What an AMAZING experience getting a behind the scenes look at The Capitol was. The (mostly) unlimited access to such a prestigious building was such a privilege, and something that will go down as one of the coolest experiences throughout my degree. Thank you Cerise, and thank you Darren!

Timing the tour at the beginning of MOFF’s production phase was perfect, because it gave me a sense of what our festival could be and where it could go – both physically and conceptually; it felt like a vision was being laid before us and all we had to do was reach for it. Beyond the visionary element, learning the intricacies of what it takes to screen something at a venue such as The Capitol was also incredibly valuable knowledge to impart the team with. We saw a running projector, but also the digital options. We saw just how big the venue is and could subsequently how many tickets we’d have to sell to get a full house (if that were to be our aim). We saw the beautiful foyers and lobby options for pre and post screening festivities. It was an incredible experience that I will not soon forget.

While the recce class would be hard to live down, I also thoroughly enjoyed Friday’s group viewing of the Screening Room video essay and the opinions/thoughts/discussion it provoked amongst the class. Something that came up then, and has a few times throughout the semester, was the idea of the death of the live audience to on demand streaming. While I do think there is something irreplaceable about being in a theatre attending a film festival, I find it interesting that people – myself included – are so ready to criticise and dismiss streaming platforms as not being up to scratch, however we continue to line the pockets of these companies, and have a damn good time doing it. Sure, different wants expose themselves at different times, but why is it that we are okay with the at home setting when watching old reruns, but not when we want to watch new release, or underground cinema? This thought is just a little seed in my mind that perhaps hasn’t been given enough time to grow, but I think there is definitely material for a philosophical study in there somewhere.