Desert Reel Panel Discussion

Last night the Desert Reel Film Festival kicked off with a panel discussion among the guest panelists: movie producer Joe McSpadden, film editor Jon Alvord, film maker Kelley Baker, Channel 9 anchor person Stephanie Rivas and film maker David Parks.

One of the questions asked of the panel was whether they got more gratification from the actual process of producing their art or from the fame and recognition they might have obtained from their being in the movie making business.  Joe McSpadden had an answer for that.  There should have been a third choice, he said, and that would be the gratification one gets from entertaining and influencing other people.  Great answer.

Jon Alvord came from a long lineage of lawyers, but he became a film editor.  He told a story that, if true, gives us a pretty cynical vision of Hollywood.  It could be just an urban legend, but he said that someone took the script of "Casablanca" and changed the name of the movie as well as all of the characters names.  Then they submitted the new script to the Hollywood studios.  All of them rejected it.  Any wonder why these panelists are so fond of independent films?

Kelley Baker was a car salesman's kid who went to the U.S.C. film school.  Mr. Baker, who believes that people are taking films too seriously, said that the Orson Wells movie "Touch of Evil" was one of his favorites.  Well, if you say so, Mr. Baker.  But maybe one has to get a U.S.C. film school education to be able to reach that conclusion.

As the old saying goes, an expert is someone who drove more than 50 miles to get here.  So at first blush local tv news anchor Stephanie Rivas seemed a little bit out of place on the panel.  But she really showed us that she belonged.  She told a touching story about her original career objective:  she wanted to be a teacher.  She idolized her teachers when she was in school.  They were her role models.   But she ended up as a newscaster, and now she is approached by young girls who look to her as a role model.  You're a good example, Stephanie, keep up the good work.

A native of California, David Parks was born into the business much like some  who were raised in West Texas might have followed in our dads' foot steps.  Mr. Parks got kicked out of school and went to work for his cinematographer dad on the making of  the movie "Walk on the Wild Side."  He continued working with his dad who helped put together the team who made the movie "Shaft," "Superfly" and several others of that genre.  Mr. Parks has been in the movie business ever since.

The panelists certainly gave us an enlightening evening.  Their enjoyment of their work in the movie making business was almost contagious.  They made it sound so easy.  And out here in West Texas the only way to see the results of a hard working independent film maker is at the Desert Reel Film Festival where movies start tonight and finish on Sunday.  See you at the movies.

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Notes from the cheap seats:  The panel discussion was free to anyone who wanted to attend.  And it took place in an arena style lecture hall at the Midland College ATC building.  I sat on the back row, and someone came in late and sat down in the seat beside me.  That person began taking notes and appeared to try to read what I had written in my own notes.  My hand writing is practically illegible, even to me, so the person began asking me questions about who was that panelist and what did that one just say, etc.  We were in a school lecture hall, and for a brief moment I felt as if I were back in high school and had done the homework but the person sitting next to me hadn't.  But, that's okay.  It isn't a competition.  It turned out that the person sitting next to me was a reporter for the local newspaper who was doing a drive-by reporting so as not to miss another event that evening.  So be sure to check out Saturday's edition of the Midland Reporter-Telegram for an article about this panel discussion.  But don't compare notes.  It's sure to be a better article than this one.

Updated 4/23/05, 8:20 a.m.:  Here's a link to the Midland Reporter-Telegram article.

Comments

[Kathy]

My husband and I drove 6 hrs to go to one of the worst film festivals I have ever been to.It was so unorganized you would of thought you were at an elementry school. And some of the films that won should have never got in.Thats why close friends of friends "win the awards" I know of three films that was shown that was a 100% better then the ones that took home the awards. Like they say its who you know..... And what about that panel discussion? they should have pulled people off the streets to discuss the movie biz.. "If that isnt what they already did

Sincerely dissapointed
Kathy

[Geo]

Kathy,

Well, the movies ran on time, so that part was well organized.

It's a fledgling festival, and any constructive suggestions you could give them for improvement would probably be appreciated.

Geo