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Crazy8s – Make your film with $800 in 8 days

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:24:27 +0000

We’ve talked about creating your own work, like those who have stepped up to create their own webseries. Well many people start out by getting into one of the local film competitions such as the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon or the BloodShots 48-Hour Horror Filmmaking Challenge. These types of events can not only be fun and really challenge your ability to create a interesting story in a short amount of time, but it can also help to get seen within the greater film community and give the extra push to a full time career.

Crazy8s is another great film competition in Vancouver which has helped to bring recognition to some of Vancouver’s filmmakers. Some of those who went through Crazy8s include Tracy D Smith, Carl Bessai, and Zach Lipovsky. Zach even made it to the top five on the reality show “On The Lot,” created by Steven Spielberg, where aspiring filmmakers compete to become the next big Hollywood director. Zach has since signed as a Director with Endeavor Agency in LA, and is working on his first feature film.

So Crazy8s is back again for their 11th year and for the first time, applicants are invited to submit a 5-minute video pitch of their film idea. You will need to register on December 13 but space is limited. Below are the details. This would be a great opportunity for many of you to showcase your creativity, hard work, and talent.

Sunday, Dec 13, 2009 – Pitch Registration
Space is limited, and you must sign up in person to be eligible to submit.

Friday, Jan 15, 2010 – Video pitches due

Jan 29 and 30, 2010 – The top 40 video pitches will be selected to pitch in-person to a jury of industry professionals

12 semi-finalists will be chosen.

Each filmmaking team will be paired with a professional story editor to craft their script before presenting it again to the jury.

Of the 12 teams, 6 finalists will be chosen.

Those 6 teams will receive $800 and tens of thousands of dollars in production services – everything they need to make their film.

Production and post-production will take place over 8 days (exact dates TBD) in late March or April, 2010.

Finished films will be screened at a gala screening at the Vogue Theatre.

For details on the pitch sign up and info session go to: http://crazy8s.cc/video-pitch.html

Good luck to everyone who plans on pitching!

BC Arts Cuts PSA

Kenji Maeda — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:37:02 +0000

The issue with the BC Arts Cuts is still upon us. Check out the links and videos below and find out how you can support the cause for our community of artists.

Stop BC Arts Cuts www.stopbcartscuts.ca

Grey Square – www.greysquare.ca

The Wrecking Ball event, November 23 – www.stopbcartscuts.ca/thewreckingball.html

[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.**

Theatre Community at the 2009 Jessie Awards

Kenji Maeda — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:04:54 +0000

June 15 2009. Monday evening. Walking along Granville St in downtown Vancouver. Walking past people who had no clue that some of the most talented theatre professionals and an abundance of theatre lovers were culminating in the second floor venue, Commodore Ballroom.

I admit that it was the first time I attended the Jessie Awards and I didn’t know what to expect. Heading into the ballroom, the room was abuzz. It was like a family reunion for some — the kind of family you want to hang out with. I said hi to some familiar faces like Lori Triolo (Cold Reading Series) and Paul Armstrong (Celluloid Social Club) and introduced myself to some new faces, like Simon Ogden (The Next Stage Mag). Simon and I had exchanged tweets on twitter before so it was nice to meet him in person.

Even though we were there for the awards ceremony, I didn’t feel the sense that it was all about competition between theatre professionals or companies. It truly felt like a gathering of people to celebrate what theatre has to offer the community.

Simon said it well on his blog:

I saw people basking in the glow of community. I saw a room full of people who don’t make very much money off of the thing that they love, and celebrating it anyway. I saw revered community members proud of the industry they have created, and young professionals proud of the industry they are creating.

Community. Community. Community. I try to push the importance as much as possible for the film and theatre community. Without each other we will not be able to build a sustainable and thriving local industry. We need to work together to build that community which can be recognized around the world.

For a list of winners, you can go to www.jessies.ca . Or even better, Simon (@thenextstagemag) and I (@kenjimaeda) live-tweeted the event throughout the evening. You can check out the tweetcast here.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 27th Jessie Richardson Awards.

