Introduction

Hey everyone! My name is Melissa Williams. I am a senior here at UNCW, double majoring in Communication and Film Studies. I am from Clayton, North Carolina. It's a small town right near Raleigh, but I love the beach! I enjoy meeting new people, traveling, and playing sports. After graduation, I hope to pursue my career in the film industry as a Production Assistant or working on sets and building my way up. I would love to work at Screen Gems and stay in the Wilmington area because I love the environment and atmosphere. In communication I study broadcasting and video production; so working on air or for radio/television stations is something also of interest to me. I am extremely excited to be a part of the Visions team this year and can't wait to put together an awesome film festival. After attending Visions last year, I was blown away. From Visions, I hope to learn team-building, leadership, and making networking opportunities. I like how we have to treat Visions as a job because it will help us grow and learn how to make decisions on our own; and that's a huge skill and quality employers look for today. It's going to be a challenge which I'm ready for and who doesn't like a good challenge! I also hope to encourage future filmmakers to be a part of the film festival community; whether that be as a submitter or an audience member. I think it is a great opportunity to get involved and learn how we can share others' artwork and ideas. It's going to be an unforgettable experience!

From the readings, I learned that film festivals aren't just showcasing filmmakers work, but they can also be a stepping stone, encourage potential filmmakers to submit and get involved, and also create a network for individuals. This past summer for my Direct Independent Study class, one of my assignments was to research film festivals that someone can apply to (locally, nationally and internationally). It was an extensive research project and I learned a lot about the submission process, types of genres each festival offers for filmmakers to enter into, involvement and much more! It was really cool to see Cucalorus, located here in Wilmington, as one of the top festivals on the Underground Film Festival Scene list in the article we had to read. It shows that film festivals are located everywhere around the world, and even if your film doesn't quite fit in the requirements of one festival, there are several more you can enter into. After the readings and the research, I can only encourage people to take part in a film festival. The rewards you get out of going, are beyond what most people would think. Some festivals offer incredible prizes, but the most rewarding in my opinion is that sense of pride you get to feel apart of the film community. As filmmakers, we know our work is constantly critiqued and viewed; it can be hard to make a mark so quick in the industry. Film festivals remind us, or at least myself, why we continue to strive for what we all love to do. We get to express our thoughts, voices, interests in an event that combines artists from all over in a meet-and-greet discussion and viewings of films. And I am extremely grateful that I get to be a part of the team that puts together that wonderful opportunity for others!