An Expert's Guide to Navigating the Sundance Film Festival
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Webinar hosted by: Chase Whale
Film Critic and Crime Fiction Writer
Chase Whale is a graduate of the University of North Texas' Creative Writing B.A. program. He's a film critic and crime fiction writer, and you can find his work on Out of the Gutter, ScreenAnarchy, Indiewire, MTV, Flaunt Magazine, and other places. Chase co-founded the popular independent film website, GordonandtheWhale.com where he remained Editor-in-Chief until August 2011. On behalf of GATW, he covered Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, the Toronto International Film Festival and Comic-Con, along with junkets in London, Toronto and other parts of the world. Throughout his career as a journalist, Chase has interviewed Harrison Ford, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Wahlberg, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julianne Moore, Guillermo del Toro, Danny Boyle, Will Ferrell, Jason Reitman, Academy Award® Winner Davis Guggenheim, Andrew Garfield, Mark Romanek, Zach Galifianakis, Matt Reeves, Carey Mulligan, Simon Pegg, Harmony Korine, Sam Rockwell, Richard Linklater, Michael Shannon, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall, Jean-Claude Van Damme (twice!), Jesse Eisenberg, Jane Lynch, “Tim and Eric”, Ashton Kutcher, Nicolas Winding Refn and dozens of other prominent actors, directors and filmmakers in the industry. In 2009, NBC named him one of the 25 most interesting people in Dallas, along with Erykah Badu and Nolan Ryan. Later that year, The Wrap listed him as one of 30 Movie Insiders to Follow Right Now On Twitter, with Peter Travers and the late, great Roger Ebert. Since GATW’s departure, he’s programmed for the Alamo Drafthouse, Fantastic Fest, Rooftop Film and the Sundance Film Festival, worked in film distribution for Cinedigm in New York, and his reviews, interviews, and editorials have been featured on websites including Twitch, Film.com, MTV’sNext Movie, Film Threat, Indiewire’sThe Playlist, We Got This Covered, Latino Review, Dallas Observer, Culture Map and Central Track, Hammer to Nail, and Denton Record-Chronicle. Whale is a member ofRotten Tomatoes, Criticwire the Dallas-Forth Worth Film Critics Association, OFCS, and GALECA. Whale is currently a film critic for TwitchFilm and is writing a book of stories called Ruthless People: Stories, out January 2017. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Going to the Sundance Film Festival for the first time can be overwhelming. How would you like to be fully prepared before stepping foot in Park City, Utah?
In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, film critic, festival connoisseur and festival screener Chase Whale will give you the low down on every angle of the Sundance film festival and how to prepare if you’re going for the first time.
Chase has been attending Sundance for nearly a decade. He was even on the Sundance film screening committee, giving him an insider’s look into one the industry’s most prestigious festivals. He’s attended long enough to know exactly how to navigate the festival.
When he’s there, he watches six films a day, knows the pros and cons in front of and behind the scenes. In this Stage 32 webinar, Chase will let you know how best to prepare for the festival, what to bring, and best practices when you arrive. You’ll be way ahead of the curve and ready to conquer this festival by the end of this webinar.
What You'll Learn
- Sundance at a Glance, Booking and Lodging
- Overview of the main areas, what they’re called & how they relate to one another
- Recommended areas and why
- Areas to avoid and why
- Transportation – What to Expect
- From the airport to Sundance
- Bus routes
- Ride shares
- Cabs
- Walkable distances
- Dress
- What to pack
- Dress code for events, screenings, parties and more.
- Inside dressing
- Outdoor dressing
- What you MUST bring, what you do not need to bring
- Food & Drinks
- Navigating locations of restaurants & bars
- Favorite hangouts
- Areas to avoid
- Navigating food available (Addressing gluten, vegan, etc.)
- What to pack with you
- Tips on local drinks and what to expect with drinking
- Tips on cheap or free food
- Navigating locations of restaurants & bars
- Badges
- Understanding the difference between the badges
- Is there a way to beat the system?
- Screenings
- How to get tickets & understanding the ticket system
- Alternative ways to get tickets
- Understanding seating
- Suggested schedule
- What movies to avoid, what movies you will have the best chance of attending
- Understanding Q&A sessions, taboo questions – what NOT to ask if you get chosen.
- Understanding what to look for during screenings if you are hoping to one day have a film chosen for Sundance
- Parties & Events
- Navigating the landscape
- Corporate parties
- Indie parties
- Non-sanctioned education events, panels
- Gifting lounges
- Understanding guest lists
- List of resources to pre-plan for parties and events
- Tips to get in
- Navigating the landscape
- General Tips / Sundance Etiquette
- What NOT to do
- What TO do
- Q&A with Chase!
About Your Instructor
Chase Whale
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