This time last week it was the Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival (a mouthful) and I was volunteering!
http://sohoshorts.wordpress.com/
It was only one shift as I had other plans that weekend (RAAR! business, post to follow soon) but it was the most fun I had had on an unpaid job.
I arrived promptly, not knowing what to expect, then I was taken up many stairs, which seems to be a running theme of all these jobs. I was then greeted/bombarded with loads of runners all rushing everywhere in the kitchen and the terrace area. I was introduced to people throughout the evening while moving boxes and boxes of wine, beer and other assorted drinks.
The first job of the evening was to move furniture into other rooms and then clear the outside terrace area so that people, when they arrived had time to mingle.
But my job was to work the bar. Excellent. I was working on the bar with another volunteer who was really fun to work with. She had done this sort of thing before and showed me how to pour beer properly.
Our bar was, unfortunately, outside and in the rain. It was freezing cold so we were given Rushes jackets and macs to keep off the rain. We totally kept them after. We were also told that we could have as much of the drinks as we liked. This was amazing news. But I thought to keep it professional I wouldn't drink until the end.
It was a slow start to the party but eventually it became to crowded in the other bar so people did drift up to ours, in the rain. We did have a cover but that didn't prevent the rain falling just between where the bar was and the cover.
We got to serve actors, directors, producers and organisers all night, which was actually really fun, especially when they got really drunk. Some highlights were watching/listening to Nick Moran (actor/director) chat up a woman for about an hour, right next to the bar, then at the end he and his friend were smashed. There was another film festival organiser who kept leaving her wine on the bar and walking away then panicking when she couldn't find it. We kept it safe and she was eternally grateful and suggested that we helped at her festival, but it was in Cornwall. I also got to talk to 'Dreams of a Life' producer, Cairo Cannon, who was really excited to know that I saw the film at N21 film festival and wrote about it. She kept asking to read what I wrote but I didn't know how to show it to her . . .
At the end of the party, well when the bar was closing, I and my fellow volunteer decided it was time for a drink. So I drank three cups of rose wine and a very nice Portuguese beer. I was very tipsy going home. Everyone was so nice and great fun to work with, I had a great time and definitely will volunteer again.
