An astute student just pointed out to me that the name Reel Exchange implies that anyone and everyone can just bring a reel and trade with others; like a swap meet or a potluck dinner. Ok, that's not what happens, so here's our justification. The exchange is one of opinions, if not reels themselves.
We take great care to get professionals who speak from several points of view. Film festivals don't want to see the same work as a Director's Rep. Feature editors and commercial editors prep their reels differently. The list goes on. We pull these diverse voices together - not to promote confusion - but to offer a variety of perspectives. A variety we believe you'll encounter in your professional life after Columbia. Cool? Cool.
So back to the event itself. We know only a handful of Columbia students have a working reel and the Exchange is our flagship effort to get those balls rolling. The brave few film and tv students who have submitted their work, will get it screened in front of an impressive panel of film, tv and animation professionals. We didn't promise screeners the guests would take it easy on them, and we didn't have to. Showing work and taking criticism is a part of breaking through and breaking in. These students get it. You will too. Start here.
