When it comes to the major American conventions and film festivals, there’s never a shortage of attention-grabbing activities. But South by Southwest—the annual music, film, and tech festival in Austin, Texas—takes fan interaction to a new level. Unlike snowy Sundance, where film fans are bundled up and shuttled from screening to screening, or San Diego’s Comic-Con, where attendees are often confined to a sprawling convention center, SXSW is spread across the walkable streets of Austin—making the distractions put on by brands and projects hoping to make their mark are all the more irresistible. Though interactive fan experiences are nothing new to SXSW (a neon Mr. Robot Ferris wheel loomed over the main thoroughfare in 2016), this year, the enticements were on a next level.
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FIRE IT UP
On Monday night, A24’s explosive, locked-room shoot-em-up Free Fire made a triumphant debut at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. And just a few hours before, instead of sitting in a hotel room answering the same questions over and over again, director Ben Wheatley and stars Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer hosted a paintball game, set off explosions, dished out barbecue lessons, and generally got up to no good at Austin’s Stunt Ranch. Copley was the most enthusiastic paintballer on the ranch, while Hammer manned the grill, and all three answered questions (and dodged some explosions) on Facebook Live. It was the perfect appetizer for the bloody mayhem to come on-screen later that night.
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Source: Vanityfair