There has been some good news relative to last week. Bill Chandler replied that Cinelab is still donating and has given me the information I needed for their donation. Austin has pledged a Weekend Badge and given me the paperwork for their contribution. Oliver Mellan has replied and is donating an incredible 8 packaged of Delirium and Damage for a total of $2792. I have also heard a confirmation from Karen of Audio-Technica that the mic has finally shipped and we should expect it very soon.
I had a brief correspondence with Film Tools, but it does not seem as though they are inclined to offer anything. I will keep trying. I would love to get at least one more award donated and I am working to make that happen.
I have received logos now from all those confirmed and uploaded them to Dropbox. I have also compiled a list of all awards and am updating the spreadsheet. We have an amazing total of $9,418 worth of awards, which is a complete surprise to me but is mostly due to Toon Boom's and Digieffects' amazing contributions.
I seem to have established a very friendly rapport with many of my contacts and I feel confident that many of them will be more than willing to work with us in the future. As I have said before, there are others who also have expressed interest in working with us in the future although they declined this year. I am making a list of those possible contacts.
I am beginning to panic a bit because Adobe's contact Wendy Grim has still not responded and I have tried numerous times to reach her. I need her donation of the Creative Cloud. I am desperately trying to lock this award down and have a conversation with her. I am still looking at alternatives.
In other news, I visited an Into to Spanish Cinema and gave a quick presentation of Visions. I was very warmly received both by Dr. Camivella and by her class, which surprisingly mostly consisted of Spanish students. This was a welcome new demographic. I presented this year's trailer and showed them the website and how to register. I was asked a few questions and the general attitude was of interest. I got the feeling that many of them did not know too much about Visions beforehand, so I definitely feel like my presence there was necessary. It went very well.
This past week I have been extremely sick, so I feel like I have not been as productive as I hoped to be; sitll, I probably put in close to 11-12 hours of work overall, at least an hour or two every day. I need Adobe and I want someone else. I'm working hard to get both.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Task List 3/19
This week has been about turning up the volume a little bit. I have reached out for final confirmations on all of those who offered an award to touch base, get logos, and make sure all of the awards would come in on time. Audio-Technica has pledged to send their mic before the end of March. I have contacted Bill Chandler of Cinelab, still waiting to hear back. I am also trying to reach Oliver Mellan from Digieffects.
I am also contacting a number of alternates and extras, including Pixcel as a possible substitute for Cinelab if that falls through. I have emailed Film Tools, B&H, Ikan for a Follow Focus kit, an EV2 Stealth ENG Shoulder Mount, or an Image 2000 XL-1 Camera Support. I have also emailed Dana Dolly again for a Portable Camera Dolly System. I have looked at Indie Film Depot and IndyFilmGear for more eclectic, out-of-the-box gift ideas. I have contacted Austin Film Festival and Slamdance to see about receiving passes. I have also sent out another last ditch effort round of emails to all those I have been trying to contact since January, such as Blackbird, Varizoom, Criterion, and a number of others. I have been trying as well to get in touch with somebody at Barnes & Noble or Amazon, but this seems to be a complete effort in futility.
This week has been enormously frustrating. Over 90% of the places I reach out to do not even contact me back, and then of those that due it seems like half decline the offer. I feel like a have to balance between being sort of pushy and demanding to receive what I need when I need it yet also being grateful and careful so as not to discourage people from contributing. It's tricky to get used to.
The upcoming week will see more of the same as the pressure and deadlines build and build. I am keeping a running total of all those who have confirmed and those we have already received prizes from. I am also keeping a list of specific caveats relative to each company's requests (American Cinematographer, for example, want me to send them the winner's information so that they can contact the winner personally to deliver the award). I am also going to be working with Sara Reedy in putting together the Awards certificates; I have received the $20 in order to do this at the office.
I have put in roughly 10 hours of work in terms of contacting people, calling, emailing, touching base, researching for new awards, and recording results. I anticipate this will increase in the coming weeks.
I am also contacting a number of alternates and extras, including Pixcel as a possible substitute for Cinelab if that falls through. I have emailed Film Tools, B&H, Ikan for a Follow Focus kit, an EV2 Stealth ENG Shoulder Mount, or an Image 2000 XL-1 Camera Support. I have also emailed Dana Dolly again for a Portable Camera Dolly System. I have looked at Indie Film Depot and IndyFilmGear for more eclectic, out-of-the-box gift ideas. I have contacted Austin Film Festival and Slamdance to see about receiving passes. I have also sent out another last ditch effort round of emails to all those I have been trying to contact since January, such as Blackbird, Varizoom, Criterion, and a number of others. I have been trying as well to get in touch with somebody at Barnes & Noble or Amazon, but this seems to be a complete effort in futility.
This week has been enormously frustrating. Over 90% of the places I reach out to do not even contact me back, and then of those that due it seems like half decline the offer. I feel like a have to balance between being sort of pushy and demanding to receive what I need when I need it yet also being grateful and careful so as not to discourage people from contributing. It's tricky to get used to.
