The only thing better than paying Los Angeles prices for a movie ticket is paying hundreds – if not thousands – to hop on a plane, book a hotel and, oh my god, stress about your Uber driver not canceling on you despite the fact you booked the ride two days in advance and now you don’t know if you’ll make it to LAX on time for your 11:12 a.m. boarding time that thankfully gets pushed back an hour due to storms over Vegas, just to see your most anticipated release slightly before it goes onto Netflix.
Whether the event is a 30 minute drive or more than a 1200 mile flight away, here is how to prepare for your first film festival.
1. It doesn’t matter where you go, it just matters that you do
If you want to go to a film festival, be it Cannes, Venice, Austin or South by Southwest, just buy a ticket and go. Don’t wait to see if the line up is good, if your celebrity crush is going to be at the red carpet of the premiere for that new adaptation of the romantasy book you totally didn’t fan cast them for back when you read it in 2019 before it blew up on TikTok and everyone now suddenly loves it, or if the city it’s located in is even somewhere you want to visit – do you really want to go to Utah? Go to a film festival for the love of the game, with an open itinerary and perhaps most importantly and unfortunately, some cash to burn – which brings us to the next point.
2. How to get there
If it’s local, commute from home, save the hotel fees and throw out the packing list – problem solved, you can stop reading now – but please don’t!
If you have to fly, Spirit might seem like the best value, but you’re better than Spirit and you deserve to be treated that way. You also have to pay so much for extra luggage that you’re better off just paying a little more for a ticket on Southwest. While they got rid of their incredible chex mix blend that was only served on Southwest flights – gosh I would have bought out their inventory if they’d let me – you still get pretzels, gram-crackers, a free drink and the movie selection is pretty good, I mean, it’s no Alaskan Airlines, but at least they got movies, unlike Spirit (found that out the hard way on a four hour flight to Chicago). But back to the point, I’m not saying it’s first class on Delta or bust , it’s about finding the best accommodations for what you as a traveler need to get to your destination — and if that involves sitting first class on Delta so you can order Shake Shack on your flight, I can’t blame you.
3. Where to stay
A film festival will always be held either in, or near, a hotel you cannot afford – sorry to break it to you, but that’s the unfortunate reality. You’re in college and probably don’t have Omni Hotel money, but if you do, then my Spirit Airlines joke doesn’t make sense and you’ve never experienced the flavor bliss of the Southwest chex mix rye chip – the only instance where money truly cannot buy happiness. So unless you got daddy’s money, look for somewhere within walking distance, a fact that varies person to person depending on how fast you walk – I can make a 20 minute walk in 15-ish and I’m 5-foot-10, but if you’re an Olympic level speedwalker just waiting for a chance to prove your medal, then your “walking distance” might look like a 5k. And when booking your hotel, remember, how far you walk to get to the festival is how far you’ll have to walk back. So while a 30 minute walk in the muggy Austin air might suit you just fine at 9 a.m., it might not be so pleasant after one too many drinks at the after party – what?!?! They were free. Was I supposed to say “no?” Would you have said “no?” Didn’t think so.
4. What to wear
This isn’t Coachella, you actually have to wear clothes, not a tank top cut to be a bra and shorts that are basically underwear. And unless they are in pristine quality, your fit should’t be thrifted – use this as an opportunity to buy that Ralph Lauren sweater you’ve always wanted because if there’s a time to shell out the big bucks, it’s around these Hollywood-types. You’re also already $2,000 in the hole from your flight and stay, so what’s another $300 more?
When it comes to packing, overpack. Take more underwear than you know what to do with and could possibly wear in three days. Pack socks like you will be trudging through six feet of snow everyday even though you checked the weather and it’s going to be 87 degrees in Austin in late October. As previously stated, bring nice shirts, good pants, dark denim or slacks and one pair of shoes that you can walk in but also won’t look out of place at the premiere of that new Sydney Sweeney film. And remember, you are wearing this outfit all day, probably, so don’t bust out your Gucci suit or fear it will become a sweat-suit in that Austin heat – and you DO NOT want to be that smelly guy in a screening, they will know it’s you, they can smell fear. For those of you who want to show out a bit more and are still wondering what’s appropriate, I’m a dude: I own six shirts, one good pair of pants and only buy new clothes when my mom sends me links to shirts from Nordstrom with the attached message, “I like this one.” So that to say, I’m honestly shocked you read this far. That said, as someone who now owns eight shirts and two, count ‘em, two good pairs of pants, use this as an opportunity to invest in your wardrobe.
5. Think disposable – sorry turtles
We all love our Hydroflasks and our orange Stanleys that were the only good gift at the family white elephant party that one year, but Hydro and Stanley will not be let into most premiere film screenings. So unless you plan on taking the time out of your busy schedule filled with potential networking opportunities, hearing the director who ruined your childhood talk about time travel with the guy who directed the best “Mission Impossible” movie or just lounging around in lavish hotels pretending you belong there – because for this weekend, you do! – then leave your reusable bottle back in the hotel. So if you want to stay hydrated, and I hope you do, that leaves you with three options.
- Rob the nearest Starbucks of their water supply – I don’t like them either, but their water is free and if your festival is in a city, you’re probably right next to one and you don’t even know it.
- Capitalize on free water bottles from your hotel and bring as many as you think you’ll need – this is the most mature option, turtles be damned.
- (Now time for my personal favorite…) The “run-and-gun.” Big conferences like these typically have light refreshments and water coolers lying around – find them. Every time you see one, grab a plastic cup, chug a glass or two, throw it away – again, sorry turtles – and do it all again at the next fill up location. Not only does this method keep you fluid – pun intended – and well hydrated throughout the day, but it saves you from the possibility of having to guzzle your hotel water bottle right before a screening and having to go during the emotional climax of “Christy” or the second act plot twist in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
So to round up my main points: 1) just go, 2) don’t fly Spirit, 3) measure walking distance in shots of alcohol consumed, 4) use this as a reason to purchase your seventh and eighth shirt and 5) put down the Hydroflask and Stanley for this weekend only, the turtles will forgive you.
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Featured Image Courtesy of Don Sniegowski via Flickr