We Need to Talk About Kevin

I don’t want to get behind, but I’m so busy and taking the time out to write this blog takes away time I could be spending at the festival.  On that note, I’m sorry if I can’t talk/skype with anyone while I’m here.  There is already so much going on that I can’t go to because of prior obligations or just too much going on and I have to choose.  Therefore, sitting on the internet talking about the experience does not seem appealing.  I can do that when I’m home, or you can read this blog.  I do take my iPod to work with me and there is wi-fi there, so I can facebook message if anyone has any questions!

The night before I won tickets to go see We Need to Talk About Kevin at the 8:30am press screening in the Lumiere Theatre.  The ten of us who got tickets met up in the lobby and took a shuttle to the festival.  I IMDBed the film before I went and asked around so I had an idea of what I was about to watch, but I really couldn’t find out much.  The film isn’t going to be released until September (for good reason, it will definitely be an Oscar contender, or at least, I hope) so I don’t even think there is a trailer yet, but if there is, definitely go watch it.  Not only was seeing a film in the Lumiere Theatre, probably the most prestigious theatre in the world, absolutely amazing, but the film was one of the best that I have seen in a long time.  The editing was exceptional and the use of motifs was very interesting: the play with the color red and the reflections in eyes.  The plot was not what I expected and the synopsis on IMDB is incorrect.  It’s nonlinear and actually challenges the viewers.  Nothing is in order, scenes are repeated, and there are more flashbacks to many different periods of time that it is almost hard to keep track.  Nothing in the dialogue is plot-driven and it relies on things that are not said, which is ironic because of the title.  The film relies so much on the performances which are nothing short of extraordinary.  Tilda Swinton was great, as always, and is apparently the front runner for the Best Actress prize here at the festival.  Ezra Miller stole the show though.  All three boys who played Kevin were fantastic, but Ezra, who played the oldest Kevin, blew my mind with his performance.  The film put me in a very weird mood afterward.  It’s sad, but not to a point where you would cry.  It is a pretty disturbing film and everyone I was with was in a solemn mood afterward.

I went to my 11-5 shift at the Pavilion.  It was another sunny and beautiful day on the beach.  Things picked up a little at the restaurant, but nothing too much.  I only had two tables the whole time.  Dana and I got to talk to our friend from the UK again and I really like forming a relationship with him because we just get to talk about films all day.  I met the director of the film Norman and he offered me tickets to the screening.  I asked him if he needed any help and after he said he would love help… if I lived in L.A., I told him I was graduating in a year and he gave me his card.  Awesome.  The best part of my day was not this though.  Later, I was clearing a table and began talking to the man sitting there.  I asked him if he needed any help at the festival… he said he would love some!  I’ll shorten this up. Basically he’s a distributer and is looking to buy films while he’s here.  Obviously he can’t see all of them so he’s assigning some to me.  After my work shift, he told me all about his background and then told me about his company.  He gave me the criteria that they look for when buying and distributing films.  He told me he would e-mail me with films he would love for me to see, I’d see them, and then we’d have a meeting to talk about them.  If he decides to buy the film, then I get to sit in on the negation meetings.  In return, he said he would offer me any kind of advice about the industry that I want.  Just in that one meeting, I felt like I learned so much.  I’m so grateful to be around these people who are so willing to help. Even though he is a distributer and we’re doing Acquisitions, he talked to me about Development, which is what I want to do.  He had me pitch an idea to him and I pitched the short that I wrote in Screenwriting.  He gave me advice on how to pitch it, what to say, and how to fix the film into a feature.  I would have never known any of this stuff before!  We then practiced the conversation that would happen after the pitch occurs.  I can’t even express how lucky I am.  This whole thing is incredible.

