The 10-day Sundance Film Festival will need more than movie magic to run smoothly. This year, the festival is hoping to recruit about 2,000 volunteers from all over the world to get the shows started for the first time in Boulder.
There are a lot of benefits to being a Sundance volunteer — free movie tickets, exclusive parties, fancy jackets — and that’s part of what makes the roles so competitive.
Volunteer applications open Aug. 31, but if you want a spot you’ll need to start studying up now. Of all the tips we’ve heard so far, the main thing communicated is: Take it seriously. Here’s what else we know about how to end up in the volunteer corps.
Sundance is prioritizing past volunteers, and those willing to learn new skills
For the final edition of Sundance in Park City earlier this year, the festival received about 3,000 applications for 1,400 positions, with selected volunteers arriving from 21 countries and all 50 states.
Next year, they’ll need even more. The festival has more than doubled its official venue list to 15, from six in Park City. Over the summer, the festival partnered with the University of Colorado to install 240 speakers into the Macky Auditorium on the Boulder campus, winterized the Chautauqua auditorium and will add seating to the open Boulder Theatre auditorium, among other major venue upgrades. Sundance organizers have bumped up the major competition categories to 12 films from 10, and expanded what they call the Offscreen programs, like panels, parties and informal chats.
The only thing the festival isn’t growing is its footprint. Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival, said they’re moving from about 40 square miles between Park City and Salt Lake City, to 2 square miles within Boulder.
More venues, parties and programs means more volunteer positions. But that doesn’t mean those spots will be any easier to land.
Priority will be given to previous volunteers in good standing with the festival, and who have already secured lodging.
After that, the festival will be looking for new volunteers who have secured lodging. That means you, locals — and anyone who has gone out on a limb and booked a room in Boulder. Unless you’re committed to the festival no matter what, Brian Marquez, the senior manager of the volunteer program, recommends finding a place with a generous cancellation policy.
Those without a local connection can apply to be part of the “Volunteer Village,” a cluster of six hotels on Diagonal Highway in Longmont. Lodging is only available for volunteers who commit to assigned schedules ahead of time, and even then, it’s not guaranteed. Marquez said to expect a waiting list of “several hundred volunteers” hoping to land a room in Longmont.
Another thing that can up your chances is to apply for a whole bunch of roles.
Other festivals might require volunteers to wear a bunch of hats, going wherever is needed. Not so at Sundance. The festival leans into specialization, posting a catalogue with more than three dozen job descriptions ahead of the application opening.
The majority of the roles are for venue and theater support, but those with special tech skills or a background in stage management should absolutely raise their hands for relevant roles, Marquez said during an information session on Tuesday. Just maybe don’t raise your hand for only those roles.
Artist relations — helping celebrities and guests get situated for panels and screenings — is a popular position to apply for, but there are only about two dozen open spots. Hundreds will shoot their shot. So while you should apply for things that truly interest you, the more positions you apply for, the more likely you are to get one. Openness is key here, and so is schedule flexibility.
When it comes to volunteer schedules, flexibility is key
Volunteers are divided into two scheduling types: assigned schedule volunteers and sign-up volunteers. You can only apply to be one kind, but you should note if you are open to either, organizers said.
Assigned-schedule volunteers receive fixed schedules based around specific premiers, events or venues, and are often required to work consecutive days. These positions are better for people whose sights are set on Sundance. Volunteers who are traveling in, who have taken off work or who are retired, for instance. (The Sundance Institute will not be writing notes to skip school, Harrison DeVoe, a volunteer administrator joked at a recent information session.)
Assigned-schedule volunteers can choose between full-festival assignments — working, as the name suggests, through the whole festival — or half-festival assignments, working six to eight shifts over the course of the festival, which is Jan. 21-31.
The other group, sign-up volunteers, do just that: sign up for shifts as it suits their availability. This is a good option for locals who still have work or home responsibilities, but want to get involved. Sign-up volunteers are expected to work four shifts or 24 hours, whichever comes first. Students older than 18 can also apply to be sign-up volunteers, with a minimum requirement of three shifts or 18 hours.
Schedules for sign-up volunteers will start to be released in December, and they fill up quickly. If you’re accustomed to the frenzied timing of Ticketmaster drops, then you’ll be fine. It doesn’t mean it will be pleasant — but you will probably be able to find some shifts.
If you’ve made it past the application process, gotten an assignment and managed to grab some shifts, then you’re committed. Bailing last minute or signing up for shifts you’re not sure about can hurt your chances of returning, and may even be reflected on your end-of-festival performance evaluation. That’s right, there’s a performance evaluation. We told you to take it seriously!
So about those benefits
The first thing that probably comes to mind at the Sundance Film Festival is: films. (If it’s celebrities, then you’re probably not going to get a volunteer position. Tip No. 1 from the volunteer info session: “Volunteer for the right reasons.”)
Every four hours volunteered is worth one voucher, which can be traded in for a ticket through a volunteer waitlist. You can volunteer for more than your category’s minimum to rack up more tickets. So, if you’re accepted as a sign-up volunteer with a minimum of four hours, you’ll get into one screening for free. If you’ve got a lineup of 15 movies you’re dead-set on seeing, great! You’ve just got to find another 56 hours, or about seven days, worth of shifts. Assigned-schedule, full-festival volunteers get unlimited screenings.
There will also be dedicated volunteer screenings, a volunteer appreciation party and free meals offered by a number of Boulder restaurants. The number of meals provided depends on the volunteer’s shift commitments. And then there’s the swag — jackets, hats and the like.
It takes a lot to run one of the largest film festivals in the country, especially as that festival attempts to reach more people in more venues, for the first time this year.