On the fifth day, we rested. Well we would have if we hadn’t been so excited about this open mic night that Connor created with a single comment to our wonderful concierge.
For anyone not on the trip or even anyone not there when it happened, we were being introduced to the Hostel on the first day and given a sort of virtual tour. As we all huddled around a paper map, Connor asked Jeff (the man behind the desk) if he knew of any open mic nights in the area. Initially, Jeff said you should be able to google it and find a different one every night. But that wasn’t the end. The next day when we stopped in the lobby Jeff pulled Connor aside and told him he could bring in a PA and a guitar and we’d have an open mic right there in the hostel. So on Monday, when we saw flyers get put up all around the hostel, we weren’t surprised. There is some serious talent in this group, more than just in the eyes of a filmmaker or critical analysis of film.
To reiterate what Professor Kredell said, “The best way to start, at the beginning.” The master class for the day consisted of speaker, Theresa Scandiffio. She is the Director of Adult Learning at TIFF. She is in charge of the library and special collections, grants, live events like the public on stage interviews and masterclasses. What I liked about Theresa is that she was treating us like budding industry professionals. She had questions for us. She seemed legitimately curious about our interests. Theresa, much like our previous guest, didn’t always know what she wanted to do. She said, It wasn’t until my third year at college that I really kind of stumbled into what I wanted, so that’s kind of what pushed me toward going to grad school because I was basically late to the game.
Theresa was informational. She had plenty to share with the group both about the Bell Lightbox and about how to start a solid career path. She told us all about the history of the Lightbox, everything that goes on their year round, the building design itself and the various events that occur outside of TIFF, such as Next Wave and Kids Fest. We learned that the festival itself has about 250 people in their year round core staff, 300-500 during the festival, and 2000-3000 volunteers.
One of the best pieces she touched on was the idea of reputation. To paraphrase Theresa, start building a reputation now, she said, if you can find something low stakes and in short bursts you’ll be able to put all these little experiences together and build up a strong resume but also, you’ll be able to figure out where your interests lie. There is always volunteer work or internships you can look for, but you have to be looking. Even here across the border you could volunteer for the Windsor Film Festival in November.
She also brought forward the idea of ‘the generalist and the expert’ and spoke to the idea of transferable skills and utilizing Oakland’s career services in help with working on both your resume but actively trying to improve your search. Theresa could not speak enough about the idea that this is a collaborative business not a competitive one. She loves working with her team, seeing strangers connect, and research. “There’s room at the top for everyone to succeed.”
Another useful mention from her was the importance of subject lines when it comes to email. In the modern age, email is obviously a prominent mode of communication. With people firing off emails constantly, your inbox is sure to fill up quickly if you’re not constantly checking, so it’s completely plausible for someone to miss or lose an email. “Making sure to have a specific subject line is important.”
Connor, Zac, and I spent the day together. It was the first time I’d spent time with Zac. It turns out he and I have way more in common than a love of fresh fashion and Wes Anderson. The three of us arrived at the master class for the day separately but our paths merged shortly after leaving the Centre for Social Innovation.
From there we headed down to the local music shop where we were turned away when we attempted to rent a guitar. We branched off when I rushed off to make sure I was at the front of the line to see Charlie Kaufman speak about his new film’ Anomalisa’. After racing to the Glenn Gould Studio, it turned out the race was wasted because there was no line. Apparently this wasn’t as exciting to everyone else as it was to me. Charlie Kaufman. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Charlie Kaufman. A man who abuses genre and reality until it’s palpable. Charlie Kaufman. The rest of the group arrived and we sat down and waited in the studio for a while waiting for the event to begin. I wanted to hear so much more about his writing, about his brain, about his process but the interviewer was more interested in abusing his typical interview style by asking questions like, “What does the film mean…” and then instead of addressing the question to Charlie, transferring over to Duke for an answer. It was rude and obnoxious but I think that in the modern age, respect is lost when the same person or someone who doesn’t truly admire someone’s work is in charge of asking the questions. A couple class mates asked some questions and were truly satisfied with the answers.
From there Connor, Zac, and I took a cab toward Little Italy because we heard there was a guitar shop that rents guitars. Success. Along the way Zac and I connected about writing, Charlie, and production. When we finally arrived back we grabbed some franchise Italian food with a small group. Again finding out more about Zac, when he orders a Pizza Pepperoni. A very ordinary, plain meal, something that I understood very well. I found out who loves root beer, although, he isn’t as picky about them as I am. I also found out he loves Dashboard Confessional.
On any ordinary night everything would be winding down. People would be filing into the hostel from screenings, maybe we’d grab a late night gelato or something (that’s never happened). But tonight was no ordinary night. It was a night of music. Everything set up. Cameras in place. A group of students and strangers, Americans and Canadians, musicians and listeners. Chords ring out into the open air as all these wonderfully talented new friends jam out both original songs and covers. Lawson didn’t play any music, typical Lawson.
We played for a couple hours before we shut down for the sake of the rest of the hostel. However, the music was not over. Guitars were taken outside and everyone poured out the door to play in the streets of Toronto. We met new people, tons of new people. Travelers and locals alike, playing and singing along. Hours came and went. People filed in and out of this impromptu concert. Fun doesn’t even begin to describe this day.
We got back to the room late, exhausted and full of joy. As we lie in our bunks we begin to hear the soft sounds of weeping and moaning. From the darkness we hear Nick Miller’s voice say, “Is Lawson crying.”
“Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember, I’ll always remember…”
Thank you Toronto. More to come.