Lessons from Sedona

Those following my blog know that the short film I scored in 2010, The Visitation, has been getting some attention at festivals. In January it won best score and best screenplay from the Idyllwild Festival in California. This past week I followed it to the Sedona International Film Festival where it showed on a program of short films under the theme of "The Macabre." Not quite sure I would call it that, but hey, a festival is a festival. I was joined in the copper state by my director Cameron Young, and the film's producers Curt Fleming and Caroline Scott.

In true Dave fashion, I didn't officially decide to go until the day before I left. Honestly I wasn't convinced that I should spend the time or money to venture out to a place I knew relatively little about. But in the end, the opportunity both to travel and to schmooze won out and I decided that I would much rather regret going than not. So, I bought my ticket and within twelve hours was on a plane. I have to admit I've grown quite fond of spontaneous travel. There's no time to fret or overthink, you just get up and go - it's exhilarating, not to mention ripe for adventure.

Within two hours of boarding a plane at LAX I was landing in the small city of Flagstaff, AZ, about 20 minutes north of Sedona sitting at a mind-swirling 7500 feet. It was by far the smallest airport I've ever seen. Only one airline. It was like flying into a strip mall. As I waited at this quaint little airport for my shuttle, I befriended the lady who runs the food counter; she knew all of the employees and what they wanted for lunch. It wasn't long before I found myself appreciating the relaxed, quiet, small town vibe.

As you can see from my photos, Sedona is visually stunning - surrounded on all sides by towering red rocks. Unfortunately natural beauty is all Sedona really has going for it. I went in film festival mode - ready for a few days of wining, dining, and connecting. What I got was a small, sleepy town that happened to host a film festival. You know you're in trouble when see signs everywhere telling you where you CAN'T park for the festival. Odd. I was astonished to discover just how important having a V.I.P. pass was. Being used to a bustling festival like Sundance, I thought there would be plenty to do outside the realm of the pass - not so much. They had one activity per night and I was literally not let in the door because I didn't have a pass. Not cool.

But now for the good news. The upside to a small festival with not a lot going on is all the time one has to see films (something I did not do at Sundance). All the shows were sold out, but rush tickets were easily attainable (again not so in Sundance). The films I saw were tremendously amazing, which I will link at the bottom of this post. I got to spend some good quality time with Caroline, Curt, and Cam, which really made the whole trip worth while for me. And in lieu of the nightly festival activities that I wasn't allowed into, I went to the martini bar, befriended a table of locals, and had a terrific evening both there and at a local dive. Not bad. Honestly if you're looking to visit Sedona for a vacation, I think during the film festival is the prime time to go. Drop some money on one of the resorts, go hiking, get spa treatments, see films - really has the makings of a good vacation spot if you have the budget for it.

When engaging in spontaneous travel, one must be prepared to adapt, go with the flow, and make the best of any situation. Mission accomplished... though I may exercise a bit more prudence before undertaking a big travel for a small festival. Or not. ;-)

See all my photos from Sedona by clicking here.

Films you must see:

Waste Land (Documentary)
Desert Flower (Drama, True story based on the best selling book)
Bill Cunningham's New York (Documentary)

Watch The Visitation trailer: