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[Event] The Insiders: BC Film & TV Forum

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:01:35 +0000

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Film and Television Biz but were afraid to ask.

On November 16, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from some of the who’s who of Hollywood North about the status of our local industry, and 100% of the proceeds go to benefit PAL Vancouver.

Some of the topics they will be covering include the high Canadian dollar, more favourable tax credits in other jurisdictions, and the great vortex of the Olympics may combine for an industry crisis in 2010. There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A with audience members.

The evening will be hosted by Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes of Urban Rush and the “Insiders” will include:

Casting Director, Stuart Aikins
BC Film Commissioner, Susan Croome
Manager, Elizabeth Hodgson
Actor, Alexander Ludwig
Talent Agent, Richard Lucas
Literary Agent, Anna Archer
Producer / Development Exec., Louise Clark
Producer / Reunion Pictures, Matthew O’Connor
Producer / No Equal Entertainment, Larry Sugar
Producer / Brightlight Pictures, Shawn Williamson
…plus other celebrity guests.

Monday November 16 @ 7:30 PM
The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage…2750 Granville Street (Granville & 12th)
Tickets are $25 from Stanley Box Office, online at www.vancouvertix.com or at Biz Books

**Pre-Order your Production Heads Coupon Book by 9pm, Thursday November 12 and you will be entered to win two tickets to THE INSIDERS forum.**

13th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:18:21 +0000

It’s back again this year for another promising line up of films showcasing independent Asian filmmakers. The 13th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) kicks off tonight, Thursday November 5 2009, at the Cinemark Tinseltown movie theatre and runs until Sunday, November 8.

The opening night film is Tze Chun’s feature film debut, Children of Invention, which has garnered many awards this year from various festivals and was also an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival.

If you missed the Mighty Asian MovieMaking Marathon during the summer, you’ll have another chance to view the top three films from the event along with a number of other short films during the Might Asians & Funny Canadians program on Friday at 5pm.

3rd place winner, MISPLACED, is a family’s emotional journey through a challenging time. 2nd place is VAGINA VACATION, a hilarious romp about…well, the title pretty much explains it. 1st place is BAMBOOZLE, a Chaplin-esque cat and mouse chase throughout the outskirts of Victoria.

There are more than 40 films screening over the four days so take a look at their program and you may see something you’ll want to check out. You’ll recognize some local actors such as Steph Song in the film, Dim Sum Funeral, screening on Saturday evening or a bunch of actors in the film Flower, Drum And Songs: More Than A Musical, a documentary about the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre production of Flower Drum Song from earlier this year.

Two Vancouver Web Series To Watch

Kenji Maeda — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:26:22 +0000

Are you one of those who are constantly waiting for the phone to ring to get your next opportunity? Well as you’re sitting there, still waiting, take a look at what you could be doing.

Two locally produced web series have recently started releasing their webisodes. Rise ‘n Shine Og’s first episode came out on October 30, while Chasing Mood aired their first episode on October 27.

With easier access to high quality equipment, a great community of filmmakers, creative ideas, and online video distribution, there are more opportunities to produce your own work.

Find their trailers and first episodes below.

Rise ‘n Shine Og

Rise ‘n Shine Og is a comedic web series that chronicles the life of a loveable but crude 20 something slacker Brit living in Canada. Each webisode begins with our leading lady, Og, rising out of bed to meet the day. As is the case with all of us, some of Og’s days start out on the right foot and some (most) do not, but regardless of how it begins she always manages to give the day an interesting spin… or does the day manage to give her a spin?

Check out their website for details and upcoming episodes at www.risenshineog.com. See their trailer and first episode below:

Trailer – Rise ‘n Shine Og

Rise ‘n Shine Og Trailer from Prairie Lily Pictures on Vimeo.

Episode One – Rise ‘n Shine Og

Rise ‘n Shine Og – Locked Out from Prairie Lily Pictures on Vimeo.

