Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival gets better every year

By Herb Kane / CRITICDOCTOR.com / April 2006

The first time I ever attended the "Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival." was back in 2002. Since then, everything about the film festival has improved each following year.

Festival screenings once took place in a college auditorium and all movies were played on a big screen for digital projection. Thanks to Bruce Taylor, owner of Collins Road Theatres in Marion (just on the edge of Cedar Rapids), the festival now has a permanent home with three full theater screens playing each day.

The festival awards ceremony that takes place in theatre "A" is broadcast simultaneously in Theatres B & C. The utilization of three screens is very nice because now you have the ability to pick and choose what movie you want to see from the festival program or watch all of them due to the convenience of flexible showtimes. It also leaves some breathing room - not having to be in single packed theatre for several hours.

Collins Road Theatres owner Bruce Taylor said at the festival, "When we opened about two and half years-ago, I promised I was going to bring movies to Cedar Rapids that otherwise wouldn't be shown here. The event that we have this weekend is the epitome of films that would never be shown in Cedar Rapids." There is a definite focus on screening independent films year-long at this theatre - setting it apart from all other theaters in the area. Oh and let's not forget what else sets this theatre apart from the others - REAL BUTTER!

Believe me you, if you are not aware of this fact by the time the festival is over, you apparently were not in the presence of Bruce Taylor. During every presentation Taylor was involved in, the word "butter" eventually surface and justifiably so. We all know what most theaters serve these days and it's not real butter. In fact, nothing about it is real. The real butter available here is an extra benefit for theatre-goers.

I personally like the buckets this theatre uses instead of those flimsy, greasy bags you find at other venues. And the best part? It's not only less expensive than other theatres in the area, but you can take your bucket of popcorn to the butter machine and put the butter on yourself! Need I say more? Of course not! Taylor will have plenty more to say about it next year.

Taylor, along with CRIFM (Cedar Rapids Independent Filmmakers) board members Scott Chrisman, Eric Dean Freese, Christina Miller and Carrie Miell have created a fun venue that allows filmmakers to showcase their talent to the general audience and make connections with others in the industry.

Over 50 films were screened this year at the "Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival" and based on the screenings I saw in previous years, the films have not only increased in quantity, but quality. I also like seeing the program filled with mostly short films - allowing us to see artistic work by more filmmakers.

Seminar presenters this year included John Houghton (Director of Photography), John Reasoner (Multi-Media Director, Rockwell Collins) and Bettendorf, Iowa filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. I did attend the session with Beck and Woods and they are very excited about filmmaking and for good reason. In 2005, the two 21 year-old filmmakers won MTVU's "Best Film on Campus Contest." What does this mean for them? For starters, they won a home theatre system (which they sold on Ebay to put the money toward future filmmaking) and a development deal with MTV Films.

Beck and Woods (Blueboxlimited.com) discussed a variety of filmmaking topics including how to make movies at a very inexpensive price. "Making films today is not expensive. It's cheap because of digital," said Woods. "Most of the budgets for our films have been $50 to $300." Casting people to work for free certainly helps, too..

Film is generally too expensive for the average independent filmmaker - and much more difficult to edit. Digital allows almost anyone to make a movie on some level. In fact, Woods encourages anyone with a digital camera to start now. "Just keep making as many movies as you can and you'll learn from experience," said Woods.

Experience, for Beck and Woods, is the what got them where they are today. Taking on multiple tasks such as editing, directing, sound, cinematography, and writing is not only cost-effective - it will benefit you in the long-run. Beck said, "When you're working with a larger crew, you can understand what each person is doing and appreciate what they are doing."

When the festival concluded, all was invited to the LongBranch restaurant/bar for the post-festival party. I figured we would all go there and relax and talk about how wonderful this year's festival turned out. Nope! Let's just put it this way. When you invite a bunch of filmmakers and actors to a bar on Karoke night - look out! Check out the Critic Doctor Photo Gallery and you'll see what I mean.

The "Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival" is getting better and better with each year. Of course, Bruce Taylor might say, "It's getting butter and butter each year." Either way, we're right!