Artists may be long on creativity but what they’re most often short on is cash to realize their ideas. Where the painter needs canvas, brushes, and paints to bring his imagination to life the filmmaker may require equipment, facilities, hardware, software, and more importantly the cooperation of other…people. A film may be the realization of one person’s vision but it is utlimately the result of an ensemble effort to collectively make that vision a reality. Given this principal it is only fitting that the prominent issue of how to fund films would be the first workshop offered at MIFF this year.

Paco Alvarez (Forward Motion Entertainment) and Matt Campagna (MIFF Founder and filmmaker) hosted a candid workshop titled “MONEY FOR MOVIES” this afternoon that proved to be helpful and informational. The workshop was an overview of how to fund films between the ten thousand and one million dollar budget range. Alvarez was honest and to the point about the film business giving sound and solid advice to novice filmmakers and perhaps enlightening the perspective of some more experienced producers in the group. He covered everything from funding, tax credits, and the reality of the film business being a business. The information he provided allowed everyone present to fully comprehend the process of selling and funding films and the realities of success and failure within those paradigms.

Matt Campagna was a great asset to the workshop as he gave an insight into how it is an indie filmmaker can use the information provided with regards to the various governmental and private avenues of funding. This was very helpful and encouraging as the harsh realities of the business were revealed whilst mitigated by the live example of someone who has used the same information presented to work through the industry, sell a film, and get funding for a future projects. What was most impressive was that for every question about hypothetical situations there was always a real life and relevant answer accessible to the audience via Matt Campagna.

In an industry where answers are hard (if not impossible) to find these two gentlemen held nothing back from the audience of attentive listeners and avid participants. I only hope everyone took as many notes as I did because whether you are a writer, director, producer, or actor there was a lot of information given today that will prove to save valuable time in an industry where time is money.

Mississauga Independent Film Festival just keeps raising the bar year after year. The 2010 line up for shorts and features can be found at www.miff.ca and will prove to have something in it for just about anyone regardless of movie going preferences or taste. There are comedies, dramas, love stories, fantastical animations, heart warming documentaries, and much more. The MIFF team have done it again by managing to prove that the independent spirit is alive and well at this festival.

In true MIFF fashion there aren’t just films but also workshops featuring vital information for both new and working filmmakers. This year’s workshops are titled “Money for Movies” and “Big Time Sound”; they address two of the biggest problems indie filmmakers have: first being, how to pay for all of their creative ideas, and the second, how to make what looks great sound just as amazing and professional (which is a lot harder than you think).

After a few long hard days at the cinema everyone can enjoy the after party and award presentation that will be held Sunday night at West 50 Pourhouse. You can expect some really amazing interviews this year along with some great reviews as the films and their makers prove to be especially extraordinary. I’m having a great time so far and can’t wait to post all the videos and reviews for all of you to see.

The only good part about being swamped with "real world" work is that when you get back to doing the things you love you have a pleasant surprise.  When I listened back to my interview with Juan Riedinger to do the transcription I was all smiles.  After I met Juan and the interview was over we got to talking and he’s a super sweet guy not to mention amazingly talented.  He acts, writes, directs, speaks a few languages, is pretty funny, and just an all around cool guy.  So here we are again down in the metaphoric hole and the power of the Mississauga Independent Film Festival has saved me yet again along with the audio clip I have of Juan and the memory of his wicked short Shark Out of Water.  Canadian filmmakers to the rescue as it were.

Shark Out of Water, written and directed by Juan, is a really powerful film.   It centres around two poker players who have to come to terms with their addiction.  Each character demonstrates their individual struggle and unique set of circumstances that prompt this addiction while the film overall illustrates that people with addictions are regular people with regular lives just like the rest of us.  

I have to say it’s wonderfully shot and the scene work is really indicative of an "actor’s director".  Each performance shines with it’s unique flavour and the ending is both powerful and engaging for the audience.  A great look, amazing performances, an enviable score and really well written in my opinion.  It always helps when the people whose films you like turn out to be amazing individuals themselves.  It makes writing about them easier and I must say that prepping this instalment of the Indie Weekly featuring Juan Riedinger was utterly effortless.  

AnnieG:  Hi this is AnnieG and I’m here with…

Juan Riedinger:  My name is Juan Riedinger and I’m here representing the short film Shark Out of Water from Vancouver. 

AnnieG:   Can you give us a run down of the film for people watching/listening?

Juan Riedinger:   The film is about two poker obsessed men who have to come to terms with their addiction.

AnnieG:  All right, great, can you tell us a bit about how the project came about; where the inspiration came from?

