Mardi Gras Masquerade!

Hello Visions5 audience!

This Thursday, February 26th, the Visions staff will be hosting a Mardi Gras Masquerade Party!

There will be food, music, a lip sync battle (like on Jimmy!) and raffles!

So come on down to the Calico Room decked out in your finest Mardi Gras and Masquerade apparel! We will have beads a plenty, as well as other festive Mardi Gras decor to get you in the party mood.

The venue is 18 and up and there will be a $5 cover charge. All proceeds will go towards travel and accommodation grants for filmmakers and scholars selected for the 5th Visions Film Festival & Conference held on April 17, 2015.

It’s going to be a ton of fun and we can’t wait to see you there!

Caroline Roberts Keynote Teaser

This past week the head of our Hospitality Department, Adrienne Olson, got to sit down and interview our keynote speaker Caroline Roberts! A UNCW alumna, Caroline has worked on films such as Nine, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Into the Woods. She will be delivering the keynote address during the festival, sharing her experiences in the film world, as well as participating in a Q & A!

While the festival is not until April17th, here is a short teaser from Adrienne's interview with Caroline:

Adrienne

Q: So how was the transition from film to into the real world and the film industry? Because it seems like it would be either you make it or you don’t.

Caroline

A: Yeah I think there is a lot of gray area as well. People can sort of get jobs and make a living and then I think you can get lucky and you can really find your passion. For me, film has always been a passion rather than work, so it was very easy for me to give my entire life to my job, which a lot of people have a problem with.

Adrienne

Q: What was the most exciting experience you have had on a film set?

Caroline

A: I have a couple. I probably have three that were just out of control. On my first film, Nine, Daniel Day Lewis was in character and I was a nobody and I would be carrying a lot of stuff always, and he would always see me on set and he’d come over and be like, “Ahh ciao bello!” and he’d kiss me [on the cheek] on either side like an Italian man would! And I didn’t know what to call him! I didn’t know if he wanted me to call him Guito, like his character’s name, so I would just be like “Ciao!” And he smelled unbelievably good!

That was just a teaser! Caroline Roberts has plenty more industry adventures to share during her keynote address. Go to visionsfilm.org now to purchase your Visions Film Festival & Conference badge to get access to the full day of Visions events.

Badge Registration

Hello Visions 5 audience!

Here is a quick update on badge registration for our upcoming festival & conference:

Badge registration is now open for the event!

Remember, Visions 5 takes place on April 17th and if you want to experience everything that Visions has to offer then run, don’t walk, to register for badges!

Badges will grant you full access to benefits that include:

1. A keynote address by special guest speaker Caroline Roberts
2. Access to all film & conference blocks
3. The 1 hour/1 take Video Race (participation requires separate registration at no additional cost)
4. Morning and evening receptions
5. The Visions5 after party

To register, simply go to the Visions 5 website at http://www.visionsfilm.org and click on the registration tab at the top of the page. From there the site will redirect you to etix where you can purchase your badges, all at an extremely affordable price! The sooner you register, the better the deal and be sure to tell your friends so that they can jump on these bargains asap!

If you sign up today, you have until April 1st to purchase your badges for just $10! Purchases made from April 1st until the 16th will cost $15, and any badges purchased on the day of the event will cost $20. Hurry, hurry, hurry and snag the best deal!

After you have bought your badges you will be able to pick them up at the registration table on the day of the event. Make sure to bring a valid I.D. with you as these are required in order to retrieve your purchase.

All badges are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Any questions regarding registration can be sent to the registration coordinator, Olivia Arokiasamy, at registration@visionfilm.org.

We are so excited to have you come down and enjoy with us everything that Visions has to offer. So don’t walk, run! to register yourselves for an amazing day of film and film theory!

Coming Soon:

Interview with Ally Gold, head of Development

Video review of Vow

Programming Visions!

Programming Visions

Reading, watching, grading, discussing - all a part of the programming experience!

