Visions Week 2 - Dirty Dozen Visions 5 Blog

1. What is the project supposed to achieve?
Provides behind the scenes info. for Visions 5.
Helps to spread the word about the festival.

2. Who is the customer?

Visions staff, students, filmmakers, film scholars, anyone interested in film or film theory.

3. What are the deliverables of the project?

Promoting undergrad work, provides info on events and Visions 5 as a whole

4. What is the budget?

None.

5. How long will it take?

Throughout Spring semester

6. What specific skills are needed?
Writing, research, communication, scheduling, organization, time management

7. What special resources are needed?
Access to previous Visions info (programming book and alumni contact info), previous Visions filmmakers and scholars (contact info), upcoming Visions events info, contact with current staff and Shannon

8. Who is working the project? What is each person's job?

Emily: Writing Blog posts, conducting interviews, sending drafts to Hillary 

Hillary: Editing

Rika: Editing

9. What is the schedule?

2 per week (not including interviews and recaps of events)

10. What are the risks? (Small vs. large impact, likely vs. unlikely)

Not being able to get into contact with interviewees 

11. How will you communicate with your team?
Facebook, texting, meetings, emails

12. How will you determine if the project is successful?

Accumulating hits/views on the Blog posts, comments on most (if not all) posts, promoting Visions to a wider audience 

Visions Week 1 - Festival's of Their Own

For our first assignment as newbie's to the Visions 5 staff we were required to read the article "Festival's of Their Own"
In the reading "Festival's of Their Own" the article talks about the history and the politics that have surrounded film festival's since their beginning in 1938. I was amazed at the impact that film festival's have had all across the globe, as well as the controversies which have surrounded various film festivals. Such as the very first film festival held in Venice, which due to the politics of the World War II era, wherein the German made film Olympia won out over the popular Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Or, how during Cannes film festival in 1955, the representatives from American petitioned to deny the blacklisted U.S. director Jules Dassin in order to keep up appearances. Cannes, I learned, is the most influential film festival of them all. Having been the exemplary model for other film festivals (such as Sundance) around the world and leading them in promoting films made by fledgling directors. However, as the years go by the profitability of film festivals has increased and led to an unfortunate exclusion of films which festivals were meant to circulate to the public. There has been a return back to the original spirit of festival's, with a wider variety of styles and stories to be shared, the film community continues to make available space for up and coming filmmakers no matter their interests.

I did a quick read through of the second article on Blackboard "Microcinema" and a shared theme of both articles was the promotion of the "small works" in film. To reject the consumerist nature of art and media and to continue to keep the spirit of art alive by celebrating the films (the art) of our fellow artists. 

Visions Week 1 - Marketing Department

While I'm inwardly shaking with nerves over being a part of Visions 5 this spring, I'm swallowing any apprehension down with as much confidence as I can muster. I am thrilled to finally be getting up and being apart of something that I feel is going to further me in my pursuit of a film career. Visions 3 was the first film festival that I ever attended - as well as the first volunteer work I have done that was film related - the experience was incredible and rejuvenated my passion for my degree of choice. I can think of no better experience to be a part of as an undergraduate film student. I expect to learn through hands on experience what it is like to be a part of a professional, organized, film event. Learning the ins and outs of what it takes to run a film festival, to collaborate with my film peers who share the same passion, and whose work and prior experience I can work with and learn from in order to better my own skills. Having met the class, read the manual and the job descriptions I can feel my nerves slowly but surely dissipating. The manual is written and outlined in detail and has been super helpful to me and any other newcomer's to the Visions 5 staff team. My job - Marketing assistant - means that I will be working closely the art department along with the rest of the marketing team in order to promote and spread the word about Visions 5. I will be working immediately under Hillary and assisting her in anything she needs in order to keep Visions promotion running smoothly and effectively. Also, I will be taking over writing the Visions 5 Blog which will be a new experience for me but one I am super excited about! 

While I know it won't be a cake walk, I can tell that the Visions 5 team is a very well-oiled machine and I can't wait to see the finished product!