Juan Riedinger:  I am, or in the past, I was an avid poker player myself.  It actually resulted in my having lost a bit of money one day and I decided that gross feeling that I was feeling I wanted to transform into something creative and something positive.  So I just decided to sit down and write a film about it.  And then I had a close friend, Andrew Halliwell, who came on as a producer and he was really the one who lit a fire up under my butt to get the whole thing going.  And Andrew and myself got started and that’s what it’s led to.

AnnieG:  Excellent.  Can you tell us a bit about MIFF and how you found out about it and came to submit your film and experience here.

Juan Riedinger: I actually heard about MIFF through, because it actually is a young festival, and I heard about it through WITHOUT A BOX.  And I just read up about it and how filmmaker friendly it was also really affordable compared to a lot of other festivals and I just thought I want to give it a shot.  And, I saw and interview Matt and Jeff did and they looked like really great guys.   They had mentioned some projects that I knew about from Vancouver so I don’t know–I gave it a shot and we got accepted.  This is actually our world premier. 

AnnieG:  Oh really?  That’s interesting.  So how’s that experience been for you here?  Premiering your film for the first time and get to meet people at the festival.  Give folks a general idea of what it feels like to be at MIFF.

Juan Riedinger: It feels amazing.  I flew in yesterday evening.   The premier of my film has been my first experience here but everyone has been super friendly and the quality of films I saw in that short program was just phenomenal.  I just attended a workshop with Jeff and Matt where they were talking about making your first feature which is something that Andrew and I are in the process of doing.  They were super informative and really knew what they were talking about;  and I learned a ton, and I’m glad that they offer these kinds of things because I don’t know if a lot of festivals offer this kind of inside information.   The venue’s been great and I’ve been having a phenomenal time so far.  It was worth the trip out from Vancouver. 

AnnieG:  Your meeting other artists in this very open atmosphere.  What’s that been like:  networking with people and just getting to know people in your same medium?

Juan Riedinger: That as well has been great.  As I said I haven’t been here too long and I haven’t had a chance to talk to a ton of people but the people I have been talking to have been really great.  It’s been great picking their brains and their asking me questions and it’s cool because everybody’s in the same boat.  Everybody knows what everybody’s going through.  And hopefully I’m going to build some contacts here that I’ll be working with down the road some day. 

AnnieG:  What does an independent festival like this mean for you as a Canadian artist/indie artist trying to come up?  What does it afford you what does it mean for you in the landscape of Canadian art and the state it’s in right now.

Juan Riedinger: It’s tremendously important.  I think this festival gives the opportunity to truly talented filmmakers.  Our film, I was getting so frustrated because we were actually nominated for four LEO awards in Vancouver which is a fairly prestigious awards ceremony and we were nominated for best short drama, best direction in a short,  best performance and best original score.  That was a huge accomplishment for us but at the same time I’d submitted to all these festivals and nobody would take it.  I was baffled:  how are we getting accolades and not getting into festivals?  Because obviously there’s talent there.  I mean I don’t want to toot my own horn but it’s a film that I’m very proud of and people need to see it.  So having MIFF accept it and having the world premier here just makes me happy.  I think it’s really important that they’re doing this kind of thing. 

AnnieG:  So, it’s a fairly accessible festival.  That’s the feeling I get from everyone.  What do you say to people who think that because other festivals aren’t accessible and we seem to have this gate keeping system…What do you say to people who think they can’t be a part of this?  Artists who think they shouldn’t even bother trying.

Juan Riedinger: Well, first of all you should submit to MIFF.  I get the feeling that they actually watch the films which can’t be said for a lot of these festivals.  I’ve heard stories and I’m not going to mention names but I’ve talked to jury members from other festivals who say that they’ll watch the first two minutes of a film and turn it off.  And that is so frustrating as a filmmaker.  These guys (MIFF) will give you a fair shot and if there’s talent in you’ve got a good chance of being accepted and having it shown on a big screen for  a public audience.  And it’s been an amazing experience. 

AnnieG: So what’s your message to artists then?

Juan Riedinger: My message would be to follow your heart and if you are passionate about what your work just go for it. 

AnnieG:  Once again your name and what you’re here representing.

Juan Riedinger:    I’m Juan Riedinger I am the writer/director of the short film Shark Out of Water.  And for more information about the film we actually have a website www.sharkoutofwater.com    On that website we are self distributing because we want to see if we can make some of our money back.  So on that website we have compiled  a professionally authored DVD with tons of special features and we have cameo appearances by world class poker players so if anyone out there is interested please check it out. 