After I left the Pavilion and got back to my room, I didn’t have time to shower and head back to Cannes in order to attend a 7:30pm film.  I was thinking about either rushing Sleeping Beauty or going to see the new Gus Van Sant film called Restless. Rushing occurs at red carpets when you don’t have a ticket.  You stand in a line in your formal wear and wait until everyone with a ticket is in.  If there is still room in the theatre, they let in that many people from the line.  Usually almost everyone in the line makes it in.  The line is never terribly long because you have to be dressed in formal wear and you have to have the accreditation badge to get in this way. Since I didn’t want to see the Un Certain Regard 10:30pm film and the Lumiere 10:30 film was the premiere of We Need to Talk About Kevin, I didn’t know what to do.  Dana and Grace got tickets to that film and I wanted to go out with them after so I decided that I was just going to rush it and see it again.  All of the stars and the directors would be there so it would be a cool experience.  I got ready very quickly and headed down with them in my not so fancy formal wear (just in case I didn’t get in) to the festival.  I watched Dana and Grace walk in on the big screen and then asked one of the security guards where the rush line was.  Instead of telling me, he handed me a ticket that was left there by someone who couldn’t attend the film.  YES!  I made my red carpet entrance and headed into the theatre. I love the experience of seeing a premiere film in a large theatre.  It becomes so much of an art form that way instead of a hobby or activity on a Friday night. Everyone is dressed up.  The fashion police stop men without bow ties and black ties.  Brown shoes aren’t even allowed.  Once the theatre is full, the cast shows up and we get to watch their entrance into the theatre from their cars.  Everyone is clapping and everyone is excited.  Once they are seated, the film begins.  No one lounges in their chair and no one talks.  When the film ends, everyone claps.  This film in particular got a standing ovation.  The screen switches to the cast and director for reactions.  Ezra and Lynne Ramsay, the director, were very emotional and it was so hard not to think throughout the whole film that the people who created this art are in the same room as you watching it themselves.  You can almost feel the tension throughout and the relief and excitement afterward.  While you stand and clap, you also become very proud of their accomplishment.  I absolutely loved the experience and I can’t wait for more.

I found Dana and Grace outside and found out that their seats were only three rows ahead of the cast and director’s.  SO LUCKY!  They got fantastic photos of them and actually got to see their emotions.  Because they were in such a weird mood, we decided not to go out.  It was 1am and we didn’t want to spend money on drinks plus we were hungry, so we went to a restaurant, shared a salad and mushroom ravioli, and drank a glass of wine.  After the DELIOUS meal, we headed back to our hotel.  It was already 2:30am and going out seemed pointless.  I was beat when I got back and went straight to sleep… because I had my first 7:30 shift tomorrow morning.  I had such an incredible day at the festival and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  I already feel like I’ve accomplished so much and it has only been two days… another ten to go.  I can only imagine what’s in store…

My First Shift at AmPav

I woke up and went straight down to the lobby to finally use the internet.  I want to skype my parents so bad, but the only free time I have is the morning which is so inconvenient for them.  Soon, I hope though.  There was a bus strike today, but a few of us managed to catch the hotel shuttle over to the festival which ended up being better.  It’s free, you get to sit, and there are no stops along the way.  It’s a quick five minute drive.  We got to the festival around 10.  We immediately found a girl from my group.  I split up from my group and walked around with her instead.  We decided to walk along the main street with the large hotels to see what was happening tonight.  Obviously, we wanted to attend the Lady Gaga concert on the beach, but you needed an invitation.  We also found out where a lot of the celebrities were staying from the paparazzi standing outside of the hotels.  By the time we walked back, it was time to go into work.  This was the first time we got to use our accreditation badges to get into the festival.  It’s a GREAT feeling when you get into go inside and all of the tourists behind you try to get in and get turned away.  It happens every single time I check in.  You have to pass about three security guards in three different places before you’re in just to make sure you have the accreditation.  Even when you’re inside, you still have to get it checked again before you enter specific buildings.  These badges are like gold.  First of all, they’re expensive.  Second of all, you aren’t even allowed to buy one unless you work for the industry or have a purpose of being at the festival.  It’s fantastic.  You can’t even see a film without one, which is great, because we don’t have to pay to see films.

