2023 Volunteer Opportunities
We rely on our team of volunteers to make this festival a success. There are so many ways to get involved at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and take action for our planet. Join one of our hardworking festival teams below and see descriptions of each volunteer opportunity available.
For more information, please contact our Community Engagement Team at 530.265.5961 ext 201
*Please note, volunteer positions with an asterisk (*) require training prior to the festival.
Pre-Festival Team
Venue Setup
Seeking strong volunteers to join the festival setup team helping stage each film venue. This role will involve loading, unloading, carrying supplies, & setting up hundreds of chairs. We have a fun and dynamic team, with many hands making the work lighter and easier.
Technical Setup
Seeking savvy volunteers to join the festival technical setup team helping set up tech equipment at each film venue. This role will involve loading, unloading, carrying supplies, and setting up projector and sound equipment.
Festival Headquarters Team
Ticket Sales*
Help our Film Festival Coordinator sell film session tickets at headquarters during the festival weekend. This position requires proficiency on a computer or iPad, customer service & cash handling experience. This can be a fast-paced role at times during the weekend. Pre-festival training is required by all ticketing volunteers the week prior to the festival.
Volunteer Check-in
Greet volunteers, check-in & help volunteers figure out where to go for their volunteer shifts. In Grass Valley, Volunteer Check-in & the Volunteer Lounge are located in the same place. Help keep the lounge stocked with fresh goodies, get the coffee ready at the beginning of the day & help clean up at the close of the day.
Wild Cards
Wild Card volunteers are agile, jack/jane-of-all trade types. This gig could involve running an errand, filling in for a volunteer who is sick, moving items across town, or putting out a figurative fire. If you like spontaneity, revel in the unexpected, & love being a quick-on-your-feet lifesaver, this job is for you. Great for volunteers new to the festival and the area, this gives you a great way to see a lot of the festival and help out enormously. This job requires a vehicle & someone who can move FAST. Wild Cards are stationed at festival headquarters until they are deployed where needed.
Venues Team
Pass Checkers*
Greet the public at the venue doors & check attendees’ tickets. Help with crowd control at popular screenings, maintain quiet in the areas outside the film-viewing area, & change “Now Playing” signs as needed. SYRCL seeks assertive, polite volunteers to staff busy Friday & Saturday evening sessions at the Miners Foundry & Nevada Theatre.
Tech II Support*
Tech II volunteers work in collaboration with our paid Tech Leads to manage run-of-show, film projectors, and sound. We seek tech-savvy volunteers to manage the audio mixer levels in sync with our Ki-Pro units to deliver a glitch-free, professional film presentation. Ki-Pro units are hard drive recorders & playback devices. Tech II volunteers will receive full training on equipment prior to the festival.
Usher
Greet guests, provide assistance, and track open seats before film sessions begin. Help guide attendees to their seats with a flashlight. Encourage attendees to scoot in to make room for people arriving later. Keep the entrance & the back of the venue clear of standing patrons. Please bring a small flashlight with you to help guide people in the darkness. At some venues, ushers assist Tech Leads with run-of-show lighting, turning lights on and off between films & speakers.
Environmental Action*
Environmental Action volunteers are stationed at each film venue overseeing one of our SYRCL outreach booths. These highly visible, points-of-contact are for festival attendees to take action for the environmental issues in our community, learn more about SYRCL’s work in the Yuba watershed, and how they can support our efforts protecting our river. Environmental Action volunteers attend training prior to the festival to learn about current campaigns, issues, and actions we can take to advocate for a healthier planet and watershed.
School Programs*
Help educate our next generation of environmentalists. Join our River Education Manager hosting film sessions for K-12 schools groups at the Del Oro Theater the week before the film festival. Volunteers help to greet dozens of teachers and students, seat groups in the theater, provide groups with safety instructions, and help escort school groups back to their buses after the films.
Festival Support Team
Bar & Concessions
Help serve beer, wine, snacks, & popcorn at the bar. This can be a very fast-paced position and requires standing on your feet for extended periods of time. Help keep the space clean, tidy, & well-stocked for future shifts. Prior customer service is preferred. All tips are donated to SYRCL. Volunteers must be 21+ years of age and are not allowed to drink alcohol while on shift.
Festival Merchandise Store
Festival Merchandise volunteers help to manage the festival merchandise stores at HQ. This position is wonderful for people with retail experience! Engage with artists and the public to be a friendly face. Help sell and restock festival merchandise, check out guests, and answer questions about products. This position requires standing and the ability to make credit card and cash transactions on an iPad.
Food Angels
Join our team of Food Angels in the kitchen helping to prepare food for the filmmaker & volunteer lounges, as well as special events throughout the weekend. Volunteers will assist our Food Manager in chopping, stirring, washing, drying, dancing, laughing, and transporting food to venues. Volunteers must read the USDA’s “Basics for Handling Food Safely.
Greening
The planet needs our help to reduce our footprint and our festival strives to reduce the amount of single-use plastic and products. We want to better educate guests on recycling issues in our nation and how they can help support national efforts to reduce our single-use consumption during our event. Assist the festival Greening manager by maintaining tidy recycling, compost, and landfill stations, at all festival venues. Unload bins when full, maintain signage and education information at each location. Please wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
Filmmaker Services Team
Filmmaker Shuttle
This is a great way to meet inspiring filmmakers. We seek volunteers with vehicles and clean driving records to shuttle filmmakers to and from Sacramento International Airport. Our filmmakers travel a long way to be here, therefore, we try to provide them with services to make their visit as easy as possible. Our volunteer shuttle service is the filmmaker’s first (or last) interaction w/ the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Help us give a warm welcome (or farewell) to the artists & activists who make this festival so unique. Each shuttle volunteer makes one round trip to the airport to pick up or drop off filmmakers. We do seek volunteers willing to donate their vehicle and fuel to help make this service possible – thank you in advance.
Filmmaker Lounge
Support the Filmmaker Lounge Manager in setting up, stocking, & maintaining food/beverage stations. Be a resource for our guests by answering questions —know about the festival & our community. Help tidy the lounge & restroom. Monitor guest access to the lounge. ONLY filmmakers, staff, contractors, & guests with VIP access credentials may visit the lounge. Volunteers are not allowed to drink alcohol while on shift.
Filmmaker Relations
Greet our filmmakers and special guests at Festival Headquarters. Make them feel welcome, provide information about the filmmaker’s perks and the area. Help to answer filmmaker festival questions.
Host a Filmmaker
Volunteer to host an attending filmmaker or special guest in your house during the festival! CHECK OUT FULL DETAILS HERE
Post-Festival Team
Breakdown & Transportation
Seeking Sunday Evening Volunteers to help our team with the breakdown of venues. Make your volunteer time count, this is the most needed help after a long weekend for our staff. The breakdown team will move from venue to venue stacking chairs & tables, cleaning & vacuuming, loading equipment, transporting & helping unload at the SYRCL office. If you have a truck available for use during this time, your help would be greatly appreciated!
