Reality, Superheroes and Typography : Film Festival

The Film festival is split between lecture panels and feature films. There’s a lot of overlapping between the Interactive and Film panels, which makes sense because there are several topics related to new media, particularly the future of “video” and its applications- on the web, on a mobile device or in a traditional format like a TV set or a movie screen.

User-generated content continues to be a huge deal for the film industry, especially because anyone with a digital camera and editing software can make a movie and upload it onto the internet. “What Does the Future Hold For Video on the Internet?” is one of a handful of panels that discuss this.

“Lonelygirl15: A Case Study” piqued my interest because the creators behind the whole phenomenon and its aftermath are going to be speaking. I watched some of the original videos before she was outed, and was mildly charmed but not motivated to keep checking back. Even the outing itself wasn’t all that surprising. But the lonelygirl15 ordeal works as a great metaphor for the relationship between advertisers and consumers, particularly in the areas of reality, fiction, entertainment and trust, none of which have clearly defined edges to begin with.

On the Feature Film side of things, there are a few movies in particular that I’m excited about. Since my background is in graphic design, I am totally nerding out over Helvetica. My non-designer friends have been giving me a pretty hard time about wanting to see this one. What Would Jesus Buy? takes an in-depth look at the commercialization of Christmas. And Confessions of a Superhero to me almost sounds like a documentary about living avatars, people who live out through a fabricated or completely-controlled identity.

On the party side, I think I’ll try the ASCAP party again. I accidently walked into their party last year (after answering “yes” to the doorman when he asked me if I was here for the ASCAP party) and enjoyed the open bar immensely.

posted by Bryan Keplesky