My shift started at 11:00am.  It was another beautiful day today.  I loved being outside in the sun.  The restaurant is completely overstaffed though.  The largest amount of tables I had to take care of today was four.  For most of the time, it was two.  It’s so unnecessary, but at least I get to be at the festival.  Because it is so overstaffed, they are so laid back about everything.  I wanted to research films in the million trade presses lying around the restaurant/festival. My supervisor told me to go have a seat and just keep an eye on my tables.  We get free beverages and we’re allowed to drink them while we work.  The most important part of working is meeting people.  I spoke with some girls who are promoting a film (low-budget action) called Amsterdam Heavy.  They were very sweet and talked to me for a long time.  I also spoke with a man who was here from Toronto financing his film.  He was also so sweet.  It’s amazing how many questions they ask you once you get them going in a conversation.  They also tip better when you talk to them.  The thing about the tips is that we don’t get to keep our own.  We have a jar we put them in and we split it up at the end of the festival, so we’ll probably only get 20 euro at most, it seems.  The best part of the day was when I spoke with a man from the UK (his parents actually live in Hudson, Ohio now).  He is the creative director for an internet TV program and is here for interviews and red carpets.  We spoke for so long and after I brought him his food, he invited me to sit down with him and join him for lunch… during my shift.  I did.  We also exchanged cards which made me very happy.  We had a very interesting conversation and I had a great time.

My shift was over by then so one of my roommates and I got some food from a stand outside the festival.  I had a delicious Nutella sandwich.  We walked around the Marche du Film, just to get a little more acquainted.  I found out where a few of the film’s production companies were in the Pavilion so I can scout for some tickets to red carpets tomorrow or the next.  We headed back to the Pavilion for the raffle for the Lumiere (the big theater with the red carpet) screenings.  I ended up getting tickets for We Need to Talk about Kevin.  A brand new Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly film that I’m very excited for.  The film is at 8:30am though, so I’ll be going to that and then working the 11-5 shift again tomorrow.

Dana and I walked back to the hotel, got ready, and drank some wine in her room. Before going out, another girl joined us and we got a glass of wine across the street and shared a pizza before heading to Cannes with a few other girls as well.  We ended up at the Grand Hotel.  There is a bar outside sponsored by Greygoose and it was so glamorous.  You just felt important being there.  It was so amazing.  We went to the bar across the street next.  It is on the beach, but the club is actually inside a very nice restaurant.  This one was a little harder to get into, but we all got in.  They charged to use the bathroom at this place, but I managed to sneak in when someone else was paying and never got caught!  We weren’t about to spend 15 euro on a drink, so we stayed sober tonight.  Some of the other girls were flirting with old European men, though, and they got a bottle of Greygoose out of it.  The bottles were only 80 euro at these bars though which doesn’t seem too bad.  The men were very forward and the bar was mostly filled with locals. Hopefully we’ll have a better chance at parties tomorrow or the next night.  I’m sure we will.  We did have a great time speaking with some French men though. They were very funny and I really do think I’m getting better with my French because of speaking to people like this.  I’m getting excited.  Three of us took a taxi home and now I’m about to go to sleep… and get up in three hours, or so.

Dana and I are going to scout for some red carpet screenings tomorrow.  She interned for the company that produced Drive, Ryan Gosling’s film, so hopefully they’ll be able to get her some tickets.  Otherwise, hopefully I can get The Skin I Live In and The Artist.  We’ll see what comes.  I’m going to see the Red Carpet film first, head into work, and then go see Restless, Gus Van Sant’s new film afterward.  So that will be my day.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get into Restless.  You don’t need a ticket, but you do have to wait in line for at least an hour.  We’ll see what happens!  I’m excited though and I can’t wait to talk about my first film tomorrow.

First Day in Cannes

We didn’t have to go down for breakfast until about 7:30 today, which was fantastic.  After picking up another croissant, my roommates and I came back up to our room to eat on our balcony.

After breakfast, we met with our mentor groups and got our work assignments.  My group, along with another, was put in the restaurant.  Although it doesn’t sound like the best job to have at the film festival, it actually is a great deal.  Instead of being stuck inside handing out flyers all day, we get to actually interact with everyone that comes into the pavilion.  It is a great networking opportunity… not to mention we get to keep any tips we make and the restaurant is literally ON THE BEACH, right next to the water.  I’m not even exaggerating. Speaking of the beach, it is absolutely gorgeous and the weather is phenomenal. It’s going to take everything in me not to want to sit out on the beach or by the pool on these warm days without a cloud in the sky.  My first shift tomorrow is kind of awkward.  I work from 11-5.  I am planning waking up at 7:00 and either spending my morning at the hotel, or checking out the festival early tomorrow before work.  It is about a 40 minute walk to work.  The bus ride is short, but they said that it might be longer once the festival starts, so allow about an hour before your shift just to be safe.  I wish I had the internet still so I could research which films I want to see..

