As you may have noticed by now, we’re almost a week into this year’s SIFF. So time to stop acting like a n00b. SIFF like a pro, courtesy of our time- and fest-tested tips:

• Plan ahead. Check the SIFF website to see if guests will be at the screening for a Q&A, for timing and scheduling purposes, if not for celeb-watching. Check the festival updates page regularly for, y’know, updates, so you’ll have the heads up before a screening sells out.
• Technology is your friend! SIFF hasn’t quite entered the 21st century and made schedules sharable via Facebook, but do what you can. Make use of the iSIFF app, the SIFFter, My SIFF, and the ability to email your personal festival schedule to friends.
• Consider buying in bulk. Ticket packages cut down on service fees and are cheaper per ticket, especially if you’re a senior or student: $35 for 5 films ain’t bad.
• Flying by the seat of your pants and getting into a film via the standby line is a complete crapshoot–don’t count on it for a popular film. But if a miracle does occur, those tickets are full price and cash only.
• Head to a SIFF box office to get your tickets in advance and avoid an extra line at the venue for will call. If you must pick up tickets at will call, try to drop in between screenings and have them print all of your pre-ordered tickets at once.
• If you’re particular about where you sit, there’s no such thing as arriving too early. Expect every screening to have a long line and a full house. Still, as long as you have a ticket, you’ll have a seat. If you’re a passholder, you can usually show up about 20 minutes in advance of the screening and still get a good seat. Ticketholders, try 30 min. All bets are off in the case of movies with big buzz. In that case, take whatever seat you can get, but just sit down already. There’s not going to be some magical super-seat in the theater if you scour the entire venue.
• Be prepared with umbrella and light jacket. Bringing some snacks is acceptable, but don’t be That Guy who sneaks in a four-course meal.
• Find your path of least resistance. For example, at the Egyptian, nearly everyone enters the theater and goes to the left. So break away from the herd and go to the right.
• The Neptune is in the midst of a renovation by new owners Seattle Theater Group. As such, the seats in the re-raked balcony are brand new (but still tight on legroom). The floor, though, is all folding chairs on two flat levels. Some people have been avoiding the theater entirely, but if you’ve already got tickets to a Neptune screening, get there early to snag a seat in the front row of the raised orchestra section for the best shot at not having a head obscuring your subtitles. We’ve heard rumor that the good folks at Sundance have swooped in to save us by sending some of their spare seating our way (they’re pros), but the seats shouldn’t be arriving until this weekend at the earliest.
• Bathrooms! (Ladies, I’m mostly speaking to you, unless you’re a dude at a dude-heavy midnight screening.) It’s a good rule of thumb that the further away the bathroom is, the shorter the line. So the third floor bathrooms at the Harvard Exit are much more likely to be free compared to those on the second floor. Another way to avoid the line is to either head straight to the restroom as soon as you get into the theater, or wait until the lights go down and the SIFF ads start. You’ve still got about 7 minutes of ads and trailer before the film begins.
• Consider subtitles. If your film has them and you’re not fluent, find a seat with a clear view of the bottom of the screen. Aisle left or right is generally a good bet. The seats on the center aisle (exit row) at the Egyptian have tons of room to stretch your legs, but the raking (grading?) of the theater flattens out for the aisle, so you’re likely to have an obstructed view of the subtitles if anyone of average height or above average skull circumference sits in front of you.
• If you’re on foot and trying to see multiple films in a row, the sweet spot is the Egyptian. It’s a walkable distance from both the Harvard Exit and Pacific Place. (The Neptune and SIFF Cinema leave you reliant on Seattle’s not always timely bus service.) The Egyptian is also right next to a Walgreen’s, if you need water, snacks, or eye drops after 12 hours of movie viewing.
• Speaking of: Marination Mobile now has a permanent location just a block away from the Egyptian. Delicious alternative to popcorn if you need a nutrition break between a double feature, but allow plenty of time to contend with the massive popularity of Korean-Hawaiian inspired street food.
• If you’d otherwise like to avoid consuming your weight in popcorn, the concession stand at Harvard Exit (and maybe other Landmarks) offers a bargain size combo, which is just enough for a light snack for one.
• You can’t take it with you into the theater (Ed: technically), but beer is cheaper than soda (Ed: pop) at Pacific Place.
• And of course: Your ticket stub or pass gets you a discount in the bar at SIFF Lounge at Boom Noodle.