Each week our team has been reviewing film and abstract submissions by undergraduate students looking to exhibit their work at our upcoming Visions 5 festival. We have seen some impressive, and not so impressive, submissions here in the staff room which has caused some colorful debate amongst the team!

It is not always a difficult decision though. We have had quite a few films and abstracts that were solid enough to make it through to the next round with little to no debate against them. However, there have been plenty that need much more time and deliberation. With such strong personalities that make up our staff, it has been quite a show to watch when we get a film that resonated heavily with one visionary, but was disliked by another. Then begins the battle of wills: who can sway the majority onto their side?

As we wade through our pool of submissions, we remain fair but tough in our grading. We strive to make Visions 5 a festival that will cater to a wide variety of viewers; one that every kind of audience is sure to enjoy. We hope to see you there!

Up Next:

Video review of Vow

Coming Soon:

Video interview with Ally Gold, head of Development

A Fresh Start

Though Spring hasn’t quite sprung the staff members of Visions5 are buzzing around like bees! We are hard at work programming the films and presentations - all of which were submitted by undergraduate students - for the festival which we are proud to be bringing to UNCW and the Wilmington community.

We have something for everyone to enjoy, from narrative film to experimental, we’ve got it all! So be sure to come and imbibe yourself in the world of film and film theory; no matter your interests, you’ll have a blast at Visions 5! To tide you over until the Big Day (April 17th), the Visions staff has a special Valentine for our audience:

The Visions 5 Bake Sale!

February 11th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in front of Cameron and Randall, there will be two tables set up full of FREE baked goods from us Visionaries to you! (Donations accepted & appreciated)
We have found four loves just in time for Valentine’s Day but the elusive fifth love still evades us; we need your help to find it! So come on out, enjoy the treats, and gorge yourself on the Visions5 experience!

That’s all for now folks, but stay tuned with us here at Visions 5 by following our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram page!

Next time: 

Programming Visions5

Coming soon: 

Review of Visions 3 film, Vow

Video interview with Ally Gold, head of Development Department

Links:

Website - http://www.visionsfilm.org

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/visionsfilm

Twitter - https://twitter.com/visionsfilm

Instagram - http://instagram.com/visionsfilm

Are you excited? Get ready to be!

This week we sat down with UNCW sophomore, Talbot Hall, to get the scoop on her new film At First. An ensemble piece featuring five protagonists and the idea of love at first sight which looks to bring about the vast amount of emotions that appear when falling for someone.  The film is currently in preproduction and scheduled to begin shooting in the Spring of 2015. Talbot was kind enough to break down the murky steps of music licensing, give some tips for aspiring student artists, and drop a spoiler or two. But before you continue on to the interview:

There will be a Benefit Concert for At First taking place at the Reel Café in downtown Wilmington on November 9th from 6-10 pm so make sure to mark your calendars! In the meantime, head over to the IndieGoGo page to get more information and make a donation (anything helps!) and also like her page on Facebook.

• What made you decide to split the narrative into 5 separate storylines?

     Well, the story initially came to me when I was driving. I heard the song “Touch Me” by The Doors, and it’s this outrageously epic love song: the lyrics are literally: “I’m going to love you until the heavens stop the rain; I’m going to love you until the stars fall from the sky for you and I.” And I imagined someone falling in love that way, hearing that song almost as it happened.
     And then I imagined the opposite- what if, when someone different fell in love, all that they heard was white noise? And another, what if they heard something much more subdued, something sad and understated?
     And so the five story lines were born out of that experiment, and out of my love of putting vastly different people’s lives side-by-side, when the diverse experiences of everyone around us are something that we overlook on a daily basis.


• So this obviously makes music a large part of the story. Your IndieGoGo says that a lot of the budget is slated for music licensing so are there any specifics that donors can expect to hear?