We traveled to Cannes as a group and it was our first time in the city.  I am never leaving.  Ever.  This is the most beautiful place in the world.  The water is gorgeous, the beach is fantastic, and the architecture is magnificent.  Once we got off the bus, we were welcomed by a large marina of yachts, but apparently the ones we saw were not the biggest of the bunch… even though these were gigantic.  There was also a cruise ship in port.  Could you imagine docking in Cannes during the festival?!  However, today was a mess.  Everything was still being built and constructed, and it’s amazing to think that it is all going to come together by tomorrow… so I can’t wait to see it.  It feels like magic.  We took a group photo on the steps of the Debussy, the theater that shows the Un Certain Regard category.  Because the photo did not take as long as expected, our group decided to get some ice cream.  Afterward, we had work orientation.  The job seems extremely laid back. We work for 6 hours and our shifts will rotate from 7:30-1:30, 11-5, 2-8, and 4-10. If we want to attend something, we can easily have it switched.  We don’t have any breaks, but if we ever feel like sitting down or attending an hour long roundtable, it is totally acceptable.  We only have to wear our American Pavilion shirts, which are not the most attractive and might as well have American Tourist written across it, as a uniform.  We can wear any shoes, bottoms, etc. we want.  We also are allowed to wear sunglasses.  We only have 5 tables to take care of at a time.  I’m not too worried about it.  I’ll just try to pass out as many business cards as possible.  We finished work orientation an hour early which gave us extra time for lunch. Cannes is very expensive so we opted for a cheap Chinese lunch as a group.  I managed to order the whole thing in French, but it is still very frustrating that I used to know so much and I forgot it all.  I’m doing my best to pick things up and learn again and it’s only been two days.  I’m guessing by the end of this, I’ll be fine. We still had a lot of time, so we went to the beach at the Pavilion and put our feet in the water, walked in the sand, and climbed on the rocks.  I can’t even explain how amazing this place is and how lucky I am to be here.  It is so surreal.

We met up with our mentor groups once more and got a tour of the Festival grounds.  We got to see where the red carpet will be, all of the theaters, and the Marche du Film.  Speaking of theaters, the Lumiere Theater, where the premieres are held, is the most INCREDIBLE theater I have EVER seen.  I tried to take lots of pictures, but it doesn’t do it justice… so I took a panorama video of it.  It still doesn’t do it justice.  It is the largest theater I have ever seen and every single person in my group was in shock and awe when we walked in.  I can’t believe I’m going to be able to attend a film in there before this experience is over.  It was absolutely amazing.

When we walked through the Marche du Film, someone asked why we were all here.  I told him we were interns.  He asked what we did.  I told him and said it’s a way for students to be able to attend the festival.  He gave me advice: If the movie is bad, walk out, and see a better one.  There are too many films to see to stay through one that’s not good.  Our tour ended in a small theater where we would end our day with some more speakers and welcomes from the Pavilion.  The first was Scott McKinlay who is an independent filmmaker.  He gave the best advice I have ever heard and I feel like I have learned the most from him thus far.  It’s amazing how much I’m learning during this experience, but it also upsets me too.  I feel like Denison has not prepared me in the least bit for the real world in the film industry.  As much as I enjoy discussing films and what not (because that is important too), a lot of the film majors are not going to have any idea how to create an independent film after they graduate.  Today, Scott taught us how to make a business plan, how to get investors, how to budget everything and what to expect.  It also upsets me that Denison focuses so much on the past.  While I do enjoy film industry and think it’s important, I think film students need to understand how the business works today and how companies operate.  Almost everyone here knows about current films that will be coming out or those that have within the last few years, but I, on the other hand, have spent most of my education studying films that were made before 1970.  I don’t have enough free time to go out to the movies or to keep up with the current business, so I wish this was incorporated more into the curriculum.  Instead, my professor schedules a screening the night of the Oscars and brings in a powerpoint discussing why The King’s Speech was not a good film.  Many students here have already written a feature film or completed a short that they are proud of and willing to submit to film festivals, and I don’t think the majority of the cinema majors at Denison are ready for that.  These students might just be very pretentious… or maybe they are actually that talented. Either way, I’m blaming Denison.  I am now appreciating their hard-grading though and the fact that we have the lowest department GPA on campus because it makes me feel very humble about my talent.  Everyone keeps talking about how my generation has a very large ego and no one wants to hire that.  It reminds of the Denison Film Festival when the workshop students stood up to talk about their films.  None of them sounded pleased, excited, or proud of their films.  I guess, I like it that way.  Thanks for the D, Wiskeman!  Oh and one last thing about Scott, he gave us his business card and HIGHLY encourages us to e-mail him or call him with any questions or help we need.  He said if we’re ever in L.A., he’ll take us to lunch.  He said he answers every single e-mail and returns every phone call from an AmPav student and has gone out to lunch with several. He just wants to be as helpful as he can.

