Category Archives: Training and Networking

Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative needs you to apply

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Calling all Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour creators and producers of any gender from across Canada! Time is running out to apply to the 2022 edition of the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative. Attend the 2022 Banff World Media Festival and benefit from an exclusive professional development program designed to help projects and careers move forward.

The deadline to apply is January 7, 2022 at 3:00 pm EST.

There are 100 spots available and the successful applicants will receive:

  • A full access pass to the 2022 Banff World Media Festival, a leading international conference and marketplace that provides a platform for the evolving media industry to develop its creative and business objectives.
  • A customized professional development program.
  • Networking opportunities with senior media industry executives.
  • Access to and visibility within the Canadian and international media industry.

But wait, there’s more!

Twenty-five participants will also invited to pitch their projects and will also receive:

  • A $1500 CAD travel stipend to attend the 2022 Banff World Media Festival (on the condition of an in-person Festival).
  • Mentorship from an industry advisor expertly positioned to provide actionable feedback on project and career development.
  • Private networking or pitching opportunities with Canadian and international executives.

See the eligibility requirements and the entry guidelines.

See the 2021 participants.

My take: BIPOC creators, go for this!

The Dutch Angle, explained

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Marie Cascione explains on Vox — why movies tilt the camera. Watch now:

She writes:

“The Dutch angle (aka Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle) is a filmmaking technique that involves setting the camera at an angle and tilting the entire scene. You see it everywhere, from blockbuster movies to soap commercials. It’s used to emphasize when something is a little off, or just to make a shot look more interesting. The thing is… it’s not actually Dutch. And it didn’t start with filmmakers. It was pioneered by German directors during World War I, when outside films were blocked from being shown in Germany. While Hollywood was serving up largely glamorous, rollicking films, the German film industry joined the expressionist movement in art and literature, which was focused on processing the chaos of world war. Its themes touched on betrayal, suicide, psychosis, and terror. And expressionist films conveyed that darkness not just through their plotlines, but through their set designs, costumes — and unusual camera shots.”

My take: all of this reminds me of my short film Largo. Because it’s a psychological portrait, I invoked elements of German Expressionism to illustrate the Captain’s mental state, particularly canted camera angles, skewed sets and long shadows. Not bad for 72 hours and $10!

Women: Apply to Banff SPARK now

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There are less than two weeks left to apply to the BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media.

This program is designed to address the systemic gap in gender equality and representation by providing essential opportunities and resources to help increase the number of Canadian women-owned businesses in the media industry.

Up to 100 spots are available and include:

  • A full-access pass to the 2022 Banff World Media Festival.
  • A $1500 CAD travel stipend to attend (on the condition of an in-person Festival).
  • A suite of tailored virtual workshops between February to April 2022.
  • Mentorship from an industry advisor.
  • Access to and visibility within the Canadian and global media industry.

BANFF Spark is open to candidates who are established in the media industry and those that are starting out. Content production businesses as well as those that offer services within the screen-based industry are eligible.

The application deadline is Monday, November 15, 2021 at Noon PST.

See the previous cohorts.

My take: very worthy and highly recommended.

Crazy8s deadline coming soon

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This Monday, October 25, 2021, at 11:59 pm, is the deadline to apply to Crazy8s on Film Freeway.

Since 1999, Vancouver’s Crazy8s has produced 127 short films. The Crazy8s Film Society exists to provide funding and support to emerging filmmakers to help them produce short films and to train crew and cast.

Each Writer, Directer and Producer team submits a 3-minute video pitch. Forty semi-finalists will be contacted by November 15 to schedule a time to pitch in-person to a jury of industry professionals on either November 20 or 21, 2021.

Next, twelve semi-finalists go into a story editing phase and work with a professional Script Editor.

Then the Top 6 Teams receive almost $50,000-worth of camera, lighting and grip packages, $1000 cash, and mentorship throughout the duration of their 8-day production and delivery of their final films.

The process culminates with a Gala Screening and AfterParty slated for April 9, 2022, in Vancouver.

My take: I’ve seen a number of Crazy8s films over the years and have always been impressed with their professionalism. Highly recommended.

NSI Series Incubator deadline approaches

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The NSI (National Screen Institute) is currently accepting applications for their new NSI Series Incubator program. Note: the deadline is October 14, 2021.

Four writer/producer teams with an idea and treatment for a live-action fictional series will receive workshops, mentorships and hands-on training, over eight months to develop their idea and create a $28,000 proof-of-concept film by July 2022.

