Not directly related to film-making (or writing, or directing, or ... ) but a potential source of inspiration, or at the very least a cheap holiday!
Now that Covid is off the menu, the coming months in France (and adjacent continental European countries) see the return of a series of annual music and dance festivals, and in one of which (Le Son Continu) I have a management role. In contrast to most of the Big Name music festivals, these are all very much "participative" where the performers are as likely to be sitting next to you in the audience for someone else's act, or asking you to dance if they're not on stage.
Most of the action takes place well after dark (at "my" festival, the first programmed dance starts at midnight
) but the daylight hours are frequently used to turn vague notions and crazy ideas into new tunes, new groups, new dances. At one evening meal shared by the group of volunteers under my stewardship, we came up with a near-complete story outline for an actress who'd joined us that year and desperately needed a script for her one-woman show the following week!
Anyhow, while all of these festivals need a paying public to cover their costs, they also need teams of volunteers to keep those same costs to a minimum. I like to encourage people who are unfamiliar with this particular aspect of European culture to experience it from "the inside" so offer an added value pack of board and lodging over and above what the festival organisers provide. If that appeals to you, and you happen to be in France this July (specifically 13th - 18th for LSC-2022) let me know.
This video is not from our festival, but is one of the best I've seen for how it captures that "after dark" ambiance. It also very cleverly includes clips of about ten different dances, neatly synchronised to a single piece of music. I'll be dancing to this group at yet another festival in three weeks' time.
Now that Covid is off the menu, the coming months in France (and adjacent continental European countries) see the return of a series of annual music and dance festivals, and in one of which (Le Son Continu) I have a management role. In contrast to most of the Big Name music festivals, these are all very much "participative" where the performers are as likely to be sitting next to you in the audience for someone else's act, or asking you to dance if they're not on stage.
Most of the action takes place well after dark (at "my" festival, the first programmed dance starts at midnight
) but the daylight hours are frequently used to turn vague notions and crazy ideas into new tunes, new groups, new dances. At one evening meal shared by the group of volunteers under my stewardship, we came up with a near-complete story outline for an actress who'd joined us that year and desperately needed a script for her one-woman show the following week!Anyhow, while all of these festivals need a paying public to cover their costs, they also need teams of volunteers to keep those same costs to a minimum. I like to encourage people who are unfamiliar with this particular aspect of European culture to experience it from "the inside" so offer an added value pack of board and lodging over and above what the festival organisers provide. If that appeals to you, and you happen to be in France this July (specifically 13th - 18th for LSC-2022) let me know.
This video is not from our festival, but is one of the best I've seen for how it captures that "after dark" ambiance. It also very cleverly includes clips of about ten different dances, neatly synchronised to a single piece of music. I'll be dancing to this group at yet another festival in three weeks' time.
