Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Telluride 2006 Film Festival Pics

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 05-08-2007, 02:00 PM:

I think Brad's having some fun with us. Or maybe it's the pain meds. [Wink]

quote:
The Abel Gance featured the best projection "team" in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival, comprised single-handedly of Gary Stanley.

quote:
The Chuck Jones Theater featured the best projection team in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival. Bruce Mazen, Peter Halter, Ryan G. Smith, Ian Price.

quote:
The Galaxy featured the best projection team in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival. "The Reel" Bill Hill, Joel Rice, Brad Jones and Dean Silver.

quote:
The Masons Hall featured the best projection team in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival. John Gadja, Brad Miller, Graef Allen and Barbara Grassia.

quote:
The Nugget featured the best projection team in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival. Booth Chief Payal Doctor, Mark Schoenveld, Nugget Owner Luci Reeve who only does projection for the Fest, and Scott Snare.

quote:
Unfortunately even though the Opera House featured the best projection team in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival, the team was unable to assemble for a photo.

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 05-08-2007, 02:29 PM:

I don't know.... I've asked all the operators in those booths and I believe they feel the comments under those pix are absolutely accurate.

There are still two more booths to go. Anyone want to bet against them getting similar captions?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-08-2007, 03:28 PM:

I guess I better change the captions for the Palm or the La Pierre now. [evil]

Fact of the matter is everyone there is pretty good. It is definitely a festival like no other.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-08-2007, 04:53 PM:

People are just now catching on with these captions?

Anyway I remember watching some random movie in the Opera House. I was towards the back of the theater in one of the sideways chairs against the wall. I've gotta say, those seats really need to be removed. My neck hurt like a BITCH for hours afterwards. I would like to kick the person in the testes who thought to put those seats there like that.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-08-2007, 06:26 PM:

And yet I didn't watch anything at last year's festival.

There was just nothing that interested me. I didn't want to sit and watch a depressing movie, and that was mostly what was programmed. That's my only real beef was the emo programming. The town and the people working the festival are fantastic though, so I found my entertainment without watching the movies.

(Hey Jim, any chance of getting some "less serious" films in there this year? [Razz]

)

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-08-2007, 07:34 PM:

Usually none of the movies sound very intriguing to me (I like movies with explosions), but the year that I was there I managed to watch at least 3 at the coaxing of Ian. 2 of them were actually really good. The other was some depressing Italian thing in the Opera House.

Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-15-2007, 08:05 PM:

So how does one (with the "right stuff," of course) become a member of one of the "best" projection teams at Telluride? Do you start as a Production Apprentice?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-15-2007, 09:06 PM:

You ask. I don't think any "qualifications" are necessary, especially since many of the people ONLY ever project at the festival itself. They even let Ian project.

Looking at the PALM pictures, I am convinced that there is some law in Telluride that reads something like "It is required by law to have sideways-facing seats in auditoriums to comply with our other law of hating people and wanting to make them as uncomfortable as humanly possible".

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-15-2007, 09:31 PM:

One would be lucky to get on the projection staff as all these people are very, very good. No one does it for the money, that's for sure.

Jim Bedford has a number of sayings, but his best is
"You're not being paid enough to have a bad time".

My other favorite is "If it rains, we'll let it".

They kind of go downhill from there. Kidding!

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-15-2007, 09:51 PM:

I think my answer is far more accurate.

To be honest, I really didn't enjoy working the festival very much. It wasn't as fun as my 16-screen.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-16-2007, 03:31 PM:

You're crazy, Joe. The special-event stuff is what makes this business interesting. The gigaplexes are continuing along their path to self-destruction with crappy presentation and obnoxious advertising, combined with bad movies. Not to mention that the job is almost always unappreciated.

I don't think that anyone could afford to pay me enough to step into a 16-plex booth again, but I do enjoy doing film and video projection for festivals and special engagements. It's a chance to do something out of the ordinary, see interesting films, meet the filmmakers, and put on a real show (often in older, classier theatres with curtains instead of slide/video advertising). What's not to like?

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 05-16-2007, 03:46 PM:

If your running screening room duty, it's like working a film festival every day of the week at work. [thumbsup]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-16-2007, 04:59 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
It's a chance to do something out of the ordinary, see interesting films, meet the filmmakers, and put on a real show (often in older, classier theatres with curtains instead of slide/video advertising).

My 16-screen had curtains. And older, "classier" theaters often means much poorer presentation since they were designed to look "grand" and all of that nonsense. The sound will usually suck balls, the picture will be tiny and the keystoning from the extreme angle of the throw will be unacceptable. Personally I'd rather watch a VHS tape recorded in EP (and dubbed 6 times) than watch a show in a theater like that. Visual accouterments matter not when the lights are down.

