Sundance / Day 1

After a turbulent flight out of the Los Angeles monsoon yesterday morning, I arrived to Salt Lake City welcomed by an incredibly peaceful vista of the Wasatch mountains, blanketed in several feet of newly fallen snow.  One of my favorite things about attending the Sundance Film Festival is being able to be a world away from the urban sprawl of Hollywood and live in a small mountain town for a week and a half.  Despite the fact that Hollywood literally takes over Park City for 11 days, I am still able to enjoy breathing in the crisp and clean mountain air at 7,000’, and watch the quiet snowflakes fall out my condo window onto the beautiful surrounding hills.  The other advantage of the festival being in such a remote location is that it allows filmmakers and industry folks to connect with each other and conduct business in an intimate, personal and unique way.

Kodak arrived in Park City and hit the ground running.   After several hours of errands from supermarket runs to the liquor store (for a case of celebratory champagne) to picking up our ticket packages at Sundance Headquarters, the Kodak team was ready to head up to Treasure Mountain for Slamdance’s Opening Night event:  “Kodak’s Filmmaker Lineup.”

Peter Baxter, President and Co-Founder of SLAMDANCE

It’s been a tradition over the years as part of Kodak’s sponsorship with Slamdance, to host a champagne toast at the opening night filmmaker’s reception.  Peter Baxter, President and Co-Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival, expressed many kind words of gratitude toward Kodak for their ongoing sponsorship and introduced Kodak’s Anne Hubbell, Account Manager Independent and Studio Features in NYC, to say a few words about Kodak’s support of the independent filmmaker. After we raised our glasses, the Slamdance filmmakers introduced themselves and gave a description of their film, in an effort to build a community around the filmmakers of Slamdance for the week to come.  Later that evening, Kodak hosted a private dinner at Café Terigo on Main Street, with several of the panelists from the upcoming “Fireside Chat,” to be held at Slamdance on Friday, January 22^nd.

This year, opening night at the Sundance Film Festival was a little different. In a break from tradition, Sundance presented one narrative film, (“Howl”) a documentary (“Restrepo”) and a shorts program as separate screenings to make up an evening of movies. Being busy hosting and toasting filmmakers, I wasn’t able to catch any of the films, but tomorrow is another day.  And this, I have to remember, is only Day One.

Kodak heads to Sundance

After working ten years as a Television Account Manager for Eastman Kodak Company, looking after ABC Studios, HBO, NBC/Universal to name a few customer accounts, I recently moved over to the Feature segment as the new Independent Film Representative for Kodak in Hollywood.  Many of you may also know me as a filmmaker, as I have been writing and directing short films for 15 years that have screened at film festivals including SUNDANCE, and aired on cable networks such as Showtime, IFC and the Women’s Entertainment Channel.  My new role at Kodak allows me to bring my personal passion of filmmaking to the job to meet Kodak’s business needs servicing the filmmaker. As the Indie Feature Account Rep, it’s important to connect with other independent filmmakers to educate about film technology.  As a filmmaker, I am able to speak the same language as my customers, understand their needs, and help those whose dreams are to tell their stories through the magic of film.

Part of my job is to attend film festivals to meet and network with customers.  This week, I head to Park City to watch lots of movies, schmooze with industry folk, and celebrate with filmmakers of the SUNDANCE and SLAMDANCE Film Festivals.  It is the place to be if you are in the business of independent film, where you can discuss the latest market buzz, new technologies, issues around distribution and get a general pulse on what the state of indie film is.

Kodak has a sizable presence at both festivals, as we are a Presenting Sponsor of the SLAMDANCE Film Festival that runs from January 21st – 28th, and a host of several other activities throughout the week in Park City.  This coming Friday, January 22nd, from 1-2:30pm, I will be moderating a “Fireside Chat” at SLAMDANCE in the Treasure Mountain Inn Technicolor Gallery Screening Room, called ‘SHOOTING FILM ON A BUDGET: The Advantages of Super 16mm Film.”  Panelists include SUNDANCE Selection Filmmakers: Ben Safdie and Josh Safdie, Directors/Screenwriters/Cinematographer of “Daddy Longlegs”, Producer Heather Rae and Cinematographer Gavin Kelly of “The Dry Land,” Producer Alex Orlovsky of “Blue Valentine,” and Cinematographer Benoit Debie of “The Runaways.”  Come hear filmmakers discuss the advantages, both creative and financial, of shooting on super 16mm.

If you miss the panel, but see me sitting next to you in the Eccles Theater, or walking down Main Street, or sipping a beer at one of the many cocktail parties, please make sure to say hello. I would love to hear about your projects.  Stay tuned for more reports from Park City as the festival unfolds.

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Minnesota. Photo © Chris J. Russo.

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The Prize, Santa Monica Pier. Photo © Chris J. Russo.

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Morning Swim.  Photo © Chris J. Russo.

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 My feet in Santa Barbara.  Photo Chris J. Russo.

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Cycling towards the foothills heading to Ventura. Photo © Chris J. Russo.

U2 @ Rose Bowl

I saw U2 play the Beacon Theater in NYC back in 1982, when they were on their “War” tour. Bono would infamously climb on top of a stack of amplifiers and wave around a large white flag, while singing “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” sending a political message through their music even from the start.  I was in my glory — all of 12 years old — dancing with a bunch of strangers to the high energy of a band that gave the 2,800 seat audience all they had.  Sunday night at the Rose Bowl, I saw my 4th U2 concert over the years (Giants Stadium on their Zooropa Tour, and a few years ago at the Staples Center), and this show was probably the best of the best.  Playing for two and a half hours, the band came out with the energy they had back in 1982, and the set design (see that crazy picture above) and lighting was incredible.  With the theme of “360 degrees” — meaning that worldwide, via live streaming on YouTube, people could simultaneously listen and watch the show.  It was an amazing technological feat to put on, and U2, a band that continues to reinvent themselves quite successfully, did it pretty flawlessly.  What was even more impressive to me, was being in a crowd of close to 100,000 people in the audience and looking around to all of the happy faces.  Who were these people? Where did they come from?  Living in LA, I am not used to seeing this many people all in one place, it was startling.  The power of this band, of their music, of their message is unbelievably far-reaching, and thankfully Bono is intelligently using this power in such a positive light.

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Seattle Sidewalk. Photo © Chris J. Russo.

Coffee Shops / Seattle

Seattle has, hands down, the best coffee shops that I’ve ever frequented.  They are in another league from the Starbucks and Peets of the world because a lot of thought goes into their design as a social spaces to engage in, people watch, and enjoy the passing of time. Go out and support the independents!  Here is a growing list of my favorites in and around the Capitol Hill District:

WATERTOWN COFFEE, 550 – 12th Ave. btwn. Jefferson and Cherry
This is my new very favorite place to write and pass time while in Seattle. Enjoy the great music, casual and comfortable atmosphere, and Vivace coffee by the owners who were two of the original employees who helped start the famous Vivace shop. Free wifi.
watertowncoffee.com

CUPCAKE ROYALE, 1111 E. Pike St. btwn. 11th and 12th Ave.
They opened their doors last July and are the latest in the chain of independently-owned Cupcake Royale Shops. Cool space to people watch in the heart of Capitol Hill, great cupcakes, and Veritae Coffee. Free wifi.
cupcakeroyale.com

VICTROLA, 411 15th Ave. E.
This coffee shop has a soft spot in my heart because I did so much writing here for one of my scripts a few years back. It’s a quiet spot, really interesting people watching and in a really mellow neighborhood. The only drawback is no wifi on the weekends, to enforce live social interaction. What’s that?
victrolacoffee.com