After our welcome address from others at the Pavilion, we were welcomed by SAG Indie who also does programming for us at the Pavilion.  I am excited for the professionals that they are coming to the Pavilion for round tables.  They invite actors, directors, entertainment lawyers, producers, etc.  The people that I am really looking forward to are the programmers from the film festivals: AFI, Sundance, and South by Southwest.  Although I am interested in Development, I still have never forgotten about festival programming and I think it will be very beneficial to hear about a career in that field.  I think what makes me different from a lot of the other students here is that I am not a filmmaker, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still love movies and I would like the job I have to be associated with that.  I don’t think this makes me any less creative, but I am more interested in the business side of film.  I would also rather be hired by a company and I’ll do my best not to become a starving artist.  Our next speaker was Lucius Barre.  I don’t have much to say about him because I mostly… slept through it.  He spoke about PR and Marketing though.

After the panels, Erin and I explored a little bit of Cannes before we headed back to La Bocca.  We discovered this building with this amazing movie themed mural painted on it.  I am absolutely obsessed and I couldn’t get away from it.

We also found this amazing street.  It’s a winding, uphill, narrow, cobblestone street lined with expensive and beautiful restaurants.  Everything is out of my price range, but it was definitely nice to look around.  We did stop for some gelato too.  I had tiramisu flavored gelato and it was absolutely delicious.  I have been wondering why there is so much pizza, pasta, and gelato here.  I have never been anywhere else in Europe so I can’t really say, so maybe it’s the region of France we’re in?  We hopped on the bus back to La Bocca and found a place for dinner.  We ordered the menu for the night which was only 17,50 euros and it was SO MUCH FOOD!  It’s amazing how large the portions are.  Definitely not what I expected.  The menu was also not in English so we had no idea what we were ordered, but it was a salad, calamari, and chocolate mousse.  Now I am in a food coma… in my bed.  I’m definitely going to bed early tonight so I can be fresh for tomorrow.  I’m going to finally get the internet so I can skype my family, research some films and companies, head to the festival, and work.  I’m planning on staying in Cannes after so I can check out the Opening Film, Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen, and maybe even attend a party.  Let’s cross our fingers.

First Day as an AmPav Intern

So, getting wi-fi is almost impossible in Europe.  I actually made it on the 2:30 flight to Nice, but that flight was also delayed.  We were an hour late getting into Nice, but it didn’t matter because when I met up with my fellow American Pavilion interns at baggage claim we had to wait for the last of the flights before we could take a shuttle to our hotel.  I immediately met a Delta Gamma from UC Boulder, which is fantastic!  Once we got to the hotel, at around 9:00pm, we checked in, got our room assignments, and received a backpack with a hat and a few t-shirts inside.  I went up to my room, which is on the top floor of the hotel, and barged into the room.  Two of my roommates were asleep and the other was in the shower.  The room is actually two floors and since I was the last, I ended up on the top floor.  Thank god I didn’t get the top bunk though.  Here is a photo of my room.  Pretty tiny, right? We do have a decent sized balcony though and a beautiful view.

