SXSW 2008: Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards

On the opening night of SXSW this year, I traded an evening of filmgoing for something I hadn't done before: attending the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards over at Austin Studios. The event is a big fundraiser for Austin Film Society, with tickets and tables going for way more money than I could afford, so I figured that covering the event as press would probably be the only way I'd ever attend.

The evening began with a red carpet setup at the entrance to the event. I was advised to get there early because a lot of celebrities are honored at the awards ceremony, so tons of media would be there, especially video cameras. Video cameras take up a lot of room on a red carpet and still photographers can have trouble squeezing into a good spot where they won't be bonked on the head with a camera or potentially stumble over a tripod. I staked out a spot near the end of the actual carpet, where the long line of video cameras ended. I was right next to the IFC video crew, which was good because any time they started pointing their camera at someone, I figured I should too.

While waiting for various celebrities to turn up, I took some photos of the surroundings. The splashy, swanky dinner and awards ceremony both take place in a nicely decorated hangar, with a big tent in front for the pre-dinner cocktail reception. The event had a very Texan look and feel ... and sound, with lots of familiar Texas tunes playing in the background. For example, you could buy a box of candy that also might contain a prize from volunteers who were dressed like Old West cigarette girls (as shown in the top photo). And in addition to a bar, the back of a pickup truck was filled with iced-down beer bottles.

One of the strange and amusing things about the evening was that anyone who wanted to enter the party had to walk down the red carpet. This was good because it meant that some of the shyer celebrities (Mike Judge) wouldn't be able to sneak in without notice. It meant that guests were sometimes having to sneak around mobs of photographers all trying to snap photos of ZZ Top, or whomever.

I've already shown you my favorite photo of the night: ZZ Top and Morgan Fairchild ended up on the red carpet at the same time, and provided a wonderful opportunity. Here's another shot of Fairchild, alone this time, being interviewed for IFC:

I was using a new camera for this event. I'd just bought my first digital SLR, and instead of getting the default lens that comes with the body (which I was told was not very good), I bought a "nifty fifty" prime 50mm lens. I was able to get top-notch low-light shots, but I didn't have a zoom -- I had to move around to get the photos I wanted. The problem with this on the red carpet was that I was too close to the celebrities, and got a lot of headshots. For example, here I am right up on Debra Winger (this photo isn't cropped in any way):

I was able to pull back slightly for other shots, though, and luckily some of the celebrities stood in the middle of the red carpet and far away enough for me to get wider shots. For example, this is actress Mariska Hargitay and her husband, actor Peter Hermann. Hargitay was at the event to accept an award on behalf of her mother, Jayne Mansfield.

Mike Judge practically zipped down the red carpet and would not stop for interviews or questions, so I feel fortunate that I got a photo of him at all. I swear, I wasn't going to ask him anything about Idiocracy! I just wondered what he's been working on these days.

Luke Wilson, on the other hand, was amazingly accessible. He was at the ceremony to present the award to ZZ Top. He was interviewed by plenty of news reporters:

Wilson also let any number of guests pose with him for photos, which I thought was really nice. Then he slipped off into a dark corner to chat with people he actually knew, and I managed to snap a quick photo. I like this one because it's not posed (and he looked so solemn in all the red carpet photos):

Eventually all the guests moved into the other room for dinner and most of the press packed up and went elsewhere. There wasn't much to photograph during the dinner portion -- people eating, and a live auction. I took a break on one of the sofas near the bar, and waited for the awards ceremony to begin. I was amused to see that some of the pre-teen and teen girls who were at the dinner had grown bored of sitting at the table and were posing on the red carpet, just for fun:

The awards ceremony was hosted by Dan Rather, who had a gentle sense of humor that was just right for this type of crowd. I wish I'd been able to get a better close-up shot of him, but here's one from further away, where you can see the big screen next to him that alternated between a better view of the stage, and clips from movies related to the honorees.

After I took that shot, I realized I needed to get closer (no zoom, remember?) and ended up huddled at the base of the stage with other photographers. This part of the evening was some of the hardest work I've ever done as a freelancer. I gained a serious new respect for photographers. In order to get good photos of the stage without being intrusive, we were on the floor for the better part of an hour, and often down on one knee, which is not the comfiest pose. When I wasn't kneeling I was at least able to sit on the floor. I had on black pants and when I finally got home that night, I couldn't believe how filthy they were.

Even with the prime lens and the odd angles, I was able to get some very good photos. My favorite from the awards ceremony is this one with, again, ZZ Top:

But I also like this photo of Debra Winger taking the stage to accept an award from Dan Rather, on behalf of the cast and crew of Urban Cowboy:

The red carpet plus awards ceremony made for a long evening, but I was happy to have the opportunity to see the Texas Film Hall of Fame celebration first-hand. I think next year I'd probably pick one half of the event or the other, and I now have a zoom lens too. (Plus, by next year, I'll hopefully know how to use the camera a whole lot more skillfully.)

If you want to see even more photos from the evening, check out my Flickr slideshow.