Chasing Mood

This sarcastic and awkwardly funny mocumentary follows the lives of two struggling actors trying to make it in a business that refuses to love them back. Watch as Curtis blindly leads his good friend Brendon down the road of success in search of fame.

More details at www.chasingmood.com. Watch their trailer and episode one, part one below:

Trailer – Chasing Mood

Episode One – Chasing Mood

Click to watch their latest episodes.

No related posts.

Ticket Giveaway – Off And Running

Kenji Maeda — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:50:21 +0000

I’m giving away a pair of tickets to the Thursday, October 29 screening of Off And Running presented by DOXA.

Screening takes place at 7:00pm at Fifth Avenue Cinemas located at 2110 Burrard Street (at 5th Ave), Vancouver BC.

Bonus! Director Nicole Opper and film subject Avery Klein-Cloud are planning to join the audience via Skype for a Q&A.

Read the details below for ticket giveaway entry instructions.

——–

DOXA has announced its first film of their film series, Motion Pictures, a selection of award-winning documentaries that look at the complex issues surrounding the body, athleticism, the politics of sports and the drive we have to get ourselves in motion.

Here’s a description of the film:

For Avery Klein-Cloud, the African-American daughter of white Jewish lesbians, growing up in an unconventional family poses a unique set of challenges and joys. Her younger brother Zay-Zay is Korean, and her older brother Rafi is mixed-race. In Avery’s words, the Klein-Clouds are “A United Nations family.” Avery is also a hugely successful track star, with a shot a college scholarship. But when she decides to contact her birth mother, her actions have profound ramifications for the entire family.

Three years in the making, during which Avery’s life took tumultuous twists and turns, director Nicole Opper’s debut feature is a remarkable melting pot of issues including same-sex marriage, mixed-race adoption, Jewish identity, African-American culture, and sports, in this case, running.

As Avery attempts to navigate her way through the difficult terrain of teenage life, the track provides a solid touchstone, a place of strength, grace and self-reliance. But when she loses even this one constant, Avery’s young life threatens to spiral out of control.

———————

Tickets are $10 or you can purchase a Series Subscription for $30. The subscription is only available online and you get one ticket for each of the four films during the series.

For more information, to purchase advanced tickets online or the list of outlets that are selling tickets, go to:
www.doxafestival.ca/news/motionpictures/index.html

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Details on how to enter to win ONE PAIR of tickets for the October 29 screening:

You can enter TWICE.

One Entry by emailing your Full Name, Phone Number, Email Address to info@vancouveractorsguide.com . (Subject: “DOXA RUNNING”)

One Entry by using your twitter account. Retweet the following:
” RT @kenjimaeda Enter to win 2 tix to @doxafestival OFF AND RUNNING screening Oct 29 http://bit.ly/21JJtN ”

<- Click to retweet (you must be logged in)

*A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter by Tuesday, October 27 at 2:00pm.

How To Use or Lose Those Nerves For Audition Success

Michael Coleman — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:20:03 +0000

Most auditions that fall apart and do not resemble what the actor had in mind when rehearsing things in their living room comes down to one word… Nerves.

Here are some thoughts and advice on how to eliminate or better yet “use” the nerves to your advantage. Different scenes and characters can utilize these feelings differently.

For characters that require a sense of urgency, tension, stress, a level of distress, etc… I often see actors come into the room and take a moment or two to eliminate their “audition nerves” and reach a level of calm only to struggle through their entire scene as they aren’t able to portray the level of stress, tension, urgency that the scene requires. If the scene requires an edge of uncertainty, doubt, etc. use the natural feeling you have walking into the room. If you are feeling a little scared and the scene requires you to be a little scared – GO. Start! Don’t take several moments to compose only to spend the entire audition trying to lose that same composure.

For scenes that do not require this level of uneasiness or require a different tone I suggest you do a few things. before you begin take a full breath in and exhale a full breath out before performing while on your mark. Avoid taking a deep breath and holding your breath until the scene begins. I see this a lot in the room and it often leads to a rocky start.