Applications are welcomed from people who identify as (one or more):

  • Black
  • Indigenous
  • People of Colour
  • Women
  • Lesbian
  • Gay
  • Bisexual
  • Transgender
  • Queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+)
  • People with disabilities
  • Those outside large urban centres (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver)
  • People from regional and remote areas and various religious groups

In addition, applicants must:

  1. Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada, aged 18 or over
  2. Have an idea and preliminary treatment for a series
  3. Have demonstrated experience in a writer or producer role
  4. Maintain creative and financial control over the project as well as technical ownership.
  5. Not be a participant in any other training program that would conflict with your ability to commit to the NSI Series Incubator program
  6. Have production or craft experience, or business affairs/legal experience, or marketing/distribution experience, or some combination of these
  7. Demonstrate storytelling ability with past works (i.e.: short film, short story, journalism or another creative writing endeavour)
  8. Commit the necessary time to complete this multiphase training

Your application must include one file that contains:

  1. Project name; format; genre; time frame; setting/location; synopsis (one to two pages); source of series
  2. Producer CV clearly stating production experience: include your role on the production and the following information about each project: the writer/producer; genre; if it was a student film; final running time; any broadcasts/theatrical release/festivals played; is it in development, production, post or completed?
  3. Writer CV demonstrating your storytelling experience: include short film, short story, journalism or another creative writing endeavour.
  4. Producer letter of reference AND writer letter of reference: these letters should help identify why the person providing the reference feels you are ready to develop a series.
  5. Producer letter of expectation AND writer letter of expectation: both the producer and writer should provide a paragraph explaining what they hope to gain by participating in NSI Series Incubator.
  6. Additional letter (if applicable): required for applicants who need to demonstrate their suitability to participate in the program because they don’t meet eligibility criteria.
  7. Series proposal: including: overall concept, seasonal arc, lead character descriptions (maximum of four) and target audience.
  8. Writing sample: (no more than 10 pages) from the writer.

Note: there is a $100 non-refundable application fee per project and $500 tuition per successful participant.

My take: full disclosure: I have never been successful with any of my applications to the NSI. However, I have heard from participants that they highly value the training they received. Although this application is quite lengthy, the $10,000 cash injected into your proof-of-concept short is well worth it, in addition to the training and mentorships. I highly recommend this program to my friends who identify as: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres (Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal), and/or people from regional and remote areas and various religious groups.

TV Showrunner Bootcamp: apply now!

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BIPOC writers take note: here’s a great way to advance in episodic television.

The BIPOC TV & Film Showrunner Training Bootcamp is a 4-day workshop-style intensive for mid-level to senior writers. Led by writer and executive producer, Anthony Q. Farrell, along with special guest instructors and panellists, the workshop will train up to 50 writers on best practices in managing and staffing their writing rooms, managing production and post-production schedules, and working effectively with production companies and broadcasters.

Farrell says:

“A nice thing about the Canadian Entertainment industry right now is that more doors are opening for BIPOC creators. It’s a beautiful thing. What I’m noticing though, is that many of those creators are being thrown into showrunning without any real preparation or support. The goal of this program is to get mid and upper-level writers ready for the jump to showrunning, demystify elements of the role that are new to them, and to inspire them to take creative control of their series. We’ll go through the nuts and bolts of the job so they’re mostly ready for the opportunity if and when it arises.”

The Showrunner Training Bootcamp is open to Canadian writers who are Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized (Persons of Colour). To be eligible you must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

  1. You have or had a show (web or TV) in development with a Canadian broadcaster or with a production company; or,
  2. You have attained a producer-level credit on at least one season of a Canadian TV or web series; or,
  3. You have a story editor credit on an animated series.

Here’s the program:

Week 1 (October 16): Managing and staffing your creative team

  • What to look for when hiring, where to find your writers
  • How to cultivate a safe working environment
  • How to communicate and delegate effectively
  • How and when to promote junior writers
  • How to work best with story editors/coordinators
  • How to manage relationships and set realistic expectations with producers
  • How to manage a co-showrunning relationship

Week 2 (October 23): Managing Schedules
Guest Instructor: Jim Corston

  • Breaking down line producing and budgets
  • Pitfalls for showrunners to avoid
  • Determining budget realities and priorities
  • Staying within your budget and production schedule
  • Special session on notes; who gives them, when, pushing back, communicating them to writers

Week 3 (November 6): Production & Post Production
Guest Instructor: Dave Huband

  • Post production workflow from day one to delivery
  • Tracking dailies
  • Working with editors (giving and taking notes)
  • What to look for at the mix and in colour correction

Week 4 (November 20): Managing Relationships + Wrap-up
Guest Panellists: Marsha Greene, Floyd Kane, Vera Santamaria

  • Building and managing relationships with your writers, actors, crew, non-writing producers, broadcasters
  • Panel featuring showrunners from Canada and the US

Apply by September 19, 2021 here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCjxsiHG0GN0bqQb9EPhk3N8A5ar78eIaMb2gzX4JnmKVO4Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

My take: Ana de Lara, this is for you!

The Future of Film Showcase 2021

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The annual Future of Film Showcase (FOFS) is happening now.

