Lights, camera, Sundance: Senior works at film festival
Released: February 28, 2008
In 2007, USA Today reported that 51 percent of 18 to 25 year olds want to be famous and see that as their most important life goal. One University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student has lived the famous life the past three years by working the red carpet at the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Working for both Park City Television and the Sundance Channel, Darren Hafford of Beloit has filmed and interviewed everyone from Jennifer Aniston and Justin Timberlake to Samuel L. Jackson and Sharon Stone.
During winter break three years ago, Hafford went to visit friends in Utah and hoped to look for a job at Sundance. After finding expired want ads on Craig's List, Hafford responded to "take a chance." "An hour later I received a phone call and another hour later I was interviewing for a job," he said. "I had some videos on my video iPod, I pressed play and I had the job." He was taken to a room with cameras that he would be using while on the red carpet and began to practice with a Sony DSR 500, a camera worth more than $65,000.
Some of Hafford?s favorite moments covering Sundance include "the time Sam Jackson won me $750 in a shout out contest." Another moment was when he "interviewed Geoffrey Gilmore as he was the last to walk the red carpet for 'Chicago 10' and the time I shook [Robert] Redford's hand as he was leaving a premiere," he added. Both Gilmore and Redford are directors of the Sundance Film Festival.
A senior majoring in electronic media and minoring in theatre, Hafford plans to graduate in May. He hopes to either move back to Los Angles or open a multimedia company in Milwaukee called Ted Tate Films. He has directed three short films that have all been entered into short film contests staring UW-Whitewater professors, students and alumni. In a Milwaukee 48-hour film contest, "Would you like cream with that?" won best writing, directing and best cast.
Now, being part of the Sundance "family," Hafford will continue to work the festival and have the experience to interview all of Hollywood. Hafford also appeared in the 2002 thriller film, "When Heaven Comes Down" directed by Gary Lumpp.
- Laura Plamann,plamannle06@uww.edu
