Filmmakers bring life, culture, and art to our eager eyes, and as the audience we have a very important job. To respond. To spread the word. To gush and talk about our emotions that surfaced during the film.

As a complete movie freak, I am a proud audience member. The audience, in fact is the most important element, especially for indie and perhaps not “mainstream” films. The mainstream films, well most of them, are great. Crowd pleasers and tear jerkers. But film festivals bring out the best aspects about film. In a film festival, boundaries are broken and the rawness of film comes out.

We are showcasing a wide range of films throughout this festival. At first it was centered on short films, but that didn’t last long. Once features, animated films, and every genre started to pile up, we decided to make it a broader spectrum. This is not only a positive for the festival, its incredible news for our audience. Now we can branch out and focus on gathering all types of movie lovers.

So, how to branch out? The fundamental question seems to have an obvious answer, but its not that simple. Reaching out to “movie-lovers” isn’t the only area to focus on, especially in an area like Winchester, Virginia. Winchester is known for its local and “small-town” atmosphere. Winchester is a place where people tend to stay, due to family ties, its natural southern beauty, and the closeness of Washington D.C. It becomes a getaway from the noisy and traffic filled Northern Virginia. But why would this community be interested in a Film Festival?

There are many answers to this unapologetic question, the first starting with the word “local.” As a person who was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia I know as well as anyone how much of a small town it is. People love participating in the local festivals, the shows, and the night-life. So that’s our first target audience member; the local Winchester supporter.

The next audience member centers on the word, “artsy.” Shenandoah University has blossomed over the past 10 years bringing in international artists, new students, and creating more and more riveting live performances. The students and faculty of Shenandoah University understand the arts and therefore understand the importance of a film festival.

The final audience member is a little complicated. The final audience member is someone who doesn’t necessarily like film, or rather doesn’t know anything about it. The last audience member is the one we have to convince. Maybe they’ve been to a couple movies at the Alamo, but never experienced true film. They feel like they need inspiration and don’t exactly know where to find it. When trying to work on programming you need to also think about programming the public. This simply means that programming directly influences the frame of the audience.

A film festival takes work, but the outcome is not only beautiful, but groundbreaking for the audience. Has a film ever brought you to tears, made you laugh until your ribs hurts, or seriously made you think about things you may have been hiding away in your consciousness? If so, please join us at the Skyline Indie Film Festival and help us foster the indie spirit.