Reflections of a Teal Festival

      I expected the conference to run smoothly, because everyone has worked so hard throughout the semester. I would have been surprised if anything went wrong. Everybody had checked and double checked all positions, and everyone knew what needed to be done. And, of course, nothing went wrong (as far as i could tell)! Granted, I didn't get to see every moment of V4, but everything I did see was great.

      I was surprised by the speakers at both conference blocks. I was expecting Brandon to be this presentation god, because of everyone speaking so highly of him, but I was surprised by the other speakers. He did great, I am not saying he didn't, but my expectations were laser light-shows, existential discoveries, and gaining a new perspective on what I think "film" means. Other than that, I feel that every person brought their "A" game, and they were all enjoyable, and professional.

      I wasn't 100% behind the final order of the film blocks, but they surprised me by working together so well. I guess it is one thing to look at a list of titles, and another to watch them together. I enjoyed helping interview the guest filmmakers and scholars, because I realized how similar they all were. I understood how they went about creating, and I really connected to their creativity and love of film.

      I feel that I did my job as well as it could have been done, although I wish I had asked to have more control over the filming of the interviews. I feel that more could have been done, but I didn't want to step on toes or offend people, plus I was just supposed to be assisting, which sometimes means not speaking out of turn. Overall, I am happy with the outcome of the interviews. Our director did a great job at talking to the guests, and I feel that we got some great tidbits to share with future Visionairies, presenters, and filmmakers.

      I was inspired to submit more work to next year's event, because Visions gets better every year. I feel that it can only get bigger and better, and I would love to be apart of it as a guest, because it was incredible to see how our staff welcomed those students (and schools) as one of their own.

Roughdraft of Visions department spotlight

There is a great deal of work that goes into creating the UNCW Visions Film Festival & Conference. A great deal, of which, is carried out in the semester prior to the event. With V4 a few days away, we thought the world should know a little more about what goes into the creation of such a large event. One of the most amazing aspects of the Vision FF&C, is the fact that it is 100% student organized. From fundraising to after parties, every element is taken care of by a select group of UNCW students. The FST495 class is run like a business, and every student has a job. A brief outline of the department structure is outlined below.

DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDRAISING DEPARTMENT

Works directly with the Hospitality, Travel and Outreach Department

Team Members:  Jill Kaszubski, Audra Blake, Nathalie Fortunel

Principle Responsibilities

The primary purpose of the Development and Fundraising Department is to raise funds for the events various expenses (travel, venue, marketing, catering, etc…).  Fundraising is at the heart of the Development Department's objectives, however, during the process of raising funds, those working for Development and Fundraising team also grow the Visions networking base and further the potential for the event’s local, regional and international outreach.

HOSPITALITY, TRAVEL AND OUTREACH DEPARTMENT

Works directly with the Development and Fundraising Department

Team Members:  Zoë Vanderploeg, Ally Godsey, Taylor Woodell, Kateland Lee, Eliza Bryan

Principle Responsibilities

The Hospitality, Travel, and Outreach Department is responsible for all guests services for the event including: all phone and email interactions with guests before and after arrival, lodging and flight coordination, swag bags, meeting and greeting guests upon arrival, in-town chauffeur/shepherding coordination, food and beverage (coordinating staff for breakfasts/lunch/dinners during guests visit, Thursday night group meal, Friday breakfast reception, Friday evening guests/staff/volunteer dinner, Friday night dessert reception,), handling guests’ needs and complaints before/during/after trip, handing out travel grant checks before guests leave, getting all release forms signed for the DVD collection, parties throughout the year (After Party and Fundraisers [working with Development]), the Video Race, the College Tour, and the Campus/Regional outreach program.

CREATIVE DEPARTMENT

The Creative Department works directly with the Marketing Department

Team Members:  Channing Duke, J’aime Davies, Kyle Randolph, Jake Chamelin, James Hardman-Cobb

Principal Responsibilities:   

The Creative Department defines and creates the aesthetic branding of the event.  Everything that goes into the look of Visions is created by this department. This includes the website, flyers, posters, advertisements, logos, stickers, programs and anything else that has art on it.

MARKETING TEAM

Works directly with all departments

Team Members:  Steven Gamble, Maddi Tangney, Naomi Montes and Dallis Covey

Principle Responsibilities:

The Marketing Content Team are our content ambassadors, also known as the organization’s chief storytellers. Each member of this team is responsible for setting the overall editorial/content marketing mission statement and integrating that throughout the event planning process. As each member of the team (PR, email, social, search, web, etc.) starts to create and curate content, it is the Marketing Content Director’s responsibility to make sure that the stories remain consistent  (with each other and also with the Visions “brand”) and make sense to the audience(s). The MCD must also continually receive feedback from all other departments so that the mission statement continues to reflect Visions goals and metrics for success.

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

Works directly with the Programming and Traffic Department

Team Members:  Chris Keefe, Anna Roberts, Jonathan Mayo and Tyler Davis

Principle Responsibilities:

The Operations Department manages all facets of Lumina Theater operation (from the Visions side), Registration, Facilities and General Guest Information, and Volunteer Coordination.

PROGRAMMING AND TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT

Works directly with Operations Department

Team Members:  Matt Gossett, Nico Desmereaux, Jonathan Mayo

Principal Responsibilities:  The Programming Department manages all facets of programming, preparation, traffic and exhibition (including Invitationals and the day of event Installation Exhibit) and, in addition, is in charge researching and coordinating the Keynote Speaker selection process.

These are the simplest descriptions of the plethora of work the V4 team dedicates itself to. As the semester continues, we will present the individual tasks that our staff has worked so hard at, to bring you the best FF&C that has ever been created at UNCW. Each staff member should, and will, be put in the spotlight, as they have worked tirelessly to go above and beyond the call of duty for this year’s festival. I am honored to present each and every one, and I hope that you visit us each week to discover every valuable person behind the 2014 Visions Film Festival & Conference.

Dallis Frie Covey

Print & Media Relations Copywriter

Visions 4 Film Festival & Conference