I also suggest playing the “truth game” in your head when you walk in. Be aware and warm up being truthful in all you do. Make simple, truthful statements in your head about your environment–

* The Casting Director is wearing glasses.
* The chair is black.
* The reader is a guy.
* I am going to use that chair from Ikea.

I know a lot of actors that kind of snap out of it once they leave the room and they couldn’t tell you much about what just happened only moments before. When you are in the room – be in the room.

You would be surprised at how powerful this little exercise can be. It is your job to be grounded and perform in honesty. This is a great warm up and wonderful to put the entire room into a place of calm of simplicity. (I would do these statements in your head without moving your lips to avoid looking a little crazy)

For anyone that has a problem with nerves in the room I encourage you to try these techniques. I would love to hear your experiences after trying these in your next auditions. I have personally found tremendous success from these ideas as have some of the actors I have worked with and I would love to hear what others think.

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Michael Coleman is an actor, writer, voice-over performer and acting coach based out of Vancouver and Los Angeles. Michael is the founder of The Audition Room and The Shoreline Actors Film & Television Studio both based out of Shoreline Studios.

BC Arts Funding Cuts – continued

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:24:15 +0000

Just over a week ago we posted a timeline of events that led up to the BC Arts sector losing its gaming grants. Later it was announced that three-year gaming grant agreements will be funded which only came after an uproar within the arts community.

Despite the fact that those gaming grants were reinstated, the fight isn’t over.

On September 9, the arts community gathered to protest the funding cuts. Below is a video of Amir Ali Alibhai, Executive Director of Alliance for Arts & Culture.

News Article: Arts community protests B.C. Liberal funding cuts at the Vancouver Art Gallery – [straight.com]

Alliance for Arts also released a “Culture Matters” flyer [pdf] encouraging you to contact your MLA to ensure the government hears from the arts sector.

An excerpt of the document which describes the cuts:

According to our most recent sources, 85%-92% of core provincial funding for arts and culture will be cut by 2012, from both tax-based and non-tax-based [gaming] streams. The arts and cultural sector is bearing the brunt of discretionary cuts compared with other areas. During this economic crisis we are willing to make reasonable sacri?ces, but cannot accept outright decimation of the sector.

Total support for arts and culture organizations in BC from 2008-2012, including all sources (Gaming, BC Arts and Culture Special Endowment, Direct taxpayer investment) are:

2008/2009 – 47.8 million
2009/2010 – 42.219 million (as of February)
2009/2010 – 23.075 million (suddenly, as of September)
2010/2011 – 3.749 million (not including Gaming funds)
2011/2012 – 3.675 million (not including Gaming funds)

The document also outlines how the investment in the arts works to benefit the economy. One point in particular: “Every dollar invested by the province in arts and culture organizations returns between $1.05 and $1.36 directly to provincial treasuries through tax revenues.”

And if you think that this only an issue for the live theatre productions, as Marsha Lederman reported in the Globe and Mail today:

Even the Vancouver International Film Festival lost out on a $70,000 grant. But artistic director Alan Franey says VIFF will be able to deal with it: “If no money falls from the heavens in the next couple of months, at fiscal year end, we will have a deficit. But we are not in the position of some of our poor colleagues who can’t even afford to make payroll.”

News Article: Dramatic cuts, dramatic fallout for B.C. arts [theglobeandmail.com]

[Post image by Neubie]

BC Arts Funding Cuts – Timeline Overview

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:54:17 +0000

So the last week has been a whirlwind of “WTF?” moments. It all seemed to happen so fast. Money disappears; Confusing messages show up; Money comes back.

Here’s the timeline of events. And who knows what will happen next.

– August 17 –

Looking back to mid-August, The Province reported:

Pierre Rivard is trying not to panic about the $40,000 that should have been deposited to his non-profit society’s bank account months ago.