The upcoming week will see more of the same as the pressure and deadlines build and build. I am keeping a running total of all those who have confirmed and those we have already received prizes from. I am also keeping a list of specific caveats relative to each company's requests (American Cinematographer, for example, want me to send them the winner's information so that they can contact the winner personally to deliver the award). I am also going to be working with Sara Reedy in putting together the Awards certificates; I have received the $20 in order to do this at the office.
I have put in roughly 10 hours of work in terms of contacting people, calling, emailing, touching base, researching for new awards, and recording results. I anticipate this will increase in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Task List 3/12
I am receiving fewer and fewer responses. Most of the new places I have contacted (Wooden Camera, Abelcine, Vifocam, Movie Budgets, etc.) have not responded. I am still waiting to hear from a few but I'm searching for alternatives. Time is winding down though so I am preparing to have a finalized list.
Karen Emerson of Audio-Technica has been very helpful; they are still donating the PRO-24 mic but she is personally overseeing its delivery to make sure we get one before March ends. I also have sent an email to Christine Becker apologizing and clarifying my earlier mistake.
I have contacted Slamdance and Austin Film Fest about passes (Sundance and SXSW had both responded but it seems they are very busy and are quite slow in contact).
I heard from Brianna from Redrock about the best time during the fiscal year; she said there wasn't a particularly good time, it was based more upon priority and budget. However, she seems very nice and I think we have established a solid contact so I have confidence they would work well with us in the future.
I had no internet access for much of Spring break, so I was not able to log in as many hours as usual. I probably spent about 4 hours total.
Karen Emerson of Audio-Technica has been very helpful; they are still donating the PRO-24 mic but she is personally overseeing its delivery to make sure we get one before March ends. I also have sent an email to Christine Becker apologizing and clarifying my earlier mistake.
I have contacted Slamdance and Austin Film Fest about passes (Sundance and SXSW had both responded but it seems they are very busy and are quite slow in contact).
I heard from Brianna from Redrock about the best time during the fiscal year; she said there wasn't a particularly good time, it was based more upon priority and budget. However, she seems very nice and I think we have established a solid contact so I have confidence they would work well with us in the future.
I had no internet access for much of Spring break, so I was not able to log in as many hours as usual. I probably spent about 4 hours total.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Task List 2/27/2013
This week, I tried to brace the bad news with an increase in momentum. I heard 'no's' from SCMS and Redrock Micro, but hopefully we can still work with Redrock in the future and I am looking for alternatives to SCMS. I am still talking to contacts from Sundance and SXSW, although I am sure they are extremely busy, so communication is slow. Many places have not responded or answered their phones when I call. I have sent another wave of second or third emails to all the places I have not heard back from. I have begun exploring a number of new options, such as Etsy private sellers, Wooden Camera, Varizoom, Movie Forms Pro, No Film School, and others. I have also found a new contact for Digisuites with an indication that we will get a similar deal as last year, which is great news.
I am getting faster at responding while the number of contacts is shrinking. I probably only worked five or six hours altogether in contacting, calling, responding, and following up with people, with an additional four or five hours probably watching the rest of the films for programming.
I am getting faster at responding while the number of contacts is shrinking. I probably only worked five or six hours altogether in contacting, calling, responding, and following up with people, with an additional four or five hours probably watching the rest of the films for programming.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Task List 2/19/2013
Unfortunately, this has been a much slower and less productive week than I would have preferred. I have sent some follow-up emails to those I haven't heard from and Joey Powell and I have made some phone calls to a variety of different companies that have been particularly difficult to reach. These efforts have been met with little to no progress.
I have had some contact with Redrock about a follow focus and they are reviewing an order inquiry I sent them. I am still waiting to hear back from Sara Barney of SXSW about tickets as an award.
I sent an email to Jaclyn Vigeant regarding the Super 8mm One Reel Festival and I told her that we would not be able to host One Reel this year but that I would be in touch with her after the Visions Fest about maybe a partnership with them for next year's festival. I will organize a presentation for the class for after the festival to try to sell the idea and the various possibilities that accompany such a relationship.
I only did roughly five hours of work for Awards this week, not including the considerable amount of time it took me to watch this past week's batch of films for programming. Momentum is drawing down a bit because a lot of the initial legwork has been done and the list of cooperative sponsors is dwindling, but this week I will be more proactive and try to come up with a few fresh ideas and more actively pursue some that I have been waiting on. I also need to draft up a letterhead receipt for Adobe about a Creative Cloud.
I have had some contact with Redrock about a follow focus and they are reviewing an order inquiry I sent them. I am still waiting to hear back from Sara Barney of SXSW about tickets as an award.
I sent an email to Jaclyn Vigeant regarding the Super 8mm One Reel Festival and I told her that we would not be able to host One Reel this year but that I would be in touch with her after the Visions Fest about maybe a partnership with them for next year's festival. I will organize a presentation for the class for after the festival to try to sell the idea and the various possibilities that accompany such a relationship.
