Friday: My volunteering time started at the very beginning of the WebFest. It was a basic networking with the first attendees as well as getting assigned positions by the event organizers.
Once the workshops started going, I was sent into the main stage area as a “floater”, someone who wanders around the festival and helps out anyone who is lost or has a question. It was actually a very easy job because so many people had attended before; all I really had to do was tell a newcomer from out of the country where the coat rack was, and then another person where the restroom was. The first workshop was for Telus/Storyhive which was all about the process of making a web series and of course, submitting it to a contest. I know several people who have submitted their work to Storyhive before, so this was somewhat familiar.
The next workshop explored increasing production value. This one was pretty complex, explaining how a production would become more worthwhile if you saw it from a different perspective and hired people who could do better at what you yourself have minimal experience with. I had to step out and move things around a couple times during this presentation.
The next workshop was more exciting, as it was all about Sound Design. In this one, Sound Designer Doug Paterson explained why it’s important to have professionals do your sound work for you as it affects the movie. He also showed a video which explained how the sound effects in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” were made, from 16 random noises to make a goblin growl in New Zealand, to an entire orchestra in UK doing the soundtrack without rehearsing and knowing just how to play the song. Right around then, I took a break and hung around/mingled with the other folks at VWF. I managed to get a couple free snacks too.
Afterwards, a new workshop regarding rights and clearances was announced explaining what can and cannot be used without permission. Basic public domain stuff, really.
The final workshop then explained how to write a business plan for your web series. Basically, no one ever thinks they’ll need one as they don’t understand the importance. Right around the end, I had to leave as my volunteering time was up and I needed to prepare for something else the next morning. But I did return the following night to help out some more.
Oh the best memories of Vancouver Web Fest! Thank you! I can’t wait to work with you again! It’s going to be amazing! xx