Fortunately Telluride's theaters aren't too "fancy", at least not when I was there. But they did feature non-sloped seating in many of the venues, which doesn't exactly enhance the enjoyability of watching a movie there. Still, the festival gig is not for me. The Denver Film Festival was much worse, as it has some of the most horribly maintained equipment ever, plus the auditoriums were tiny with no presentation value whatsoever. My living room was bigger.

I knew hearts would be broken and bitter tears would fall if I mentioned things like this. I was right.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-17-2007, 07:19 PM:

To each, his own, I guess. I enjoy festivals and special events and the challenge of putting on a great show under non-ideal conditions, as well as working with people who appreciate the work. It's nice to have a chance to show quality films (true, 50% of typical festival material is crap, but there are always some gems) and, often, meet the filmmakers as well (some are great, some are jerks). It's nice to hear a director say that his film has never looked better.

That said, I can understand why you feel that absolute picture and sound quality will often be better in a modern multiplex than in a typical festival venue.

Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-18-2007, 01:54 PM:

Agreed with Scott. Film festivals and special screenings have that certain je ne sais quoi (French for "if you don't know what this phrase means, you don't know" [Big Grin]

) that is missing from regular showings. It is a real test of man (or woman) and machine.

If it wasn't for other commitments I'd love to help run Telluride. To me, having run local film festivals in a platter house, running changeovers would be a walk in the park. And I'd have no qualms about the level of presentation quality possible from their venues, even the locations running well-tuned fifty-year-old Brenkerts.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 05-21-2007, 07:44 PM:

I'll agree with Scott on this one, the festivals are the most interesting things I do, from dealing with nutcase directors, amateurs, to running ancient prints on a prayer that they will make it. Had a guy show up with 3 reels of clear film and 3 reels of the feature once, he was just a little pissed, I think
the lab screwed up.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2007, 12:14 AM:

The Minnie (it's called La Pew now or something) is where I wanted to work when I did the Telluride Film Festival because the booth was more roomy than the Nugget and they had Century projectors versus the much-hated Brenkerts. Ian let me thread a reel and it was like a breath of fresh air after a couple days at the Nugget.

That guy with the hat I think worked with me at the Nugget. He talked to me about headaches and how aspirin only numbs the pain, not gets rid of it. Somehow I had already obtained that elusive knowledge earlier in my life. He also had his dog with him 24/7. I should have brought my cat. In fact, it should be required that every projectionist bring a pet.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-22-2007, 12:27 AM:

Does anyone go to these festivals to get laid? Just wondering. Isn't there usually a decent number of women gravitating to these events?

"The best projection team" thing reminds me of how Trey Parker and Matt Stone introduced many episodes of South Park on DVD, "this is our favorite episode because..."

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 05-22-2007, 12:31 AM:

It's awesome, you should go and get laid!

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2007, 02:27 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
Does anyone go to these festivals to get laid? Just wondering. Isn't there usually a decent number of women gravitating to these events?

Sure there are women there... but not too many that you'd want to touch. [Razz]

Ian might have something different to say about it, though. My girlfriend at the time told me to go wild while working the fest, but I came back with now new "experiences".

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 05-22-2007, 03:54 PM:

Retsina has been very very good to me. [beer]

When I first came to the Telluride Film Festival 17-years-ago, Jim Bedford had the reputation of having slept with every female manager and a few of the male ones. But at that point he had been married to Luci for a few years so that reputation has subsided just a bit.

Some of my fellow festival workers seem to hook up every festival, although how I don't know. The festival schedule seems to be: rise at 7:00 AM, go get a large coffee. Go to your venue around 8:00 AM and prepare for the 9:00 AM show. Show movies throughout the day till midnight. Then find a party, it's not hard, there's one every night. Get drunk, hook up, go home and get laid. If you are a gentleman, service your guest till 3 or 4 AM, then have a cat nap. Get up at 7:00 AM, repeat till dead or the festival is over. Thank God, it's only 4-days long. [Roll Eyes]

Sometimes not hooking up is a great way to catch up on sleep.

That said, every time I come to Telluride, I fall just a little bit in love. Right now I am in Telluride for Mountainfilm. This weekend, my favorite name is Emily, twice. But my girlfriend shows up on Friday, so I must behave. [Roll Eyes]

Telluride stimulates the mind and body. [thumbsup]

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 05-22-2007, 11:53 PM:

Remember, the plural of spouse is spice! [Big Grin]

Telluride looks and sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad I'm happily married to an airline now...