Our And Scene Festival was a huge success, and all the hard work that our team put into the production of it really paid off! We had many successes, like our impressive turnout on our Opening Night which was filled with so much appreciation for the work created by the studios as well as support from our friends and family! Everything ran smoothly from the moment the doors opened to when our team left the VIP area in the salon. Hearing the buzz around certain works was exciting, and the enthusiasm everyone shared while enjoying our sponsor’s beer was special, especially because I can appreciate all the hard work our sponsorship team put into securing Mountain Goat for our festival. I believe this success was partly due to the encouragement we received from Mia Falstein-Rush’s presentation that getting in-kind support is not always easy, but worth it when you keep pushing.
Our second day was much calmer, as expected, with most of the audience being those directly connected to the work we were showing at that time. There were some mishaps, such as a glitch in one of the films we were showcasing which caused a slight pause in our timetable. In hindsight, we could have planned for technical difficulties by having one team member engage the audience with questions to create an interactive environment while others fixed the problem. This would have alleviated pressure on those handling the issue and kept the audience engaged.
On closing night, we had a great time as a team, but we were uncertain about how many people would turn up and if we needed security for promoting and enjoying our sponsor, Fruit Tree Cider. We ended up with a lot of leftover food and fewer people than expected, but regardless, we had a great time. Everyone involved in the festival felt valued and appreciated for their contributions to the And Scene Festival.
The production of our festival also allowed me to reflect on the skills I have yet to discover and/or strengthen, like all of the media applications and approaches mentioned by the Visual Blueprint studio, such as colour theory, one-point perspective, film symmetry, tableaux vivants and the golden curve. I was intimidated by this studio particularly because I have always considered myself an appreciator of film aesthetics rather than a maker of film aesthetics, and doubted my abilities. But after watching the various micro-short films created from that studio, like Friends for Dinner, I realised that I should not be too quick to underestimate my skills and my abilities to grow creatively and technically, especially when in an environment like the media studios where we are encouraged to challenge ourselves. It would have been great if our festival team conducted a form of Q and A to provide more insight into the work created by the studios. Watching Friends for Dinner, I wondered about the challenges the creators faced and what they learned in the Visual Blueprint that enhanced their film. This information would be helpful for other students and creatives as a reminder that we are here to learn and push ourselves, with our creativity and skills constantly evolving.
Reflecting on the challenges and successes of our festival, there are three core ideas that highlighted the overall theme of putting on a festival. Marijke de Valck (2016) mentioned breaking traditional festival settings, which makes me wonder if we could have showcased the work differently. Since we didn’t have a clear understanding of what would be showcased until the end of our festival production, we had limited time to think of creative ways to present the work other than in The Capitol’s theatre. In the future, having more time to plan unique exhibitions, such as in the lobby or salon of The Capitol, would be ideal. The concept of showcasing work creatively ties into Mark Cousins’ (2012) idea of film festival teams being ‘storytellers and stylists’. Despite our limitations, such as budget and time constraints, I think our team did a great job by using our individual and unique skills and talents to make our festival cohesive and enjoyable. Another core idea, as mentioned by Stevens (2016) regarding the history of Australian film festivals, is the power of supporting local artists to create a fostering community environment and a successful event. By showcasing work created by fellow RMIT students and beyond, our festival was filled with support and appreciation for all the work shown, undoubtedly contributing to its success.
In conclusion, the production of the And Scene Festival was an unforgettable experience. Despite the initial intimidation by the scale of our potential festival and the fact that most of our class did not know each other, we quickly broke down barriers and connected to collaboratively create a fun and supportive environment. From touring venues around the city as a class to excitedly grabbing the abundant leftover food from our closing ceremony, this festival was one we can all proudly say we contributed to and helped bring people together to celebrate creativity and art!
References
Cousins M (2012) “Film Festival Form: A Manifesto (UK, 2012)” in Scott MacKenzie (ed), Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures: A Critical Anthology, University of California Press, Berkeley
Stevens K (2016) “Enthusiastic Amateurs: Origins of Australia’s Film Festival MovementLinks to an external site.” in Kirsten Stevens, Australian Film Festivals: Audience, Place, and Exhibition Culture, Palgrave Macmillan US, New York
Valck MD (2016) “Introduction: What is a film festival? How to study festivals and why you shouldLinks to an external site.” in Marijke de Valck, Brendan Kredell and Skadi Loist (eds), Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice, Routledge, New York