Post-Event Reflection

This past weekend at Visions might have been one of the most fun weekends I've had. It ranks up there with a day trip to Bath, England where I got to see in person the baths I had been studying for years in Latin class and nap in a park with green grass and 70 degree temperatures.

I can't even say what my expectations were for the event. I think I was so caught up in the planning and development of it that I forgot to even imagine what it would be like. In my sleep-deprived delirium I strolled into the event as it came alive. It was surreal at first to see in person all of the filmmakers and scholars I had fought over. It was even more surreal when they turned out to be awesome, and interesting, and just as wide-eyed as I was.

I realized about half way through the day, and then again on Saturday just how special our little event was. I think I had held it up next to a bunch of other film festivals and found it insignificant in comparison. Now I know we aren't even in the same ball park as the majority of other film festivals. What other film festival fosters the growth of an individual, and cares about them like we do? Our purpose was so much more than a film festival (we stated that in the beginning, but I got to see it in real life this past weekend) but a place to bring undergrads where they can feel like their voice is important. I knew by the conversations I had with them (despite their humble attitudes) that they felt very important, and heard. It's not only something that other film festivals aren't doing, it's something our culture isn't doing. The age at which a person becomes an adult is constantly being raised, but people have voices much sooner than that. This idea is what Visions exemplified this year, and it's something that is radically important.

I'm truly proud to have been a part of it. Yay.

End mushiness.

Pros and Cons

Bill Murray Paper:

Pro - Everyone loves Bill Murray, and his movies, so seeing pictures and quoting lines will be super fun.

Con - I don't like how it's written. The author does a "Since the beginning of the world" intro that I find tedious and unnecessary. He also has some pretty nasty generalizations about actors that I find to be cruel. So some of them are assholes, but probably not the majority.

Also why do all of his images have that awful filter?

Gravity:

Pro -  I love hearing about how the film was made and the comments from the director, and how they compare it to current editing styles.

Con - I still think this same thing can be applied to a lot of technologically revolutionary films

Ghosts in Japanese Cinema:

Pro - The paper is fascinating!

Con - It might be too long for a 20 minute presentation

Gaspar Noe:

Pro - I tend to believe that movies like this should just not be made at all, but this paper made me question my stance on that. Maybe that's a good thing? I still don't think I'll be browsing the "rape revenge" genre on Netflix anytime soon.....

Con - "sympathetic male perspective" <-- NO.

Pied Piper vs. Faun:

Pros - It's interesting, I like the idea of kids using fantasy to make sense of the world

Cons - None

Blues Bros: 

Pros: Interesting analysis, original

Cons: Takes WAY too long to get to the point

Orson Welles:

Pros: Really well researched

Cons: None

Event Overload

Week 3: January 30th - February 5th
- Departmental Meeting (2hrs)
- Bake Sale Planning (4+ hrs)
- Watching Films (2.5 hrs)
- Blog (20 min)
- Class (6hrs or more)

I just really love event planning. I don't know what else to say about that. Some people really love spreadsheets.. I avoid them like the plague. I guess I've found my niche. That being said, I'm super nervous for the Bake Sale. I have planned it down to the second, and now all I can do is wait until it gets here. The snow storm turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was trapped inside a house for three days with nothing to do except plan. That gave me time to run everything through my head over and over and make sure I didn't leave anything out. It also gave me time to talk with other people and share ideas that can make it run smoother.

I think I read every "how to" article on the internet that was related to this type of event. There was a lot of repetition which is a good sign, because it means that people have a general understanding about how it works, and the more transparency there is the more people feel inclined to participate. (Apparently I'm weird in wanting to try new things all the time?) Any ideas that seemed to be out-of-the-box I wrote down and tried to include. As much as people like the familiar, they don't like the boring. I think the step&repeat and the Instagram contest will add a creative aspect to it that will be really fun and allow more people to participate.

From this point all we can do is pray and bake. Here goes!

Parties, Baking, and Baking Parties

Week 2: January 20 - 29
Bake Sale Prep (5hrs and counting)
Party Raffle (2 hrs)
Departmental Meeting (1.5 hrs)
Grading Films/Abstracts (3hrs)
Snow Day Presentation (1 hr)

Bake Sales are way more complicated than you think they are. As well as event planning on a $0 budget. This is no game. I've definitely been challenged by the process (which I love, never let me get bored..I shut down and quit doing things). I'm excited and nervous for the Bake Sale and for the party, which are happening one right after the other, but confident that we can pull it off.

Since we will be having it in the morning, and since the morning is a high traffic time, I thought it would be a good idea to include breakfast items. We can have donut holes and orange juice potentially?  Breakfast muffins? That way people who probably are not craving chocolate cookies can buy the breakfast they most likely neglected to eat. And it's cheaper than Einsteins or Starbucks!

I'd also like to have a wrapping party, where we individually wrap all the items. I live far away, so if we had it somewhere everyone could come to close to campus it would make the drop off much easier and I would also have help wrapping the items.

So many ideas in my head! I'm putting them all into a plan as I type!

Kicking Off the Spring Semester

Visions Week 1: January 13th - 19th
Syllabus (20 min)
Class (5 hrs)
Departmental Meeting (30 min)
Calendar Updates (15 min)
Grading Abstracts  #1-16 (2 hrs)

This week was mainly spent on starting back up again with Visions. The first class was a great reminder of where we left off as well as a good overview of what is to come. I'm stoked to start looking at abstracts and films and really get the ball rolling on the event. Event planning is one of my favorite things to do, and even the smallest details are exciting to me. I was glad to see a bunch of new faces in the class. It will be great to have new voices/talents/ideas to go around. I love collaborating with other people and seeing what they bring to the table.

All of the events seem to really be coming up quickly, so preparedness is key. The key to the success of any event is always in it's organization, so I will be working on my events extensively to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Another thing I think that will be really important to the success of our events is being each others' safety net, so-to-speak. Which basically means not letting anyone do something on their own. There are a lot of big things going on, and stress is high. So by keeping our heads up and alert to the needs of our team members we can keep their heads above water.