Photo of the panelists and emcee at the RTP 180 film event on 07/23/2013.
Last night I attended RTP 180°: Film in NC. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. But I knew some of the people attending, so I thought it’d be fun to see some of those familiar faces. I’m glad I went.
The event was a mix of networking and film discussions. It was very social media friendly. Fullsteam beer, cotton candy, popcorn, and delicious food was available and free to attendees. Since I pretty much love all of those things, I was definitely a happy camper.
The evening was centered around the screening of a few short films and discussions about those submissions. Earlier this year, people were encouraged to film something that highlighted the RTP area. Here’s the description from the event page about the contest:
In May, we challenged all of the marketers in the Triangle to come up with the best, most creative 2-3 minute video shorts to advertise our region. Now, they will be judged by an elite panel of film industry experts.
Judges included (left to right in photo) Patrick Shanahan, director; Lani Simeona (@LaniSimeona), communications director at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (@FullFrame); Addy Miller, actress (@TheAddyMiller); Aaron Syrett (@syRants), director of the N.C. Film Office (@ncfilmoffice); and Daniel Kreiss, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill (@kreissdaniel). The emcee was Will Hardison (@willhardison).
Each short film was so different in style, content, and approach. I was fascinated by the feedback from the panelists and the conversations happening simultaneously online. (Getting immediate and genuine responses from a live audience is incredibly gratifying for me as a filmmaker — even though it may be totally nerve-wracking.) I’m hoping that they’ll put a list of the submitted videos online. If I see them, then I’ll be sure to share with you here.
One particular moment in the evening pretty exciting to me, by the way. I was sitting there enjoying the discussion but incredibly curious about the state of the N.C. film tax credits. Thankfully, Janet Kennedy (@jkennedy93) had the courage to ask about it. Aaron Syrett responded with some positive news. I’ve done a screen capture of tweets from @TheRTP so you can read it here:
So, all in all, it was a great evening. I got to see old friends, make new ones, watch short films, and hear about the state of the film industry in N.C. — all while enjoying delicious food and craft beer. I call that a huge win.