It’s true. A few people in the world don’t have any trouble having fun. They can throw together a party, gather up a bunch of cool people, and generally make memorable things happen. But most of the rest of us could use a few idea-starters, it seems. At Spout we’ve been talking a lot about more ways to get people watching and talking about films together. Some of our ideas revolve around DIY-type party planners for different types of film-watching experiences–some crazy and fun-driven, others more contemplative and conversation-driven.
Anyway, I got kind of excited about this Battlestar Galactica party planner idea when I ran across it yesterday on Boing Boing. Zack Exley, the online activism strategist from the political organization MoveOn, has had plenty of success with his politically-driven house party concept. Now Exley and others have applied the idea to fan parties for Battlestar Galactica. Not exactly my cup o’ tea, but pretty cool nonetheless. The site helps you organize a party if you want to host, or you can find a party that’s being hosted in your area if you’re looking to hang out with other fans during the season opener. How cool would that be for films? (Especially if you’re into a somewhat obscure director or genre.)
The idea of many people doing the same thing on the same night in dozens of homes across the nation is pretty exciting, too. After all, those of us who love the same things are connected–we’re a part of one big community that’s usually just inhibited by geography.
So here’s my question: What do you think would be the best first Spout film-party planner concept, if we were to do such a thing? What would the theme be, or the featured film?
I talked to Bill for the first time since he returned from Telluride. He shared with me some of his favorites. Here they are for you. (And if you’re out there reading SpoutBlog and you went to Telluride 2006, give us a holler and let us know a few things you enjoyed most.)
5 favorite films:
- Volver
- The Lives of Others
- Ghosts of Cite Soleil
- The Last King of Scotland (we recorded a conversation four of us had after the film)
- Severance (we did a podcast interview with the director)
4 interesting people:
- Chris Anderson (author of The Long Tail, which I’ve blogged about)
- Lisa Kennedy (film critic for the Denver Post)
- Kevin MacDonnald (director of The Last King of Scotland)
- Asger Leth (director of Ghosts of Cite Soleil)
3 favorite spots:
- Baked in Telluride (amazing cinnamon rolls)
- Siam (an amazing Thai restaurant)
- the gondola
2 memorable moments:
- the dinner at the Steinberg residence (being a sponsor gave us great access to directors and others)
- being told by a woman named Rosie that my Spout shirt was very cool and she had to have it, so in the interest of marketing I gave her the shirt off my back
1 way the festival changed you:
- I realized that good directors aren’t good necessarily because they’re the best storytellers. They’re good because they have many of the same qualities as good managers: they’re good leaders who are able to attract the best talent and then create an environment where they can do what they do best.
Yesterday Paul shared some highlights from his experience at Telluride. Now it’s Aaron’s turn. Here’s what I asked for and here’s what he gave me.
5 favorite films:
- Jindabyne (check out my blog post about it)
- The Last King of Scotland
- Catch a Fire
- Volver
- John Ford Directs
4 interesting people:
- Peter Bogdanovich (check out the podcast of the conversation I had with him)
- Kevin MacDonald (again, another conversation, another podcast)
- Bill Pence (Telluride co-director for 33 years)
- Rolf (a really interesting Telluride volunteer and film-lover)
3 favorite spots:
- on the gondola descending the mountain into Telluride–a breathtaking view
- the trail leading from our hotel to the Brigandoon
- the Nugget Theatre (Spout was the Nugget sponsor)
2 memorable moments:
- Interviewing Peter Bogdanovich for SpoutBlog. I never expected to meet him, a consummate film lover, flimmaker, actor and film historian. The highlight of our conversation was when he said Orson Welles’s “genius was a kind of rebuke to mediocrity.”
- Paul and I were riding the gondola down to Telluride one night, in the dark, and the gondola stopped moving. There we were, hanging in the quiet darkness on the side of the mountain. Paul recorded a “final” entry with his recorder (”To whoever finds this compact flash card…”) Then it started moving again and we made if back safely. Paul recorded the scary sounds the gondola makes as it glides along.
1 way the festival changed you:
- Mostly, I just have hope that people are still making good films–that not everything being made is designed to just make money. I saw a lot of amazing and beautiful stories. When I think back on what I saw, I am amazed at the variety and the scope and breadth of the films: The hilarity and terror of Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland; the aching beauty of the mountains and hidden rivers in Jindabyne; Penelope Cruz singing through her tears in Volver; Derek Luke standing naked in the midst of a South African field, his arms raised, guns pointed at him in Catch a Fire, and the hilarity of Jimmy Stewart recounting a humbling moment with the late great director John Ford in John Ford Directs. There are still people who actually love films. Out of that deep deep love they make wonderful and beautiful films. They know their craft and are true to the stories they want to tell.
The Spout guys returned from Telluride exhausted but full of stories and commentary. To help them sum up their experience I asked them to give me these things:
5 favorite films
4 interesting people
3 favorite spots
2 memorable moments
1 way the festival changed you
Today, Paul fills in the blanks. Make sure to read his posts for more meat. More to come soon from the other guys.
5 favorite films:
- Day Night Day Night (check out my post and podcast)
- Maldonne (I wrote a post)
- Little Children (I talked to the director, Todd Field, and made a podcast, and I wrote a post)
- The Great Expectations program: The Tube with a Hat and Marilena De La P7 (both Romanian)
- Lonesome (with a live freaking orchestra!)
4 interesting people:
- Julia Loktev (director of Day Night Day Night–loved her Q&A after the film, her ability to articulate)
- Quan (a writer I enjoyed discussing Dodsworth with)
- JP Gorin (the guest director of the festival–everyone loved his saucy “Frenchness”)
- An old Texan who didn’t know the phrase “film buff” but knew everything about films from the first part of the 20th Century
3 favorite spots:
- the West End Tavern (and their fried foods and spaten)
- the Galaxy Theater (a gym converted into a huge theater with weird Galileo-like constructions everywhere)
- the covered waiting area outside the Galaxy
2 highlights:
- Arriving in town and realizing that Telluride is everything it’s built up to be
- Seeing/discovering Maldonne, an amazing old film that’s been overlooked for nearly 80 years
1 way you see things differently:
- Experiencing a film is so much better when you’re looking for what’s memorable rather than what’s “good.”
