Systematic

By Nichole Seitz
Contributing Writer

This week marked the beginning of the tenth annual Fargo Film Festival. Featuring 130 films from 12 different countries, it is safe to say that the festival has come a long way from its humble beginnings. “The depth and breadth of the submissions this year is really extraordinary,” said Margie Bailly, executive director of the Fargo Theatre.

With so many films and amazing people from all around the country (and the world), the thought of capturing this experience can’t help but cross my mind. There is now a way for movie buffs, film students or the average Joe to document and make the most of their film experiences. People keep scrapbooks of events or special moments in their lives, but I want to take it one step further and document my Fargo Film Festival experience so I can share it with all of the readers.

All you need is a journal. The one you choose doesn’t have to be anything special but I have chosen a little black book made by Moleskine. Moleskine, the maker of journals and notebooks that boast famous users such as Vincent Van Gogh, has created a journal (from the Passions collection) that encompasses everything a film connoisseur could ever want to capture their favorite moments.This journal, which is laden with images of a director’s chair, film reels and cameras, is filled with enough organizational tools to make Martha Stewart happy. “It is a lot more than just a little black book,” said Kim Krueger, a public relations representative from Beth Dickstein Enterprises.

Some helpful tips to enhance your journaling experience.

Create tabs to help you find and keep track of events. My journal boasts alphabetized tabs to help you keep track of films by name without the frustration of searching through disorganized notes. Another nice thing about the film journal I chose is that the first half of the book has optional ways to document several different aspects of the movie experience. I will be able to record my thoughts and opinions about the movie, give it a personal rating and even record what country the movie was made in. If I don’t want to use those properly organized spaces, there are plenty of blank pages available for me to create and record whatever I want. This is one major reason why I chose it, as, by nature, organization and I have not been the best of friends.

Alphabetized tabs not your style? No problem, just pick another feature that works better for you.

Other items you will want to capture

Make space in your journal for collections, ticket stubs, souvenirs, pictures, and anything else you can lay flat. My journal has a space perfect for autographs of the actors and directors that frequent the festival. These open pages are going to become the spot where I place keepsakes from my experience—which means plenty of photos, autographs and maybe even my press pass from the press conference that kicked off the festival will all find a new home on these pages.

Let’s say you happen to be a frequent film festival attendee. One great idea would be to print off a list of all the film festivals around the world and paste it in your journal (Mine just happens to already include that list)

There are many different ways to keep a journal about movies or film festivals. Everyone is different and everyone is going to have different ideas and strategies. The main idea is that you take steps to record your moments so you can look back and remember this wonderful and unique Fargo Film Festival experience.

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