The plan was to hit the box office in the Manulife Centre when it opened at 7:00 a.m. and buy tickets for Millions, Eros and Zebraman. It's worked out beautifully for me all week. Yesterday morning, though, I only got two out of three. Eros was playing at the Elgin Theatre and tickets for Elgin Theater screenings are only available at the Elgin Box Office, not at either of the main Festival box offices. Problem was the Elgin box office opens at 11:00am and I'm already up at 7:00am and in the regular box office. Pooh pooh to hanging around downtown in the dead hours of the morn waiting for stuff to open up. I head back to Todd's and plan to hit the Elgin box office before my viewing of Danny Boyle's Millions...
I get to the Elgin box office around 1:00pm. And I should have known better, too, because I wasn't at all surprised when the guy behind the impenatrable fortress of glass told me tickets were gone. I gotta do rush. Curses!
Standing in line at TIFF is a funny thing. So I get down before Todd and Howitt get in line with their tickets. Turns out I am standing beside a visual effects hot shot from L.A. We've said before that ticket lines at TIFF are great because you can talk to anyone and get a decent and polite conversation out them. Plus you never know who you're standing beside. What also made it sweeter were the two girls that lined up behind us.
::: sigh :::
Ahem... So we're getting close to go-time. Volunteer staff have already counted how many of us there were in the rush line. Richard and I joke about having money ready in case anyone comes by selling tickets. Now, I don't know if I can call this an act of God given the content and nature of the film we wanted to see but I made eye contact with another young lady [and who can blame her? I am a stud!] and then her boyfriend joins her [NUTS!!!] and they make their way over to us. I'm thinking they're gonna ask us if they can cut in. Instead buddy boy hands us two tickets to the show. We bid a regretful farewell to the two lovlies behind us and join Todd and Howitt in line [don't worry about the lovlies - they made it in just fine].
After the movie we made our way outside the theatre. Todd and I starting to think about making headway for the Ryerson for Zebraman, Howitt for home and Richard to his room at the swanky Drake Hotel. Then Richard does the unexpected. We're just a bunch of guys who are blessed enough to have this web-site to spout off on but Richard hands me his card and says, "If you guys are ever in L.A. give me ring and I will buy you a beer". You had to see it. It was effortless. You knew he was doing it at industry parties and shin digs all week. For that one brief moment, those precious few seconds we were part of the schmooze experience. And it felt good. It never hurts to let inudstry folks now who you are and what you do.
Thanks for the ticket Richard! All the best to you and your upcoming projects. No doubt with a little time we'll be posting news about your projects and work here on twitchfilm.
