River Run Film Festival Response

Participating in and attending my first ever River Run Film Festival was a valuable experience. On Friday morning, I met with both Caroline Cuny, the organizer of the PitchFest and the other three contestants from Elon, UNC School of the Arts, and Wake Forrest alike. We each presented our brief pitches and film clips and engaged in a Q&A session with the three judges. A discussion panel with the judges proceeded afterwards, in which they shared their personal experiences getting into the industry and their advice on the art of pitching. Top points that resonated with me included remaining passionate about the idea and expressing that not only to potential funders, but to the audience as well. Maintaining a professional as well as colorful presentation hook individuals in and allow them to care about the film and its future. Also, being able to articulate why a filmmaker is the right one for the job is the right one to make a particular film is important to consider. As far as my film is concerned, some constructive criticism I received/tips for the editing process included narrowing down the scope to allow stories of certain characters to shine through and allow audiences to follow through with the overall story.

Apart from the PitchFest, I attended student film blocks of both documentary and narrative films on Friday. The following day, I screened a block of documentary shorts from established filmmakers in the morning, attended a panel discussion in the afternoon, and screened a narrative feature in the evening. It was interesting to listen in on the Q&A sessions at the different film blocks, to hear the filmmakers’ challenges and visions, and the audiences’ reactions to the films. Naturally I am fascinated by the documentary film genre and the various people explored in film. Watching the selections of documentary shorts at the festival gave me some inspiration and ideas for how to go about editing the final cut of my film. Certain aspects I noticed were gradual breaks/pauses in dialogue with overlaid b-roll to allow breathing room for audiences, to allow them to focus solely on the imagery and take in the information presented. I also noticed rare moments within some of the films where the filmmakers’ questions to the subject were included. To hear the filmmaker’s voice proved to me that they were genuinely interested in learning about their subjects and what they had to offer. I am not sure whether I will utilize that technique, but it was rewarding nonetheless to see how other student and established filmmakers shaped their films into stories.