing this interview. It was stupid and
annoying and the perfect end to a horrible day, exaggerating
that feeling of pretentiousness and stupidity that permeates
the festivals. Everyone walks around with such an inflated
sense of importance. And it is so easy to fall into this trap.
But eventually, the "industry" types just leave a bad taste
in your mouth. They make you feel dirty, like you need a shower.
It's pretty repulsive and a definite turn-off for anyone with
a heart and soul who wants to make a film.
We waited at the condo for our shuttle to the airport and
watched a bit of "Rosie." Courtney Cox (Arquette) was on.
This is only important because when we finally got our shuttle
(45 freaking minutes late) we shared it with one of these
"industry" types who thought he was so important. He talked
on his cell phone the entire ride. He was apparently involved
with some actress' career. Whoever she is, she is seemingly
going to play "Keanu's wife" in an upcoming film, at least
that's what I "overheard"/had to hear on the trip. He also
was talking, on his next call, about some premiere coming
up. He asked "Are Courtney and David going to be there?" I
thought it was more junk talk but Tim later told me he was
being told he couldn't go to some premiere and was trying
to find out why he wasn't invited. This guy had also left
his luggage at his hotel and was trying to blame it on the
driver. It was insane. This guy's name was Troy Nankin. I
know because I heard him say it about 100 times on the trip.
He was only mildly annoying compared to some of the other
assholes I met this week.
I was fucking ready to get out of the shit and get home
to Austin. Tim and I caught our flights home, read some of
the free magazines we had collected this week and got home
without incident. I was glad to be home.
I got to my apartment and everything was as I had left it.
I checked my mail and there were some junk coupon rags but
nothing else. It was as if time had stood still while I was
away.
I loved going to Park City but, in the end, it was a letdown.
There is such an "industry" feel to all the festivals, even
the small ones, that it gets depressing. There is so much
to see and do that you feel like you are always missing out.
And getting into some stuff is such a nightmare; If you don't
get in, you don't have time to get over to something else.
Park City is small and yet spread out. The film festivals
on Main Street are on a mountainside, so walking will kill
you. There are not enough people in the workforce to handle
the crowds. It's busy and noisy and pretentious and icky.
And in the middle of it are the little guys from Austin
and Toronto and Philadelphia and Connecticut and Colorado
(and yes L.A. and NY too) trying to get a film they've sunk
their entire life saving into seen by someone who can help
them achieve their goals. Sure, there will be glory stories
next week of little guys who got a deal. But more than that,
there will be a ton of those who did not. Those who will either
somehow manage to keep trying again and again, here and at
other festivals. And those who will go home, and give up,
and, eventually, cry themselves into the real world of hard
work and slumber.
Where is their festival?
Lodger2000
(peace, sweet angels, and be not afraid to fail!)
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