Day One Presser | Sundance
Sundance Film Festival is finally here! The Day One Press Conference marks the beginning of the festival… so long as you don’t count the arrival of a lot of moving vans and construction crews that take over Main Street for days as they erect activations, installations, lounges, and temporary storefronts.
The first year we ‘did’ Sundance, V & I both fondly remember arriving at the presser a few minutes before it began, seeing a few local friends in the audience & waiving & saying a quick hi, grabbing whatever seat we wanted, and enjoying a wildly intimate opportunity to hear three industry powerhouses (Robert Redford, Keri Putnam, John Cooper) speak about what the festival means to them.
Today? We showed up three hours before the conference was due to start… and the line to wait to get in was about 50 people deep already. Your press info is double-checked as the people manning the doors warn, ‘if you don’t have the right pass, you will NOT be let in.’ Your gear is searched by security and you have to open your jacket/sweater so they can determine whether you’re hiding anything. And then, once you’re in, you’re told where to sit, and then you lament the angle at which you’re shooting and wonder whether you’ll be able to get ample access to the ‘group shot’ that kicks off the dialogue (spoiler alert: you won’t, cuz the agency photographers — like Getty, WireImage, Corbis, etc, get the best seats).
I definitely don’t mean to be a downer or be too critical. I know everyone’s got a job to do (and I totally get the extra security in this day & age), and it’s always a gift to hear what Bob, Keri, and John have to say about each year’s unique offerings. I also got to see a fave Sundance photographer I’ve written about in the past. It’s just that I remember that, not too long ago, this first day was more casual and less stressful. It makes me wonder what other events are going to be like (we were told we’ll be searched all over the festival, too, and if we had to be at the presser three hours early, how early do we have to be to get into other parts of the festival, like the press lines, panels, and music performances?). All of that said, I can’t help but feel excited and anticipatory. We are booked solid for the next four days with all sorts of truly fascinating activities — each one would be awesome by itself, but having so much to see/do/experience back-to-back-to-back? Well, that’s Sundance!