2009 LEO Award Winners

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:15:57 +0000

This past weekend, on May 8 & 9, members of the film, and television industry gathered to celebrate the achievements of their peers for the 2009 Leo Awards. 70 awards from various categories were handed out over the two nights and some of those winners included:

Fifty Dead Men Walking for Best Feature Length Drama
Anne Wheeler, Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama, Living Out Loud
Michael Shanks, Best Lead Performance in a Feature Length Drama by a Male, Stargate Continuum
Babz Chula, Best Lead Performance in a Feature Length Drama by a Female, Mothers&Daughters
Benjamin Arthur, Best Supporting Performance in a Dramatic Series by a Male, Less Than Kind
Eve Harlow, Best Supporting Performance in a Dramatic Series by a Female, The Guard

Other winners included three awards to Comedy Series, Corner Gas; four for Lifestyle Series, The Stagers; three for the Documentary, Dirt; and for Short Dramas, six awards going to The Anachronism, and four to Paul Pontius.

Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Leo Awards!

For the full list of the 2009 Leo Award winners, go to www.leoawards.com/winners_2009.html .

Leo Awards 2009 – Nominations and Screening

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:05:10 +0000

The 2009 Leo Awards Ceremonies are coming up in just over a week — Fri, May 8, and Fri, May 9 at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver. For those of you who don’t know, the Leo Awards were established in 1998 to celebrate excellence in British Columbia film and television.

Achievements in 70 categories will be acknowledged over the two nights of celebration. Categories cover everything from Feature Length Dramas, Documentary Programs, Animation Series, Student Productions, News, to Youth Series including the many sub-categories like Directing, Acting, Writing, or Editing to name a few.

Check out the Leo Awards Film Festival at Pacific Cinémathèque from April 30 to May 4. You will have the opportunity to check out the nominees from some of the leading catergories – Best Feature-Length Drama, Best Documentary, Best Short Drama, and Best Student Production.

For the full list of films being screened over the five days, go to www.cinematheque.bc.ca/leo-awards-film-festival-2009.

Support local productions! And you can even get a 2-for-1 printable coupon by clicking here.

Congrats and good luck to all the nominees at this year’s awards ceremony.

Navigating the Network Scene

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:56:48 +0000

Image: odolphie

Many people are uncomfortable with the thought of networking. Not knowing how to start, where to go, who to meet or what to say can feel daunting. The truth is, it’s not as difficult as you may think. So here are a few things to keep in mind to help you move forward.

How to Start?

What are you trying to accomplish from networking? It could simply be that you want to get out and meet like-minded people. That’s completely understandable. Being around people who have similar interests and goals may be what you need to keep you moving forward when you’re feeling down or unmotivated. Don’t expect to meet people and have them hire you for some project they or their friends are making – it doesn’t work like that.

Where to go?

There are a number of events around Vancouver that are great places to meet new people. Granted, walking into a room where everyone seems to know everyone else… except you, can be unnerving, so here are some events you can get started with:

Women in Film have events every month, including their Career Networking Breakfast.
Celluloid Social Club is a monthly film screening event (Read our Celluloid Experience)
Cold Reading Series runs a weekly script reading event during the summer months.
Final Draught Reading Series runs weekly usually between October and March.
And don’t underestimate simply attending some of the many stage productions or theatre and film festivals around town.

Who to meet?

Anyone and everyone. You might focus on the people who’s name or face you recognize, but you may be missing out on meeting other people in the industry. Meet directors, producers, editors, actors, photographers… anyone. You could be selective of who you want to meet, but that also means that you’re limiting your own opportunities. You never know if you may be able to help them or vice-versa in the future. Try to be confident (or act like it – but not cocky), but be honest and meet people… especially when it’s at an event geared toward networking with others within the industry.

What to say?

Be yourself. Don’t always talk about industry related things. That may be a way to start off a conversation but that tends to be less interesting to know than what you do outside of acting, writing, or directing. That way you can show your personality. And a business card goes a long way. It allows people you meet to have your contact information handy (assuming they don’t lose it) and will be easier to remember who you are in the long run. A business card that you print out at home can be more effective than a scribble on a piece of paper.

Remember that networking is what you let it be. If you want it to be all about hierarchy and power imbalance, then that will affect how people perceive you. Alternatively, it can be about truly meeting people who have similar interests and want to continue to grow and connect the community within.