Words You Can Use: The BAVC BLOG

by Robert Collins, Manager, BUMP Records

Our second day in NYC was all about business. We had to put the sampler CD’s together. We had to prepare for the sound check. We had to shake off the jetlag. And, most importantly we had to get ready for the World Premiere Screening of “GOING ON 13.”

We met up at the production office and began the assembly line for the Bay Area Video Coalition/Vaquera Films Sampler CD’s. I was really pleased with how these turned out. Thanks to my BAVC Photoshop class was I able to design the cover for the CD(my first). As the ladies in the group got beautified we found out that Ryah’s performance at the 1st screening wasn’t going to happened as originally planned. Like a champ Ryah brushed it off. We thought about just going “Guerrilla Style” by grabbing a mic and taking over the Q&A accompanied by some beat-boxing by yours truly. We kept it professional though.

Once we arrived at the theater we did our best to hide our excitement. With Tribeca Film Festival handlers pulling us in every direction it was hard to just stop and soak it all in. There were interviews from foreign press, pictures with celebs and then the infamous “red carpet.” In this case it was actually a concrete carpet but it had all of the red carpet glitz & glamor.

Once the screening began it was great to see the how people responded to the film. People laughed, people ooooo’d, and people aahhhhh’d. There was a heartfelt round of applause as the film came to the close all to the tune of Ryah’s song “A Girl’s Life.” Once the last film credit rolled the moderator from the festival called the cast and crew to the front for a Q&A. Dawn & Kristy(The Director & Producer) did a great job fielding questions and gave a lot of credit to BAVC for their support. I didn’t even know that some of The Factory students actually worked on the film. They highlighted Ryah’s participation in the film and she received a round of applause as well.

Once the screening ended we were on our way to the post-premiere dinner party at Arturo’s Pizzeria. I wasn’t familiar with the restaurant but apparently it’s a New York institution. That became evident once we noticed the pictures on the walls of all of the celebrities that had eaten there in years past. After settling in we noticed a piano and PA system in the main room. Someone suggested that Ryah step up and perform. Seeing as how she didn’t get a chance to perform at the screening she jumped at the opportunity. I think she was a little nervous because she is a self-taught piano player and was performing a brand new song. Needless to say she killed it. Standing ovations all around. They day ended exactly on such a high-note that is was hard to believe they could get any better.

More to come…