Clue #9

Allow me, your festival host, to point to our humble beginnings,
Stand before our marquee as we gaze upon the silver screen,
Our show, closed mondays (between a riff and a tiff) is this length,
Just follow the footage 4,120 frames ’cross a ‘western’ king.

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References

There are two distinct conceits to this next-to-last clue. The foremost is film and the rich tradition of cinema that Bumbershoot has showcased over the years. The other is One Reel, the not-for-profit organization that has hosted the festival since 1982. A couple of specific film references include the Academy Award winning short film ‘Closed Mondays’ that premiered at Bumbershoot in 1974 and SIFF, the local film festival that has a close relationship with Bumbershoot through the annual 1 Reel Film Festival.

Clue Theme: One Reel and Specific Directions

We begin by talking about beginnings and festival host. This is One Reel Productions and its location in Pioneer Square near the corner of Occidental & King. The second line is a directional reference to where you’d need to begin to find the medallion using the clue’s information. If one were to stand at the front of One Reel’s entrance you would be looking right at the hiding place. Our show is again a double reference as it refers both to how to begin to locate the medallion and to also describe the type of ‘film’ we are looking for, specifically a One Reel. The third line references SIFF (between riff and tiff) to firmly indicate film. Finally, since a ‘one reel’ film—such as the Oscar-winning short “Closed Mondays”—is 1,000 feet in length and lasts 11 minutes, one could calculate the total number of frames at 24 frames per second in 1,000 feet. Then, using 4,120 frames you can calculate that the distance from the door to the hidden Medallion is about 260 feet. To confirm the direction, we specify crossing a ‘western’ (Occidental) King to locate the medallion