We have plenty of people signed up to volunteer for the 2008
Festival. Response was amazing. So, the sign-up form has been taken off the web site.
As always though, we welcome back returning volunteers. If
you worked at a previous Wisconsin Film Festival, please contact Jess Main
to sign up <volunteer@wifilmfest.org>
The Week A volunteer meeting on
Monday, March 3, is in Room 2650 Humanities (455 No. Park St), on the UW-Madison
campus. Time is 7 pm to 9 pm (with luck we'll wrap up early).
The Wisconsin Film Festival invites you to become a Festival
volunteer in 2008. Now in its tenth year, the Festival depends on the hard
work of local volunteers for its success.
Volunteers helped make the Festival a great experience for
audience members and filmmakers and speakers. Last year, over 200 people — from
students to grandparents — volunteered
for the festival. They helped 28,700 ticket-holders enjoy films from around
the world and from right here in Wisconsin. That’s one volunteer for every 150
people!
The staff of the Festival is small, and it’s the volunteer
teams who keep the theaters running smoothly during the four-day Festival.
- we sell tickets
- answer questions
- help people find seats
- introduce films and filmmakers
- get each screening started on time by coordinating with
the theater projectionist
- make sure each film has the right sound volume and runs
smoothly
- assist with panels and Q&A sessions with filmmakers
- hand out and collect Audience Award ballots
- do it all over again for the next film in the schedule!
You work a lot, ideally committing to at least ten
hours of volunteering during the Festival, over two or more shifts.
In exchange, you become a core part of the Wisconsin
Film Festival, see Festival films, meet the filmmakers, and learn how
a festival works behind the scenes. It’s also a great way to connect with
other volunteers and community members who share your passion for great movies.
Volunteers also get a coveted volunteer-only t-shirt, free
tickets to Festival films, and treats like free coffee drinks from Steep & Brew.
We’ll have two mandatory training sessions in the
weeks before the Festival.
2008 VOLUNTEER
INFORMATION
WELCOME!
if you’re a returning volunteer, welcome BACK!
(approximate) 2008 Wisconsin Film Festival Schedule:
Thursday, April 3: 4 pm – 1 am
Friday, April 4: 10 am – 2 am
Saturday, April 5: 10 am – 2 am
Sunday, April 6: 10 am – 10 pm
Most volunteer shifts will be scheduled during these time
slots. See below for pre-Festival activities and meetings.
Volunteer schedule
A few weeks before the Festival, we’ll start scheduling volunteers
into time-slots over the Festival weekend. If you want to volunteer, please arrange
to free-up time during the Festival. We divide up the weekend into shifts of
roughly four to six hours. You’ll have an opportunity to share with us
what days and times work best for you. We ask that you work at least two shifts — many
people work much more!
Mandatory volunteer meetings
We hold meetings before the festival to present the information you’ll
need to be a volunteer. To accommodate people’s schedules, we arrange for
two pairs of meetings.
You must attend one meeting during Week A and one
meeting during Week B.
This is true for returning volunteers as much as for first-timers—we
rely on the experiences of those folks who worked at past festivals to help us
improve our procedures for 2008.
Week A: TBA (late February/early
March)
Week B: TBA (late
March)
If you apply to volunteer, please be sure to arrange your
schedule so that you can attend these meetings and are available during the Festival.
When the times are firmed-up we’ll update this page and email everyone
who signed up for volunteering.
Email and web access
You are strongly encouraged to have access to email and the web. Important communication
about volunteer assignments and activities will be given to you via email and
the Festival website.
Volunteer benefits
In exchange for your hard work at the festival, you’ll receive a coveted
volunteers-only t-shirt. We wear these during the event to identify ourselves
as festival crew, and it’s yours to keep. All volunteers receive a Festival
poster as well as additional benefits to be announced at the first volunteer
meetings.
You’ll also receive four ticket vouchers for festival
films. You swap them for film tickets at the box office, and we recommend doing
this as early as possible, because films have been selling out quickly. These
vouchers can be used by other people, and in any combination (four different
films, or all for one film).
Fine print
The Wisconsin Film Festival is a public program of the UW Arts Institute,
a nonprofit, tax-exempt unit of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To successfully
accomplish our mission of educational outreach, support for independent filmmakers,
and service to the community, we ask volunteers to commit to the following:
| a) |
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. |
| b) |
All volunteers are responsible for their own
transportation, lodging and meals in Madison for Festival activities. |
| c) |
Volunteers understand that they are freely
donating their time and expertise to the Wisconsin Film Festival. |
| d) |
Please note that acceptance of your application
makes you an official volunteer and that you will be covered by the State’s
liability protection program so long as you perform your duties within the scope
of the description provided above. Since volunteers are not covered by
the state’s worker compensation program, however, you are encouraged to
maintain your own health insurance. If you should be injured during the
course of your volunteer activities and the injury results from the negligence
of a University employee or agent, you would have the legal rights to seek compensation
from the negligent party or property owner. |
After reading the volunteer information, if you have questions
about volunteering, please email Jess at volunteer@wifilmfest.org or
call the Festival hotline at 608-262-9009.
Thank you!
Meg Hamel, director, and Jess Main, volunteer coordinator
|