I only did roughly five hours of work for Awards this week, not including the considerable amount of time it took me to watch this past week's batch of films for programming. Momentum is drawing down a bit because a lot of the initial legwork has been done and the list of cooperative sponsors is dwindling, but this week I will be more proactive and try to come up with a few fresh ideas and more actively pursue some that I have been waiting on. I also need to draft up a letterhead receipt for Adobe about a Creative Cloud.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Task List 2/12/2013
This past week has been a lot more of the same but a little more in depth since it has been less about establishing new contacts as much as reconnecting or following up with specific contacts. Audio-Technica has confirmed that they will send us a Pro 24CM stereo condenser microphone with a windscreen, battery, and video camera shoe mount. Pro8mm's 1 hour HD scanning for Super 8, Regular 8, or 16mm film has come in. Jaclyn Vigeant, our Pro8mm contact, has also discussed with me the potential for Visions to host the Super 8mm One Reel Festival. After this year's festival, I will present the opportunities a more involved relationship with Pro8mm and the One Reel Fest could be. Adobe has offered a one-year subscription for the Adobe Creative Cloud. I have also been in contact with Rosie Wong about a possible contribution of a festival pass to next year's Sundance. I have just gotten in touch with Sara Barney from SXSW about a festival pass as well.
Joey Powell and I are starting to call businesses who have not responded to multiple email attempts. In addition to following up and intensifying our pursuit of certain companies, I have sent out about a slew of emails to new places, such as Barnes & Noble, Criterion, B & H Photo, SMCS, Jungle Software, AZ Grip and others. Many of the companies do not offer specific contact information, so I have filled out their inquiry forms and I am awaiting responses.
All in all, receiving and sending out emails, research, finding contacts, looking up award information, and tailoring responses to specific contacts is difficult to accurately measure. Last Thursday, I spent a solid six or seven hours plowing through a list of tasks. Another three hours can be added to that from other times where I work in a more sporadic manner as I am receiving information from people I have contacted. I would estimate I spent another two to three hours reading through the papers for this week's programming, although I might have spent more because I did not do all of the reading in one block of time.
Joey Powell and I are starting to call businesses who have not responded to multiple email attempts. In addition to following up and intensifying our pursuit of certain companies, I have sent out about a slew of emails to new places, such as Barnes & Noble, Criterion, B & H Photo, SMCS, Jungle Software, AZ Grip and others. Many of the companies do not offer specific contact information, so I have filled out their inquiry forms and I am awaiting responses.
All in all, receiving and sending out emails, research, finding contacts, looking up award information, and tailoring responses to specific contacts is difficult to accurately measure. Last Thursday, I spent a solid six or seven hours plowing through a list of tasks. Another three hours can be added to that from other times where I work in a more sporadic manner as I am receiving information from people I have contacted. I would estimate I spent another two to three hours reading through the papers for this week's programming, although I might have spent more because I did not do all of the reading in one block of time.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Task Update 2/5/2013
This past week, I have been getting in touch with lots more companies and people about more awards. Lensbaby is confirmed, having sent us a gift card already worth $300 for Composer Pro and they have also sent me their logo. There has been some rough news with Working Films; Robert West, our contact from last year, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and has forwarded me to a couple new contacts. I have also been in touch with Saul Molina of American Cinematographer, although I am skeptical that he is actually reading my emails because his responses don't always seem to match mine. Nonetheless, he has reconfirmed that they are contributing. Intellect has also given me their logo and are putting their award contribution through.
I am now talking to Jesse Duoma, a Community Leader for The Writer's Store, about a Movie Forms Pro Combo Pack for Narrative (or maybe Visionary). I have been redirected by Red Rock, Audio Tech, and B & H, so I am still traveling through various departments trying to find a specific contact. I have not yet heard back from an actual person from Dragonframe, Jungle Software, Lynda.com, and Wacom. The rest I haven't heard back from at all yet.
I have been trying to get in touch with someone about a conference badge to the Austin Film Festival and my contact is terrible for Notre Dame.
Outside of awards, I got in touch with the downtown restaurant The Greeks for after party catering and they said they would be happy to cater and work out a deal with us. After my initial contact, Chandler took over.
This coming week will be more of the same: confirming and searching.
I am now talking to Jesse Duoma, a Community Leader for The Writer's Store, about a Movie Forms Pro Combo Pack for Narrative (or maybe Visionary). I have been redirected by Red Rock, Audio Tech, and B & H, so I am still traveling through various departments trying to find a specific contact. I have not yet heard back from an actual person from Dragonframe, Jungle Software, Lynda.com, and Wacom. The rest I haven't heard back from at all yet.
I have been trying to get in touch with someone about a conference badge to the Austin Film Festival and my contact is terrible for Notre Dame.
Outside of awards, I got in touch with the downtown restaurant The Greeks for after party catering and they said they would be happy to cater and work out a deal with us. After my initial contact, Chandler took over.
This coming week will be more of the same: confirming and searching.
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