Dana, the DG from UC Boulder, and I went to get some pizza from across the street.  It was delicious!  What was even better was the cashier: a very gorgeous French man.  I ended the night by taking a shower and going right to sleep.  We had to wake up early for breakfast, but I can’t complain when I’m eating free chocolate croissants.  I needed to turn in my final paper, but the wi-fi is crazy at the hotel.  You have to buy it at the front desk, which has limited hours.  Those limited hours are when we are gone for the internship.  I couldn’t get it this morning, so I decided I was going to wait until we finished, turn it in late, and hope my professor understands.

We were put into small groups of about 14 people with a mentor as aleader.  Our mentor is named Malinda Hee.  She is actually a story producer for reality TV, which is pretty cool.  She was also in the film program when she was in college as well.  We took a walking tour throughout town, which consisted of her showing us where the bar is and stopping for alcohol.  She did give us some great advice for networking at the festival since she’s done it before. One piece of advice she gave us was to be very passionate… and to also know off-hand your three favorite films.  She said they don’t actually have to be your favorites, just make sure you know a lot about them.  One can be artsy, she said, but also pick out films that have a clear-story structure.  The Godfather, Casablanca, and Citizen Kane are a few examples.  She said not to go cheesy, which means Titanic is out for me.  She also said that if you’re girl and you like Star Wars, it is a plus for any man in the industry in which you are speaking.  I guess I’m set!  We went to the International College next to spend the rest of our day.  It was about a fifteen minute walk along the beach and this place is GORGEOUS!  I’m already obsessed.  We were all walking there together, so I couldn’t really stop to take pictures, but I did manage to take some on the way back.  There were so many families on the beach and so many little children.  I wanted to stop and play with them all.  There are also so many small dogs here.  I love it so much.  I already saw Kip’s twin, except with a poodlecut.  She was the same size and same color as Kip, exactly.  Anyways, the pathway along the beach is the same path that we can take to work, so hopefully I’ll have time to walk to work a few days these next two weeks instead of taking the bus.  The college was also beautiful.  Walter, our hilarious program director, gave us an introduction to the program.  It is almost ridiculous how much the program encourages drinking.  At first, I thought they were kidding, but they really made a point to tell us how important it is to go to parties in Cannes and also in general in the industry.  At first, it made me think that I should start going out to parties, but I don’t think that Denison dorm room parties will prepare me in the least bit.  He did make me very excited to go to premieres and parties though these next two weeks.  An experimental filmmaker named Pip works for the Pavilion and is in charge of getting the students tickets for the red carpet screenings.  There is a sign-up sheet all week long so that every student can go to at least one and hopefully it’s the one they want to attend the most.  Otherwise, we can get our tickets from networking at the Marche du Film, which is the Cannes Film Market.  It’s where the companies come to buy, sell, and do business.  Apparently, the Pavilion encourages us to spend our non-American Pavilion hours finding jobs and working for other production/distribution companies at the festival.  We had a panel with the mentors next who are all people who have made it in the industry.  They told us their backgrounds and gave us their best advice before we got to ask them questions.  It was definitely helpful and I learned a lot. They specified it to the festival, but also for finding a job and networking outside of the festival as well.  One of the things they talked about was something in which I definitely agreed.  Coming here, I was very nervous that a lot of the other students in the program would be very cocky and have a huge ego about their own work.  While there are definitely students here like that, I have managed to meet and associate, so far, with those who are not.  I am not going to be a director and I know that no one is going to buy one of my screenplays, but there are some students who come here and have done those things for student productions… They introduce themselves as a writer or as a director.  While I think it’s great to have confidence, I find it very hard to introduce myself in that way because I don’t think I’m there yet.  I still have one more year of undergrad and I am well aware that my first job after college will be a script reader or an assistant at most.  Those students who come into the industry thinking they are a director or they are a writer already are probably going to have a serious problem with getting their boss a cup of coffee.  I think it was great that the panel reminded us of that.

Afterward, we had Danielle Birge, the woman who is in charge of the Marche du Film, speak to us and answer our questions.  The presentation was very interesting and she was absolutely adorable. One of the Festival programmers, Van Papadopoulos, who specifically controls the Classics part of the festival spoke to us next.  I was very tired throughout this entire program, but it was all so interesting and I loved every minute of it.  We heard a little bit about the programming for this year, but A Clockwork Orange is the big classic film that has a showing.  These films only screen once and you don’t have to have a ticket for it.  This means that you stand in a line for at least an hour in order to get a seat… which means I probably won’t be able to see the film.  However, he made a very great point.  The classics are great films to see at the festival because you don’t know when you’ll be able to see these films again in this type of atmosphere.  The films in and out of competition are films that are going to come out in theaters eventually and we can just see them then.  That doesn’t change the fact that I’m dying to see Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.  It’s the opening film, so I won’t be able to go to the red carpet, but they show all of the red carpet films the day after so I am willing to wait for that one.

