Our Man in Utah: Day 2

Day 2 To say that this day was a success would be a near complete lie. I’m at a film festival and I didn’t watch one feature-length film today. Pathetic. As a result, I can take this opportunity to explain to readers what exactly the “wait list” is that I’m always tweeting about and compare the pros and cons of it. First, let’s talk about more buzz from around the festival. Given my misfortunes today, The Surrogate and Beasts of the Southern Wild are still the most talked about films around town. Each film had to reject ticketed patrons because of the big audiences. They didn’t overbook; I’ll explain later. They both have distribution, so that’s all that matters. In addition to these two films, people here (and on the interwebs) have been chatting up Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s performance in the drinking drama Smashed (which I have an actual ticket to for tomorrow). She stars opposite Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, so I’m highly stoked to see it. Josh Radnor’s sophomore effort Liberal Arts got picked up by IFC. His filmmaking abilities have apparently improved and he includes the ever-so-popular indie darling Elizabeth Olsen. Among the controversial buzz is a film called Compliance. People have reportedly been walking out of screenings verbally disgusted and offended by the true-event story of a teenage girl cashier accused of stealing something at a fast food restaurant. What she has to do in order to comply with authorities is apparently hard to watch. You say controversial; I say edgy. Screenings are finished for the film, so who knows what will happen with it next. Now, instead of trying to explain only the wait list, I’ll try to encapsulate the entire ticketing process. There are 3 ways of attending a film here at Sundance: passes, tickets, and the wait list. Passes are the fastest way to get in. You line up at the front and you flash your pass. Simple. Next are the tickets. You can go to the box office and pick up a ticket to any film you want for $15. Yeah, that sounds easy, but it isn’t. Hot films sellout FAST. If there is a large volume of passholders, there may even be a chance that ticketed patrons don’t even get in. In that case, I believe a refund is rewarded. Then there is the wait list. My particular student pass allows me to wait list for free, so that’s what I do a lot. Two hours before the screening starts, wait list tickets are handed out guaranteeing you a spot in the same wait list line 30 minutes before the show. Yes, it’s a line for a ticket for a line for a ticket. It’s not all that confusing though, I promise. After all the passholders and tickets get through and somehow seats are still available, then the wait list gets tickets for $15. It’s what the lazy and slower people do for the festival. On Wednesday, I was 2/2 on the waYit list, but yesterday I was 0/2. Check out my previous posts for other Sundance updates! I’ll try my hardest to keep updating… It’s so exhausting… ^.-