The money, earmarked for cultural programs, should have helped Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver pay for its week-long festival in June. The event was a success, but the $40,000 grant from the B.C. government hasn’t arrived.

Clearly, Rivard wasn’t the only one concerned at that point as the Vancouver International Children’s Festival was also waiting for their grant money to come through which was expected to be deposited in July.

B.C. government could face lawsuits if it fails to honour gaming grant commitments [straight.com]
Community groups waiting for grants. ‘Promised’ funding ‘frozen’ for thousands of organizations [theprovince.com]
Vancouver non-profit accuses province of reneging on funding [vancouversun.com]

– August 24-26 –

The Straight reported:

The Ministry of Housing and Social Development has announced it will provide gaming grants for a “limited number of arts and culture activities.”

But because the announcement came from both the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts and the Ministry of Housing and Social Development,

Amir Ali Alibhai, executive director of the Alliance, called the announcement confusing. “I’m trying to read between the lines,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a joint release about B.C. arts council funding.” [straight.com]

B.C. Arts Council grant announcement befuddles community [straight.com]
Government: Priorities for gaming grants include “a limited number of arts and culture programs” [straight.com]
BC government freezes, then unfreezes, promised gaming funds to community groups [xtra.ca]

– August 28 –

Things really fired up when it was announced that those organizations with multi-year gaming grant commitments would no longer receive the money. This would be a blow to anyone’s budget, and particularly because for some organizations those agreements were used to secure other funding, like for Miscellaneous Productions, a performing-arts group that works with at-risk youth.

Elaine Carol, the company’s co-founder and artistic director, said the amount represents approximately 15 percent of the organization’s budget. “We use that money to feed the youth that come starving to our rehearsals, literally. We use that money to support them with all kinds of art-making and training and attention that they’re not getting otherwise….We’re going to have to cut back in every area.”

She noted that it was because of the promise of gaming money that she was able to secure additional funding: “We make photocopies and we send these letters off to our other funders and say, ‘Hey, look, gaming has guaranteed us funding for three years. So will you give us funding?’…We’re going to have incredible cash-flow problems.” [straight.com]

Amir Ali Alibhai, Executive Director of the Alliance for Arts & Culture later that day in their blog said:

We have been cut as a sector without consideration of the important role we play in civil society and our contribution to social capital. These cuts are not only affecting the arts, but community sports, parent-teacher associations, and many other social profit sectors.

This action reveals a government in panic – so let us not match that reaction. Let us be calm and think together on how we can survive, though some of us may not. I get that. These cuts will not only weaken our civil society and therefore threaten the means by which democracy can work successfully, but we will lose jobs, organizations, and skills in many communities around the province, and the economic impacts will be dire. These cuts are not strategic , but wholesale cuts to entire sectors.

Province withholding multi-year gaming grants [straight.com]
Massive province-wide gaming grant cuts leave arts community reeling [straight.com]
Gaming Grant Update [allianceforarts.com]

– August 29-31 –

Allyson McGrane of Plank Magazine wrote about the history of how gaming money and charities became connected and how gaming money is distributed.

In the beginning, gaming was called gambling. And it was illegal in Canada under the Criminal Code starting in 1892. But then in 1901, a key exemption emerged – gambling was legal if it was a raffle at a bazaar held for charitable or religious purposes. By 1906, the federal government allowed lottery schemes to be run by charitable and religious organizations. Thus began the intimate connection of gambling and charities.

I highly recommend you go and read the rest of the article.

More stories on how this would impact the community emerged in the media and a gathering was held on Sunday Aug 30 at NDP MLA Spencer Herbert’s constituency headquarters to address the situation.

BC arts cuts – gaming money evaporates effective immediately [plankmagazine.com]
Arts community hobbled by $20-million cut in funding [vancouversun.com]
Arts groups angry as B.C. government slashes funding [theprovince.com]
VIDEO: BC Liberals axing funding for the arts: NDP [ctvbc.ca]

– September 2 –

Wednesday morning continued on just as the previous couple days. More interviews, reports, and articles on how these massive cuts would affect the community.

