For my industry event I attended the Princeton “Ivy Film Fest”. The Princeton host this event for students and by students. One of the most impressive parts of this fest is that it’s a world-world festival and these films are being showcased through various parts of the world. Viewers get the opportunity to not only see films by their peers locally, but the viewers were always able to see films from, Mexico, France, China, and various other countries. Besides watching films, the Ivy Film Fest is committed to connecting today’s pioneers with the next generations of filmmakers. While the event is intended for students it’s opened to anyone. This gives students the opportunity to meet up with experienced filmmakers and even some professionals who currently work in the film industry.
The experience that I had at this event was eye-opening, informative and entertaining. One of the reasons why this event was eye-opening is because we all were watching film made by students. These directors, writers, producers, and editors are all people who are just like me; students of film. I was blown away by the professionalism and excellence that each film displayed. I can recall the moment where I was inspired by the creativity and it challenged me thinking and made me rethink, my story, and overall agenda with my film. I’m glad that my thinking and creativity were challenged because I believe it will push my project to be the very best that it can be. There were techniques and styles used in some of these films that I have never seen before. There were some stories that were absolutely captivating and kept me glued to the screen every wakening second. It’s my hope that I can get a similar reaction to my project when it’s at its completion.
Another great opportunity that I was able to have at this event was speaking with some of the student filmmakers. There was many people aiming to converse with the filmmakers so my conversations weren’t as long as I had hoped, but I was able to pick some of their minds for a moment. There were some other guest at this event who are fans of film and I was able to run my idea to a few different people and the feedback that I received was positive. The overall advice and feeling that I took away from taking with the filmmakers and even the causal guest was how the edits are nice and the having a big budget is useful, but what really makes a film great is the story that it tells. Stories can be delivered in a multitude of ways, but if your able to connect your story with someone’s emotions then it was a success.
This was my first time being at a film fest and it was a great experience. I’m glad that I chose this event for my industry event. I hope to attend some more film fests in the future to keep my creativity sharp and find some hidden inspiration. I would recommend any who choses film for their thesis project to attend a film because it allows you to have exposure to film that you can’t find on DVD or the movie theater. Not to mention the opportunity to speak with some actual filmmakers.
