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Just as much as having the hippest jeans and shades, you needed a camera to fit in on Main Street in Park City on the second day of the Sundance Film Festival.
The sidewalks were jammed, as paparazzi, tourists and locals alike tried to catch a glimpse of early arrivals Mariah Carey and Christie Brinkley.
"It's been amazing," said Kara Weiss from Seattle. "I just saw Mariah. You know, I just sort of glanced at each other quickly. I don't know if she saw me, but it was pretty exciting."
"I don't know who half of ‘em are, or three-fourths," Ross Deal of Maryland told us. "But I'm sure everybody's having a good time."
Then, there were the trained eyes. Photographers from entertainment magazines and tabloids, and even National Geographic, crowded storefronts for photo ops, then vanished quickly en route to their next "get."
Ben and Dan are British photographers. Ben said, "It's down to talent." Dan added, "And experience."
"[You have to have] eyes in the back of your head," Ben said.
Out on the streets, it's all about strategy: An elbow here, maybe even a kick there, and your shot can be lost. "You have to have your posture," Ben said.
Having people at the airport also helps. These guys said they had two colleagues placed there. "We get some information, know when people are flying in," Dan said.
Oddly enough, paparazzi are frequently as media-phobic as the celebrities they track. Ben and Dan declined to have their pictures taken, and other photographers we talked to refused to be interviewed.
Mariah Carey's walk from O.C. Tanner to her car that was waiting for her on the street was a sight right out of Hollywood. Paparazzi and onlookers alike tried to get a good shot. She paused to sign a few autographs and smile, then headed for her bronze SUV with blacked-out windows.
Before she left, her entourage let would-be photographers know what to expect, which was essentially: "If you cross this line, you know what's going to happen. I'm going to push you."
Unlike the rest of the year, when many Main Street establishments prohibit the masses with high prices, there are people at the doors of all the hot spots during festival days.
"For the big ones, their entourages take care of most of it. We just watch the door and make sure people don't sneak in," said James Jones with Event Staff. However, he told us some people aren't beyond saying they're on the list, then sneaking around them. He said, "[We] just be as nice as possible and tell ‘em they're not on the list."
It almost seems you're a nobody at the festival unless you have a publicist. It wasn't just the "A-" and "B-listers" who have them. Almost every independent filmmaker does. People nobody recognizes have them.
One woman told us she was connected with a film at the festival, and she had an official-looking guy with her who confirmed the fact. She said she was interviewed by another radio station early in the day, although she couldn't remember which one; neither could her publicist.
The woman was nice, but the guy she was with ushered her on as if the media was once again holding her up. It's unclear exactly who she was or how she was connected to whichever film it was.
In fact, it's hard to not be thrust into one of those situations if you stand out too long on Main Street. They called themselves "The New Guys on the Block," and we spoke to them before it was clear what they were about.
Mark Burton, IndieVest President, said his company is behind the film, "Saint John of Last Vegas," starring Steve Buschemi, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage and Sarah Silverman. It'll be released later in the year. "We have a high net-worth community of investors, and we finance, produce and distribute independent movies," Burton said.
They said their approach is novel to the industry, and it seems to be so. Essentially, IndieVest shops scripts around to their potential investors, and if there's enough money interest, the film gets produced. They have their own studio and, according to their Web site, guaranteed distribution.
A thousand people were invited to IndieVest's private party, so we asked how difficult it is to get on the list. An executive director for the company chuckled and said, "Well, you have to get the e-mail." That may have been a polite "no."
Perhaps the most attractive photo-op on Main Street Friday involved the Amstel Light girls and their dogs. Their photos are also in the gallery.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