Direct Access gaming grants cuts create ripple effect for Vancouver’s arts community [straight.com]
B.C. Liberals hammer the arts [straight.com]

2:30pm hits and Minister Rich Coleman announces that the three-year gaming grants will be fully funded. But the effect that it had on the arts community may be too deep to heal, at least at anytime in the near future. As reported by The Globe and Mail:

The executive director of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival, David Jordan, said that arts groups had no reason to feel grateful for the government’s change of heart. “This was money that we were promised and had already budgeted for,” he said. “It does not quell concern about the long term and the complete attack on, and blanket disregard for culture, by this government.”

Funding reversal falls short: arts groups [theglobeandmail.com]

The effort around arts funding issues isn’t over including the sustainability aspect of it all. I’ll end this post with the words of the Amir Ali Alibhai of Alliance for Arts:

This is only speculation but my best guess. It does demonstrate that allies in community and among elected officials can make a difference. We are all happy to hear that the funding for multi-year clients will be forthcoming – but what about the others?

We cannot let this drive a wedge between us; this is a long-term effort and there are still many disturbing circumstances for us to deal with. We have to think about the future.

Message from Our Executive Director [allianceforarts.com]

[Post image by Neubie]

Exercise: What Makes A Good Audition?

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:35:20 +0000

I was doing my usual browse across some websites people were sending me recently and came across a site for a film project called, The Baby Cliff. The project, “a series of fictional comedy shorts,” is collaborative in nature. The public has the opportunity to participate in three different ways:

Vote on what lines to include in the script. (”Writer”)
Submit an audition tape for some of their characters. (”Actor”)
Vote on those audition tapes to help create a short list of the Actors. (”Casting Director”)

You can read more and participate with the project on their site (http://thebabycliff.com). I’m bringing this up because I saw a valuable learning opportunity, particularly for you Actors out there, to take a look at some auditions and critique them with an objective eye.

I took a look at most of the auditions they had available and there’s a mixed bag of experience with those actors. It even looks like part of the marketing and promotion for this project was to set up a tent at a public event where guys and gals put themselves on tape. Others submitted auditions using their own camcorder from home, web cams, and even some where the actors did the taping in an acting studio.

Despite the fact that the image or audio quality between one video to the next might be different, try to ignore the technical aspects and focus on the acting.

The Exercise

I’ve embedded the audition submissions that are available on their site along with the character descriptions for the character. I would encourage you to watch some of the auditions with inexperienced actors (and you will know which ones those are within a few seconds) just as much as you watch other ones. You can learn a lot when you see what doesn’t work. Then find the ones that do work and figure out why.

Some things you can look for:

Are they making strong choices?
Do you have an idea of who they’re talking to? The relationship between the characters?
Do you understand the general story of the scene?
Where’s their eye line? Is it working?
Do their actions/movements feel forced or natural? Too big or too small for the screen?
What’s working for you and what’s not?

Remember, this is an exercise on breaking down the components of an audition. Not simply to say “Good Actor / Bad Actor.” Figure out what you need to work on.

Martha

Female, age 48, an angry mother of a lazy teenage boy. She’s just about given up and has a bone to pick with Storkie-man for glamourizing the world’s toughest job. If her energy wasn’t already spent, she might manage to slap a bra on her sagging breasts before heading out of the house.

Martin

Male, age 27, loves the action and the adrenaline rush he gets from his job as a bomb-tech. His mission, to save men everywhere from a lifetime sentence to the old ball and chain.

Russ

Male, age 35, a no-nonsense bomb-tech who knows he’s making a difference in the world. He sees himself as a mentor for his younger partner.

Did you discover anything for yourself after viewing those auditions? Let us know in the comments below.

