2023/2024 Festivids Letter

Note: SORRY I never finished editing this!

I’m so excited to see what you create!

Music

Music DNWs: Taylor Swift

Other than my DNWs, I like all kinds of music in vids, so you can’t go wrong. I love pop, hip hop, country/honky tonk, and very rhythmic music in particular.

The Black Phone (2021) [SAFETY]

I went into this movie wanting to make fun of it (based on the trailer), but I ended up actually liking it quite a bit. This movie is based on a short story by Joe Hill, who is Stephen King’s son. I mention this because this book has a lot of King vibes. In one sentence, it’s kids swearing and fighting for their life against, in this case, a killer child abductor and using supernatural forces to do so. I loved the buildup and payoff was so sweet—-I watched this in the theater and screamed/gasped at the climactic scene. The kids’ performances are all good, and are much of the campiness that cuts through what is otherwise a fairly dark story.

This movie contains themes of alcoholism and child abuse.

Broad City

This show is the best example of female friendship on television. I love them, and a vid about any of the characters/relationships would be perfect.

Four Weddings (US TV)

I always have to nominate a reality TV show for Festivids, and this one is this year’s. The basic premise is that four brides who don’t know each other all attend each other’s weddings and judge them. Unsurprisingly, there is some cattiness, but I don’t think the show is actually all that negative (or at least, the stakes are low, because any negativity is not directed towards the bride herself, just to the camera). The show is very lighthearted and a majority of the brides are very sweet and funny. It has EXTREME 2010s vibes, which I absolutely love. It’s like a time capsule.

I think a comedic vid would be how I’d approach this source—-some sort of meta maybe.

Peep Show (UK TV)

I started watching this show after finishing Succession this year (the showrunner (?) is the same on both, vibes are totally different). Peep Show is about two men who are roommates and “failures” in their lives (through every fault of their own). The show is somewhat similar to The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm (cringey moments, no laugh track, a commitment to “realism” in the videography/style). The conceit with Peep Show is that every shot is from the viewpoint of an actual character in the scene, and we get the main character’s thoughts as voiceover as well.

There are lots of content warnings for Peep Show; I can’t reasonably list them here, but proceed with caution.

She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat [SAFETY] The story is about a woman who loves to cook, who makes friends with her butch neighbor who eats a lot. They form a fast friendship which quickly develops to a mutual crush. There are lots of cozy food vibes, and some sexuality discovery in a fun and I thought fresh way.