New posts coming soon! I promise!

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

How time flies. And now I realise it’s been a terribly long time since I’ve posted to Tri-City Film.

Fret not, film fans! As I’m behind on everything Tri-City Film related, there’s much to come! Press releases, film competitions, stories, interviews and a long overdue twisted tale about one of the best weekends of the year, Shock Stock!

Sometimes real life interferes with passion. Don’t you hate when that happens?

To tide you over, here’s a story so true you’ll never be the same after reading….

Many summers ago an indie film crew entered the wilds of northern Ontario.

They were tired, anxious, and desperate to capture a final shot.

Without warning they encountered Hanshan, a legendary 8th century Zen poet, albeit lesser known on the fringes of the North Shore.

The crew was shocked. The lead actress lowered the light she held. The driver rested the boom mic against his foot.

“What brings you to these woods?” asked Hanshan. “You seem lost.”

“We’re making a low-budget horror film,” answered the frazzled director. “We need a fire to light this last shot.”

“To build a fire, allow the wind to bring the leaves to you,” said Hanshan.

They were enlightened.

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Shock and Awe at Shock Stock 2013

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

It’s a haven for horror hounds, an indulgence for indie film fans. A scene that calls to the cult cinema diehard, and elicits the exploitation junkie. It’s called Shock Stock, and Jake Windatt sums up the experience best: “we call it a subculture celebration.”

574609_10151532604795341_177340392_nWindatt, along with long-time co-conspirator James Bialkowski, co-founded the event under the Grimbrothers name. Entering its third year, Shock Stock—held at Centennial Hall in London—is fast becoming an April ritual  for film fans far and wide. The reasons for this are simple—stocked vendors, cool films, and a stellar line up of celebrity guests.  And with “Canada’s Filthiest Horror Convention!” as their  tagline, you know it’s going to be good.

62174_605877336095284_1718403685_nWhile ideas percolated for the inaugural Shock Stock, the Grimbrothers thought to separate themselves from other conventions. Windatt explains how they wanted “more of a community atmosphere. Somewhere you can go and feel like you belong, and you can stay for the weekend and have fun.”

Wanting to foster a more communal vibe for the event came about from years of hosting screenings at various conventions in the States and “the big one in Toronto,” Windatt explains.

“We want people to enjoy the atmosphere and socialize,” he emphasizes. “We want the guests to feel like they connect with their fans. And we want the vendors to feel like they’re part of the show too.”

379676_510145219036147_984574425_nShock Stock vendors definitely add to the appeal. Browse the tables and you’ll find rare VHS tapes, obscure DVD releases, and more posters and movie memorabilia than your rock and roll van could ever hold. If you’ve been dying to cross an elusive title off your must-see list, these are the people to see.

“We want to go after the people who have and share a passion for these films,” Windatt says, referring to his prime motivation for focusing mainly on horror and exploitation cinema. As for improving on an already incredible event, Windatt has a sure-fire way to do so—”focus on the fans, listen to the fans.”

It’s good to know someone is listening.

There are too many events and cool things occurring at Shock Stock to list them all here. In brief, the event is held at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario, on April 12-14. Passes are still available, and you can purchase in advance or at the event.

Visit the Shock Stock website for all the gory details. Check the guest list. Once you find out who’s rolling into London town, the hounds of hell won’t be able to keep you away.

And as every Tri-City Film article exists to promote local filmmakers, rest assured that we’ll be well represented at Shock Stock. Kitchener filmmakers Torin Langen and Zach Ramelan will be there, and Reese Eveneshen, Gabriel Carrer, and Chad Archibald will remind all  the people how Guelph throws down the terror.

 

See you there!

~ David Briggs

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Film Crew Required for Summer Shoot

Posted on April 5, 2013 by

Local filmmaker Scott Clevely is actively seeking crew members for an upcoming shoot scheduled for Summer 2013.

All of the details (and much more!) can be found on his blog at:

http://www.scottclevely.com/

Or to save time, I’ve posted the original posting below. Let the film magic begin!

FILM CREW NEEDED!

Just as important as finding the right actors to make our short film we need to find the right film crew.  We’re looking for a few good people from Waterloo Region and Guelph to play some key roles in helping us carry out the vision of our script.

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ARE THEY PAID POSITIONS?

I firmly believe in paying artists and technicians for their time.  We will be raising funds through crowd source funding and we have an application in for an arts grant and it’s from these funds that we will be paying honorariums.  We just won’t know how much we have until the fundraising is complete.

WHEN’S THE SHOOT?

It’ll be a three day shoot this summer.  We’re still trying to lock down the production dates.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Storyboard Artist

To draw storyboards and help communicate my camera shot sequences, especially the action scenes, to the film crew and the visual effects supervisors.

Gaffer

Who will help Erik O’Neill, our Director of Photography, execute his lighting plan during production.

Key Grip

Also to help Erik O’Neill and the Gaffer diffuse and cut the light as well us move the camera dolly and help with the camera crane.

Sound Mixer

Need a good audio engineer that records the production sound on set at the time of shooting.  We have they gear, just need a good experienced sound mixer.