You can also read our blog post: 7 Core Elements to Improve Your Audition

Ask Questions To Find The Right Photographer

Patricia Cullen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:40:10 +0000

Like many of us in the arts, we didn’t wise up to what we really wanted to do some several years and well traveled career paths later and Michael Ford is no exception. His love for photography started as a hobby in high school and it wasn’t until falling in love with Paris, France through his lens that he realized this is exactly where he had to be, behind the lens.

“I was tired of giving myself to someone else’s vision,” working for big companies whose moral standing were of one mind, profit. Michael reclaimed his love for photography taking a few courses but more predominantly, rolls upon rolls of film, discovering and defining himself through the process. As technology developed from film to digital, Michael followed suit.

“At a certain point, when the technology reached a level suitable for professionals, it just made sense to move to digital. It provides a certain freedom, both artistically and technically.” And while Michael enjoys the artistic freedom from setup, to shooting through to post production, clients have much to benefit from digital as well. “With the digital process, you don’t need to order a print of every shot, carry those prints around town to your friends, to your agent, potentially damaging or losing them along the way.” Clients view their shots online in a web gallery, give their friends & agents access to it, or have the shots saved to CD. Then there’s the security feature where Michael keeps two copies of your images on separate hard drives in separate locations. We could tell you where, but then we’d have to kill you.

So, who is Michael’s ideal client? “That’s a hard question. I guess clients that are open to the process, come prepared and are excited to be here. It’s important that they respect my work and my choices and that they believe in me and have faith that I know what I’m doing. And the energy, a loose energy, free with their body. Clients who leave their ego at the door and who work with me as a team, sharing their thoughts on the process.”

It also helps when clients are prepared for the shoot. The studio is theirs, but much of the success rests on their preparation. “Be careful about what you wear. A headshot greatly influences how you will be marketed. It’s always good to talk with your agent about how they’ll position you in the market before you get your shots done.” And as far as some wardrobe do’s and don’ts, “Stay away from busy patterns, solid colours are usually best but some textures are usually okay. And if you’re thinking of getting a new style of hair, don’t do it the day of or the day before. Give yourself some time to get used to it. And mostly for women, hire our professional makeup artist who understands what is required for headshots. You need makeup to achieve a natural look. And finally, schedule your session a time of day that works for you and get lots of sleep the night before your appointment.”

And what advice does Michael have for readers in the process of selecting a photographer? “First, check out their work. Visit their site and see if their style appeals to you. Then, ask some questions to make sure they’re the right photographer for you.” What kind of questions?

Do you limit the number of shots?
How long do you spend with your clients?
How long after the shoot until I see the prints?
What’s the process from shoot to finish?
What’s included in the cost?
How many images will you post process for me?
Where do we shoot?
Do you shoot on digital or film?
Is it possible to meet you in person before I book with you?
How do I get reprints in the future?
Are my digital images backed up? What happens if your computers are stolen or crash, are my images gone then?
Will you re-shoot at no-charge if I’m not satisfied?”

“And don’t use price as a sole criteria. It’s about finding the right match for you. Price alone does not reflect whether a photographer is the right match for you or not. Call them and get a feel for their personality.”

Be sure to check out Michael Ford’s website which has more tips and information on the experience of the photoshoot. You can check him out at www.fordheadshots.com, or call him at 604.839.3673.

If you are a high school student graduating in 2010, you can enter yourself into a draw for a free grad portrait. Become a fan of Ford Grads on Facebook by September 1 2009 and you will be entered.

Joss Whedon On Writing Strong Women Characters

Kenji Maeda — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:42:58 +0000

For those of you who know me, you will know that I’m a fan of Joss Whedon, creator of such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and the Vancouver-shot series, Dollhouse. I stumbled across this video of him speaking about an often asked question of him, “Why do you write strong women characters?”

You can read the transcript at the American Rhetoric page.

And thanks to Women In Film Vancouver – where I think I first stumbled across the video.

Size Matters! — Image size, that is.