Everyone is Platinum
A huge change in this year’s SXSW badge offerings is the addition of secondary access. In other words, every badge type can get into every other type’s events. (This isn’t strictly true, as there are, for instance, “Interactive Only” events, but these are a small percentage of the total.) Another way to put it is that SXSW is now one conference with different tracks, not three overlapping conferences.
The way it will work: Film badges will get admitted to Film events first, with Interactive and Music badges allowed in next. As if there wasn’t already enough to attend, the choices have now multiplied.
The way it will also work: everyone will pay more for their badges. This isn’t a giveaway. By making every badge essentially a Platinum one, the cost of each badge type has increased by quite a bit (except for Platinum). The premier badge was already comprehensive and continues to be so.
This is a big change for SXSW, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out, both in attendee experience as well as bottom-line numbers like attendance.
Screening Venues
There’s been some change in this years film screening venues. Gone is the Violet Crown and its four small, intimate screens, which being a downtown venue is a bit of a loss. Conversely, gone is the Marchesa, the Austin Film Society’s venue that is currently being renovated and re-launched. Its absence means no “satellite” venues, a loss for local attendees.
Instead, this year brings an increased presence at Alamo South Lamar, with five screens showing work. Considering the quality of the venue, this heightened usage of arguably the Alamo Drafthouse’s premier location is great for festival goers.
One final change this year is the duration of usage of the venues. The final day every one of them will be in use is Tuesday, just four full days from when the festival starts all-day screenings on Saturday March 11th. By Wednesday the Vimeo Theater has dropped off, and the Rollins is gone on Thursday. Friday and Saturday are the lightest days, losing the Paramount as well as South Lamar’s two largest screens. Still, that’s seven screens to watch films as the festival draws to a close.
Virtual Reality
SXSW has been promoting virtual reality for years, and now it makes its way into the film festival. The new Virtual Reality section of the festival will screen 38 different projects, each exploring the intersection of storytelling and technology.
This is a big no-brainer as far as SXSW programming goes. “Technology + Anything” is the formula the conference has ridden for years, and now with these film offerings, virtual reality continues its ever-increasing mind share into the world of cinema.