Production Designer

An artist who would be responsible for designing the overall visual appearance of our short film from wardrobe to set design.  (This is a cool job for sure and I look forward to working with a production designer on this film.)

Set Designer

A person responsible for translating the production designer’s vision of the movie’s environment into a set which can be used for filming.  There are a couple sets that need to be built, including a cliff face which will likely be made out of 2 x 4’s and a treatment to make it look like rock.  This set designer needs to be handy and creative with some experience with set design.

Costume Designer

A person who’ll help choose and designs the costumes for our film.

Hair Stylist

A person responsible for maintaining our actors’ hairstyles during filming.

Stunt Co-ordinator

The person who arranges and plans stunts with a focus on safety.  There is a fight scene between two actors, another scene where an actor will be in a harness so he floats and a fall onto a crash mat.

Script Supervisor

This person will tracks which parts have been filmed, how the filmed scenes deviated from the script; they also make continuity notes, creating a lined script.  Some filmmaker experience is needed here as it’s a critical position.

Productions Assistants

We also we have some unpaid production assistants and for these positions no experience is required.  Just a willingness to learn.

IF NOT YOU… DO YOU KNOW ANYONE?

Maybe you’re not interested or don’t have the skills but know someone who does.  Please share this page with them by clicking one of the share buttons below.

Ready to be part of our film production team?

Please leave a comment in the box below or contact me.

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Casting call from StillWaters Productions

Posted on March 16, 2013 by

StillWaters Productions is casting for a festival production of The Maple Leaves, a play by Heather Debling. The play will be presented at the SpringWorks Indie Theatre and Arts Festival in Stratford in May directed by Gada Jane.

About the play: 1917. The Western Front. New recruit Billy Haven arrives eager to kill his first Hun. Instead, he’s ordered to put on a dress and sing. Suddenly one of the Maple Leaves, a group of men who perform for the troops to boost morale, Billy must determine where his duty truly lies.

We’ll be casting five males aged 18-40.

​Performance dates: Wednesday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 18 at 12:00 p.m.

Rehearsal dates: Dates to be determined (mid-April to mid-May)

Auditions will be held on Friday, March 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Dancemakers (Studio 314, Case Goods Building, Distillery).

For more information, find all the details here: http://www.stillwaters-productions.com/#%21auditions/c1nme

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Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) and Multicultural Cinema Club (MCC) Announce Joint Collaboration

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

mar2grffHere’s a press release announcing some big news from the Grand River Film Festival, and the Multicultural Cinema Club:

Cambridge, Ontario   Monday March 11, 2013 – The Grand River Film Festival and the Multicultural Cinema Club today announced details of a multi-faceted partnership which will make it easier for local filmmakers to submit their movies to GRFF and LFFF (Local Focus Film Festival – a project of the Multicultural Cinema Club at The Working Centre).

The partnership will allow local filmmakers to make a single submission for both festivals via Withoutabox for one fee.  Both festivals will take place this year in October/November.

In addition both GRFF and MCC will collaborate on a newly-launched film-making workshop series which will offer workshops and lectures for filmmakers during GRFF and LFFF 2013.

Speaking for GRFF Executive Director Tamara Louks said “this partnership strengthens both organizations’ focus on supporting the burgeoning local film industry. GRFF has, since its inception recognized its responsibility to provide both support and a forum for the discussion of filmmaking.  Providing these services to local filmmakers will make it easier for their work to reach a commercial market”.

Duncan Finnigan Producer at MCC added “we believe that the work of local filmmakers will be made easier by this collaboration with GRFF. We both share a passion for filmmaking in general and the local community in particular.  Our mandate to support the local industry will be enhanced by this agreement with GRFF”.

Launched in 2007, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF), a non-profit organization, serves the Waterloo Region community by offering an annual Festival and Short Film program in which Canadian and international films are screened at venues throughout the Region.

The Local Focus Film Festival has been a showcase and discussion forum for recent films, video and new media works created by media arts practitioners based in Waterloo Region and adjacent areas since it was founded in 2008.

Multicultural Cinema Club, a Community Tools project of The Working Centre, was established in 2006 to create a culture of cinema within Waterloo Region by screening films, hosting discussions, creating artistic work and encouraging film-making in and with our community. The mandate of MCC is to provide access to affordable production and post-production facilities, training, and equipment to media creators
with a diverse cultural and economic background.

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Casting Call~ Distant Field Productions

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

Distant Field ProductionsDistant Field Productions is looking for amazing talent to bring to life the coolest short film ever produced!

We’re shooting in April, over the weekend of the 19-21. Most of the shoot will occur on the Saturday. Now this is how to spend a weekend…in cinematic style!

Here’s the link to the casting call, we hope to hear from you soon!

http://www.distantfieldproductions.com/casting-call.html

 

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Local Filmmaker Scott Clevely’s Adventures in Film

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

Scott Clevely is a local filmmaker who also maintains a very cool blog about his adventures in film. Follow the link below to read some of his posts. I’m sure some of us will relate to what he has to say, and hopefully, we’ll learn something along the way.

After all, we indie film folk have to stay together!

Here’s the link: http://www.scottclevely.com/2013/03/

Happy Reading!

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