Fantastic Fest Training #3: The Countdown

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Fantastic Fest 2007: The lobby

So you've all worked on your alcohol tolerance and sleep deprivation tolerance, and are practicing your social skills.  Fantastic Fest is less than a week away. The first screening is Wednesday at the Ritz, and if you're lucky (and smart), you're going to the Austin School of Film fundraiser screening of Cabin Fever 2 (for only $5, how can you resist?). The Weird Wednesday selection for next week just happens to be a Jess Franco film, Eugenie.

But you still need to prepare. Now is the time to rest up.  It's dangerous to start the fest sleep deprived, as you'll burn out that much faster. I've done it, and it's not pretty. And I know it's hard. It's like film-geek Christmas in September. Everybody's like a kid on a sugar high in anticipation.   

While you're resting, take a look at the schedule and make plans, but don't expect to adhere to them. Scheduling does help prioritize what you want to see, and you can check out trailers for many films.  Slackerwood will have daily dispatches with reviews and previews, but it's good to have an idea what you want to see.  You can run Festival Genius to help you, and you can even import to your calendar. 

It's also good idea to get to the gym or whatever workout routine you avoid, because you'll be sitting for long hours.  Rest up.  Take your vitamins, and eat healthfully. Yeah, right.

Fest-kitbest by you.

If you're a festival newbie, especially to Fantastic Fest, there are some essentials you need to bring with you.  A little hygiene goes a long, long way, and trial sizes are your friends.  With the long hours and the alcohol consumption, you need to plan for hygiene.  Trust me, the people you sit near, and even your waitstaff will appreciate it.  The items above are just suggestions, but they all fit easily into a backpack, or in a bag in your car.  For more tips, see The Well-Equipped Festival Goer post from earlier this year.

Fantastic Fest veterans, any more suggestions for the fantastic newbies?

Fantastic Fest runs from Thursday, September 24 through Thursday, October 1 at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar and the Paramount. Follow @fantasticfest and @slackerwood on Twitter for updates.