Video showcases and film festivals always have a sullen energy to them: directors feeling the pressure of potential critiques, competitors sizing each other up, nauseating networking as far as the eye can see. When I walked into Club Video’s quarterly video showcase this month, I was greeted by a bar offering free beer from a local brewery, a burger stand and 30 shorts from filmmakers and comedians, as well as a DJ. People selling cigarettes and poppers were weaving through the crowd.