     Well, I can say that I’ve been licensed for a Lana Del Rey song (which I’m beyond thrilled about) and a Frank Sinatra song, as well as a song by Johnny Cash. And I’m working with a fantastic girl named Nina Storey, who’s represented by a smaller independent label. She’s put out some stellar stuff.

• That sounds great! Any tips on navigating the murky world of music licensing? Did you discover any tactics that worked better than others? 

     I think it's a resource that's totally underutilized by students...

1. If you think you need the rights to something, always ask. Always. Ask.
2.  If you want the rights to a song, to put it simply, there are two licenses you need to get: the master rights and the publishing rights. The master rights give you license to use the actual artist's recording, the publishing rights give you license to use the writer's composition. You need both to play a recording of a song, unless you're recording a cover of it.
3. Covers can be a very cheap, reasonable alternative.
4.  Allmusic.com for finding out who owns the master rights (it's the label.) ASCAP.com and BMI.com to find out who the publisher is.
5. Have a professional, concise, to-the-point cover letter. And be prepared to send it out a lot. The rights to film are called synchronization rights. Tell any company that that's what you need, and let them forward you to the right person.
6. Always, ALWAYS disclose that you're exhibiting exclusively at festivals, if that's the case. It's much easier to license that way.

     That's basically it! Don't be afraid to tell them that you're new to the world of music licensing. Most people will be extremely accommodating and helpful.

• Only being a sophomore while trying to undertake such a large project could be scary to some. 

     I’m pretty difficult to scare. I think that hesitance to take on a project all comes down to, as strange as it sounds, being afraid of or intimidated by other people. That could be fear of the judgment of your peers, fear of asking a major label for song rights, fear of pitching your film to an upper level administrator or executive, fear of having to look at other people and answer to what you’ve made with pride.
     That’s something that I’ve grappled with a lot in the past. I’ve gotten to the point that, in struggling to relentlessly with some psychologically trying circumstances, I am now completely unafraid of other people.
     Because I can look at someone and see the humanity in him or her, I can bring myself to remember that at the end of the day they’re nothing more than a person. They may be a powerful person, but they’re still a person.
     If you aren’t fearless by nature, force yourself to fake being invincible, until you actually are.
     This is my rule: if I notice that I’m afraid of something, and admit that to myself, I have to do it. If something scares you, it’s probably the next step.

• Any tips for other student filmmakers on making their dream projects come to life?

     Don’t make film selfishly. There isn’t any place for narcissism in art; it taints it. If you’re making film to impress other people, or to prove something about yourself, or exclusively for your own benefit, people can tell. And it won’t garner success, or a good team.
     When you work from a foundation of respect, compassion, and humility, great people come out of the woodwork. The money shows up. And, most importantly, your audience will have an experience that moves them in some capacity. Those traits are the foundation of life; they’re what give the human experience purpose. When you built your art with them in mind at each step, connections are made in every direction.
     Also, write down every mean thing that anyone has ever said to you. Frame it on your wall. If people are challenging and fighting you, you’re doing something right. If they’re not, you need to shake it up.
     Network like crazy. Learn how to communicate effectively. Textbooks are great, but if you can’t engage someone in honest conversation, technical knowledge is worthless. Be there for other people when they need you. Be respectful, proactive, and always do more than what you’re asked. The right people always notice.

'Thank you' to everyone!

A big thanks going out to all parties involved in our annual Film Kid mixer that took place on Tuesday. It was an awesome turnout and we hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. It is always such a great time when you get a mix of film and theatre lovers all showing how dedicated they are to their craft. The only complaint to be found was that the pizza ran out (sorry everyone, even we were not expecting such a crowd)! Future projects, old stories, and inside jokes were all shared and made us here at Visions HQ that much more excited about what we have in store for everyone next. In the meantime, share with us your favorite part of the night, or even what you would like to see happen in the future!

Stay tuned for updates & as always, follow us on

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Oh, and just in case you missed the party, we will be posting the full picture album on our

Instagram