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| SxSW Film Festival Austin, Texas March 12 - 20, 2004 |
| Tips for Attending SxSW |
| Before You Go... - Register as early as possible! You get a 30% discount if you register four months early, a 20% discount if you register two months early, and a 10% discount if you register a month early. - If you are a student, make sure you get the student discount. - Pay attention to the newsletters you get in the mail once you've registered. Find a few films that you absolutely want to see before you go, and become familiar with the films that are playing. This will help you plan once you are there. - Pack for all weather. While it gets up to 80 degrees during the day in Austin in the spring, remember that most of the time you are in an air-conditioned theater. Wear layers that you can add and remove as you enter and exit theaters. While You're There... - When you get the schedule of movies playing, sit down and take some time to plan your days. Trust me, this isn't something you want to do spur-of-the-moment. Circle the films you really want to see, then fill up the rest of your day based on these. If there are any conflicts, get them figured out now. You probably won't be able to see everything you want to, so make your choices now. Many times, you will have to go straight from one movie to another, so you won't have time to make these decisions if you don't do it right away. - Carry the schedule with you at all times. If you miss a movie, or want to see a movie that you previously hadn't circled, you can make those adjustments easily. - At the Alamo Drafthouse, sit in the very back row of leather couches. They are amazingly comfortable and almost always fill up last. - You can't walk to every theater, no matter what the brochures say. - You can walk to the Millennium Theater, but you don't want to. Just trust me. - Get there at least 15 minutes before showtime if you are a badge holder, even earlier if not! If you have a badge and you are in line before they start letting people into the theater, you will probably get a seat, but it may not be a good one. - The Millennium only has about 130 seats, so it fills up fast and early. 15 minutes won't cut it here. Try an hour. Eat some really good, really cheap frozen yogurt from the food court while you wait. - Make sure you are in the right line. Usually there are three lines: badge holders, pass holders, and general admission ticket holders. You enter the theater in that order also. - If you see a lot of shows at the Alamo, you can save time by eating and watching the movie at the same time. They have really good, very reasonably priced food. And root beer floats! - Talk to people while in line. You can get some great "insider" information that way, and hear about films and events that you might have overlooked. That's how we found about the showing of "Before Sunset," which was listed as a "TBA" in the schedule. - People watch and check out the names on badges. That's how you will see the most B-List celebs. - Park in the Convention Center Garage on Brazos street. $7 all day with three re-entries. It's worth it! If not, park near where the last movie of the day will be playing. - You will get lots of handouts and freebies while you're walking along - books, CDs, lighters, etc. Unless you don't mind carrying them around, bring a backpack with you to put them in. You can also pack snacks and drinks for the day. - The Paramount WILL confiscate any food or drink that you bring in, so either hide it well or don't bring it! - For some special screenings - movies that will be coming out in the theater - you may not be allowed to bring in your camera phone or camera. Home |
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