Evan Goldberg (google him if you don’t recognize the name) gave the opening keynote conversation.

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail interviewed him leading up to this. On if heading off to Hollywood is the only way to make it, he says:

“Seth and I knew our sensibility was in making huge in-theatre comedies. But if you’re trying to make a dramatic indie film that’s not specifically designed to be a blockbuster that makes a lot of money, then Canada has an incredible system to help you. I feel that Canada is always pushing its filmmakers in an impressive way. Usually there’s the industry that pushes it, but the actual political forces of Canada push it forward, too. But I feel like it’s going to break through in a bigger way soon. Canada has been known as a great place to produce comedians, but there’s a wave of directors and producers coming up, too. And the opportunities are growing: We have giant corporations and studios setting up shop here.”

Most of the Industry Panels have passed or are full but there are still two ZOOM seminars available:

Watch this year’s films on CBC GEM and read about them here.

My take: a worthy cause and event — but maybe slightly ageist, as their definition of emerging means 40 and under. I guess that makes me “post-emerging?” (Back in the day, 30 was the supposed dividing line. Remember, “Don’t trust anyone over 30?”)

Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative announces 2021 participants

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The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative has just announced this year’s participants.

The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative is a training and development program for emerging and mid-career creatives and producers of commercial television and/or digital media content. The program aims to provide industry access and an international market platform for participants to sell their projects at the Banff World Media Festival, June 14-July 16, 2021.

I recently interviewed Mia Golden and Arnold Lim, both participants this year, separately by email:

Michael Korican: Congratulations! How does it feel?

Mia Golden: “It feels wonderful. I had applied last year but didn’t get in so it was really exciting to get the news.”

Arnold Lim: “I am really grateful for the opportunity! The Banff Media Festival and the Netflix Diversity of Voices Initiative are making a real-world difference. As an indie director and producer, I have never had the opportunity to go before, so this is a tangible opportunity that I don’t take for granted.”

M.K.: How long have you been living in Victoria and have you noticed attitudes and behaviour towards diverse people change over that time?

M.G.: “I moved to Victoria in ’94 and have seen many changes. When I first moved here there really wasn’t much diversity. And while it still wouldn’t be considered a melting pot with respect to cultural diversity, I at least don’t feel like I stand out anymore. Aside from Jamaica where I was born and Toronto, where my mother and I moved when she returned to Canada (with her 2 year old Jamaican souvenir) I had always lived in communities that were primarily White. And like many children I was on the receiving end of teasing and name calling, and because I stood out visually, the name calling was racially based.”

A.L.: “I was born in Vancouver and moved to Victoria as a teenager. Things have changed for the better, but I do think there is still room to grow. Flagrant incidences of racism are becoming less frequent, but the more subtle instances are still there. Having said that I am proud to be Canadian and know that there are places that have it much worse.”

M.K.: Can you share some “then” and “now” examples?

M.G.: “I have always found Victoria more open compared to my teenage home town in Northern BC where my last visit there a few years ago a man leaned out his truck window and yelled, “Hey, it’s Chaka Khan.” Now having said all that, I feel that most biases are based on unconscious beliefs, fears or misunderstandings and I really don’t take things too personally. I am very happy there is more awareness on the topic and that representation is finally increasing in mainstream media. I’d love for people to know that a BIPOC parent can have a child of any colour within the spectrum of their DNA, for example. Like I am the shade that I am but I have friends and acquaintances with the same type of mixture who are very dark and some who have no pigment at all. That’s genetics! I’d love for that awareness to trickle down when it comes to casting families. I am seeing more mixed families in commercials and I’d love to see continued awareness of that in our film community here on the Island. If you watch most films from even a couple of years ago, it’s primarily white actors. Now some of that is due to the pool to choose from. Like I said before we aren’t a BIPOC rich community, but it is getting better and I feel we as filmmakers need to be proactive in seeking out diversity in what we write and how we cast. Now to be clear, I feel that casting should be based on talent and ability to give the director the performance needed for the role, but opportunities should be wide open. And I do think that in the last couple of years especially, there is an increase in awareness.”

A.L.: “I remember when I first moved to Victoria I got on the bus and was sitting down behind a woman who turned around just then and yelled at me to “Go back to where you came from!” before moving to a different seat to get away from me.”

M.K.: Of all the projects you’ll be taking to Banff, which one excites you most, and why?

M.G.: “I am very lucky that the team I work with and I have a few projects including a few features, a factual series and a couple of series. I am, however, most excited about one of the features we shot in November that I wrote, co-produced and acted in. We will be announcing more about that in the near future!”

A.L.: “I have both a feature called “The Bryce Lee Story” and a continuing series called “Holdouts” that I am developing with various writers that I am very excited about because they tell unique stories of the Asian-Canadian experience in Canada. Of all the films I have directed or produced, none of them had any diversity in the leads until I started casting them in. I am excited to continue that journey in front of and behind the camera.”