I have to say, I feel like I’ve learned more in this one day about the business of film than I have in the past three years being a Cinema major at Denison.  Although I do enjoy it, I don’t think spending 50 minutes every other day discussing why films are good or bad, or why filmmakers make the decisions they do has been very beneficial thus far.  I’ve gotten a MUCH better understanding for the way the business works and what I have to do to get a job and what not.  It has already made me so grateful for this experience.  I just can’t wait for the film festival to begin.

After the panels, a few of us walked back together and went into town for dinner. A girl in my group and I stopped at one of the restaurants that offered more than just sandwiches, since that was what we had for lunch.  The waiter didn’t really speak English, so we felt really bad and just pointed at things on the menu.  I ordered some wine… maybe too much.  Whoops?  I also ordered something I had never heard of, expecting it to be very French.  It was some type of steak with onions and it was delicious.  It came with fries and a salad on the side.  It also came with this tomato.  I don’t know what they did to it, but it was delicious and I don’t even like tomatoes!  Two other girls in the program joined us and after we were finished, we walked back to the hotel so I could finally turn in my paper (after I borrowed someone else’s internet because I still haven’t been able to set mine up yet).  The American Pavilion planned a party for us by the pool.  I went down with two of my roommates and met a few people.  We came back up to a few of the boys’ room and hung out on the balcony.  There were a lot of wine bottles, but I did not have any.  The thought of having a hangover tomorrow stopped me.  If I’m EVER going to have one on this trip, I might as well make the night before worth it.  The group I was with ended up going to the beach to hang out, but I was way too tired and wanted a good night’s sleep.  We’re actually going into Cannes tomorrow to see the Festival grounds and find out what our work placement job will be.  I am ecstatic, but also very nervous.  As long as I meet people, I’ll be happy!

Frankfort Airport

My flight from Washington was rough. Not only did I not get enough sleep, but there was an hour delay. I missed my connection to Nice in Frankfurt, so I am currently on the waiting list for the next flight at 4:30 and crossing my fingers that I get on it.  I was supposed to land in Nice at 2:30, but now I won’t arrive until 6:00.  For the last few hours I have been sitting around the airport depressed that I am in the same country as Katherine and I can’t see her for another 2 weeks. You also have to pay for the wi-fi here so the plans to skype my mother did not follow through.  I finally finished my final paper, but I also have to wait until I have an internet connection to submit it.  Hopefully I’ll be able to do it in Nice; otherwise, I’ll have to wait until I get to my room in Cannes.

I board in about an hour, so I guess I’ll watch a movie on my laptop until it dies (I can’t find an outlet anywhere!).  Let’s hope I make it to Cannes tonight!

Still in America

Currently, I’m sitting at the Cleveland airport and will be doing this for at least another hour. My first flight is to Washington DC, then to Frankfort, Germany and then finally to Nice, France. I can’t wait to begin, except I still have eight more pages to write for a final paper. Whoops. I know I should probably be writing that right now, but I have never been so distracted in my life. I didn’t even start packing until noon today… and I spent most of the day watching Selling New York, but what else is new? I need to get my mind off of HGTV and start thinking about real movies. I can’t wait to meet people and make contacts and learn about this business for the next two weeks. I also can’t wait to eat French food and just be in Europe. This is my first time and I’m excited to see what happens. After the festival, Katherine is coming down to Nice and we’ll start our European journey together. I can only imagine what kind of adventures we’re going to have.
I know a lot of my friends and family are interested in what I am going to be doing at the internship, so I will do my best to update this blog as often as possible. I will also do my best with pictures as well, but I don’t know how much down time I’m going to have while at the festival.
Well I guess I’ll get back to this paper so I can enjoy my first day in France instead of sitting at my computer.