I started to get my feet wet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in beautiful, sunny Canada. I realized that the bulk of happenings are on King Street – which has been shut down to public transportation and filled with activities, red carpet and freebies on BOTH sides of the sidewalk. After 2PM, it becomes unbearable to try to walk down the streets.. whew! You better LOVE busy when you come to TIFF.
Walking into TIFF
As you walk into Tiff, there is a large logo that promptly displays a photo opportunity. I highly recommend snagging a photo or two..and tweeting out to the #TIFF handle on social media. Your photo could be featured as social media promo – I had a few retweets from my TIFF photos the last few days. Get it 😛
How to get a photo of a celebrity
There is a long red runway down the center of King Street. People are piling on both sides of the gates and the entrances. I saw a few people who stood on ladders to get a close-up. Others were waiting in that spot for hours.. ekk. I brought a selfie stick that extracted into a long pole.. boom. I wasn’t able to get a close-up of the celebrities but I felt like I was still apart of the action!
Cameras up!
Stay clear of the sides
The sides of the gates were absolute madness… stand-still traffic with no one moving at all. Many individuals were not respectable…. I politely reminded them to “share the sidewalk”
Once I finally broke free of the busy crowd, I snapped a few photos:
catching a glimpse of the star action at #TIFF
A photo posted by Melissa DiVietri (@missydi) on
Plan ahead
If you decide that you want to see a film or go to a restuarant, plan ahead. Set aside an extra hour or two so that you are not rushing your day. I researched films online before heading into the box office to buy tickets. You can purchase tickets online at www.tiff.net but I liked the face-to-face interaction at the box office (and plus – the building had air-conditioning).
Participate in activities
There are a TON of freebies happening on King Street — vendors are giving away free trips, clothing, give-aways and much more. Take advantage of some of these cool opportunities because you never know, you may surprise yourself.
Be patient
The crowds are going to be nuts, packed and pushy. Be courteous and polite for others. You will ultimately have a better time if you pay it forward. Let others pass.. children, elderly or whom ever.
The lines to get into the films at TIFF are well-over a few hours. People sit patiently in the sun underneath an umbrella or cozed up in a lawn chair. I am impressed with the dedication of some fans.
Be open-minded
As I walked down the sidewalk, I heard a lot of negative comments about a film that this couple went to see. Be open to something new.. you don’t know how much time or efforts went into the film making. You never know if this may be their first film or show.. just try to be open to the story. You should always think about putting positive energy out there because when you talk negative about something; that’s how people will see you. I don’t want to be around people who are heartless and can’t say anything nice. I was so embarrased for this gal because her boyfriend couldn’t keep his negative comments to himself.. Finally, I looked back at him straight in the eye so he knew I could hear what he was saying. It kept him quiet – quickly. No, it’s not my business on their opinions.. however, don’t you think they could have waited until they were around the corner instead of right in front of the theatre where others, who also saw that film, was walking out. Oi.. people just can’t comprehend.
I stood on the major intersection of TIFF to watch the crossway fill with people from all over the world.
Fans excitedly wait for celebrities to come out on the red carpet.. you can hear them screaming as an actress or actor is present.
A video posted by Melissa DiVietri (@missydi) on
Say Thanks
If you really loved the film and the TIFF crew — give them a plug online. Boy, I can’t tell you how many tweets that I’ve been blasting for #TIFF _ they are getting so much LOVE! I want people to see that I notice them. I wrote a few reviews on some of the films that I watched during TIFF.. it has been an interesting experience.
I’m looking forward to more films and after-parties during the festival.