My take: I think this is wonderful! Just like I think we need more women in politics, we need more diversity in media. And business and education too. Few people know that Sir James Douglas, one of colonial Victoria’s first governors, was born in Demerara to a Scottish father and a Barbadian Creole mother and had an Anglo-Métis wife. Victoria’s nineteenth century history is populated by a mix of First Nations, Chinese, Scots, English, Americans and even Hawaiians.

Best places to live as a filmmaker in 2021

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MovieMaker Magazine has just published their Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2021.

COVID got you down? Fed up with your current town? Perhaps a move is in your future.

Here is the list:

HALL OF FAME CITIES

  • New York City
  • Los Angeles

BIG CITIES

  • 25. St. Petersburg, Florida
  • 24. Milwaukee
  • 23. Seattle
  • 22. San Antonio
  • 21. Kansas City, Missouri
  • 20. Washington D.C.
  • 19. Portland
  • 18. Baltimore
  • 17. San Diego
  • 16. Memphis
  • 15. Oklahoma City
  • 14. Cleveland
  • 13. Cincinnati
  • 12. Dallas
  • 11. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 10. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • 9. Boston
  • 8. Miami
  • 7. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 6. Philadelphia
  • 5. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • 4. Chicago
  • 3. Austin
  • 2. Atlanta
  • 1. Albuquerque

SMALL CITIES & TOWNS

  • 10. Ashland, Oregon
  • 9. Wilmington, North Carolina
  • 8. Richmond, Virginia
  • 7. Tulsa
  • 6. Providence
  • 5. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  • 4. Savannah
  • 3. Pittsburgh
  • 2. Santa Fe
  • 1. New Orleans

Of Vancouver, they say:

“Ryan Reynolds came home last year to shoot the star-studded The Adam Project, which features Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana. But Vancouverites are more than accustomed to seeing famous faces around town at this point: generous, sustainable tax incentives, and temperate Canadian weather have lured many an A-lister up the Pacific Coast. Sandra Bullock shot an untitled Netflix film in the Chinatown district of Vancouver in 2020, and you can ponder what it might be about as you walk along nine beaches stretching out over 18 kilometers — that’s about 11 miles in American. If you’re looking to go back to school, British Columbia has seventeen educational institutions that offer digital media and motion picture production programs, including the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Capilano U, and Vancouver Film School. Tax credits in British Columbia can be tricky, but it’s worth the money you’ll spend on a good accountant to figure them out. A production can receive a 35% basic tax credit along with several additional credits for particular types of projects and locations. For example, a digitally animated production done in certain locations could receive a total credit of a jaw-dropping 69.5%.”

Of Victoria, they say:

“Vancouver thrives as a big-city alternative to Los Angeles and New York City, and Victoria thrives as a smaller alternative. It’s only about 75 miles away from Vancouver, but getting there will require a combination of driving and a ferry — which takes about four hours from downtown Vancouver — or a flight, which takes about 35 minutes. Victoria is worth the trip. The Vancouver Island Sound Film and Media Commission notes that the island, where Victoria is located, has locations that can double for everything from Central Park to English castles to the French Quarter to the Napa Valley. Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in Deadpool is really Hatley Castle, just outside Victoria, and Vancouver Island’s Highway 19 was the scene of a harrowing chase in Sonic the Hedgehog. We’d suggest referring to our entry about Vancouver for a taste of the significant tax benefits that await you in Victoria, but as we said there, you’ll probably want to enlist a tax professional. The commission will cheerfully direct you to qualified crew and production services, and your mood will be elevated by waking up each day to dreamy greenery and crashing waves.”

My take: so there! Five mentions on a list of thirty-seven places: we’re punching above our weight.

How to film an indie feature

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Ted Sim of Indy Mogul recently interviewed Nigel Bluck, DOP on The Peanut Butter Falcon, to discover How to Film an Indie Feature.

Some takeaways (mostly direct quotes) for me:

  • Shooting single-camera wastes a lot of people’s time.
  • Light for the whole scene, not just one shot. Get yourself into a backlit situation for the master and then you’re going to be fine.
  • The best thing you can do is to take light away and start shaping things that way.
  • Shoot a Master and a Sub-Master. Then shoot two Over-the-Shoulder Medium shots. Those two setups gets you the minimum coverage you need for a scene.
  • Night shooting: go to the street at night and you look at what’s there; look at the colour temperature of the lights that are there and the lights that you put in, make them the same colour temperature so it all belongs in one reality.
  • Choose less gear and make smart solutions.

My take: I have never heard of the French Over, so that’s a new angle for me. Love Nigel’s approach to doing more with less. Although some find two-camera shoots scary, I will say the music video I made with two-cameras was so much easier to edit. His lighting philosophy makes it possible.