For more information about Shark Out of Water you can check their web address @ www.sharkoutofwater.com  They have lots of links and information about the film on there.  As always I hope it was as good for you as it was for me folks!

© all photographs provided by AnnieG and all other related media is the property of  Made In the Shade & Strangeways Productions and their respective associates/copyright holders. This is a transcribed interview conducted by AnnieG at the 2009 Mississauga Independent Film Festival. This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, or reproduced in any other way, without written consent from AnnieGMovies.

I met D. Gregor Hagey and Morning Glory at the Mississauga Independent Film Festival where they gave a workshop for the RED CAM and I was fortunate enough to interview the guys afterwards.  D. Gregor Hagey is a Toronto based Director of Photography whose completed nearly 200 projects in his 16 years as a working artist.  He’s worked on everything from music videos, documentaries, shorts, and features. Currently he’s working on the second unit for a show you’ve probably heard of called Flash Point, yes that Flash Point you see on CBS/CTV.  He was one of the first adopters of the RED Camera and has been invited to speak all over Canada as a result of his knowledge and expertise with the new technology.  If you don’t think Red Camera is revolutionary then take yourself to your local cinema and watch District 9 so you can get a better idea of the technology.  This Ryerson graduate received a CSC nomination in 2003 for his work with 35mm anamorphic on the short  Filthy and was nominated again in 2008 for his work on the Docudrama series Mayday: Gimli Glider.  You get a glimpse of his work with Red One Camera in the rock’n'roll comedy SUCK which you can catch at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.   

Morning Glory (brother and partner in crime of D.Gregor) works as a Data Management Technician in Toronto. Morning describes himself as a very independent filmmaker and after meeting him I’d have to agree.  He’s studied at both York University and Ryerson Polytechnic.  A forward and free thinker Morning was one of the first to purchase the Red Camera after following its development from its early days as an online rumour to its production and now its industry implementation.  One might say he’s been addicted to Red since its inception and is now at the forefront of its constantly evolving technology.  Along with being a Data Management Technician Morning has also worked as a video assistant on commercials and as a web designer. 

I have to say that it was really great to get to interview these gentlemen and pick their brains for thirty minutes.  It was so great it inspired this interview series.  Here you have it folks, the very first Behind The Lens with D. Gregor Hagey and Morning Glory.

AnnieG:  Hi this is AnnieG and I’m here with..

D.Gregor:  Gregor Hagey

Morning:  Morning Glory

AnnieG:  And you guys are from?

D.Gregor:  We’re both from Toronto.

AnnieG:  Company???? (giggles)

D.Gregor: I’m a Director of Photography and I have a website www.dghagey.com, it’s my website.  

AnnieG:  Do you have any websites?

Morning:  The website soon to be up its (www.rubedo.ca) Rubedo.ca, Rubedo is the name of my company as well.  

AnnieG:  Cool.  Tell me a bit about how you guys got involved with the Mississauga Independent Film Festival. 

D.Gregor: I know Jeff from an indie feature that I shot last year on the Red Camera.  Jeff was a writer/producer on it and he told me about this crazy movie he made with his brother and all that so I went and got a copy of it and watched it and thought it was awesome.  And we just kind of stayed in contact after the project we worked on last year.  Then he comes up with he does this film festival as well and he’s like some super human Canadian filmmaker I don’t know.  He makes movies he makes film festivals.  So, late last year at some point he said "we’d love to have a red workshop next year, would you do it?"  And I said oh yeah sure and he followed up with it this winter and that’s just Jeff, Jeff just invited us.

AnnieG:  So tell me a bit about working with Red and how got involved with working with Red Camera.

D.Gregor: Well, I guess I got involved working with Red Camera with my brother’s camera, one of the first camera’s to come into town.  Well, I’ll just start he had one of the first cameras coming into Toronto and so being a DP I of course wanted to shoot a test with it. I started working with Red Camera the day it arrived shooting camera tests and two days after it arrived we shot a short film.  So it’s a technology I’d followed on the internet and I’d followed the forums for it and after it arrived, well technically I was the guy who flew down and checked it out.  

Morning:  Yes, you touched my camera before I did.   In Lake Forrest California in Jim Jannard’s hot car garage.

D.Gregor:  (Giggles) Yeah.

Morning:  Funny car?

D.Gregor: Yeah, I don’t know it was some kind of garage. I mean he called it his garage but it was this big giant warehouse.  

AnnieG: (laughs) Oh, wow.

Morning:  A millionaire’s garage.

D.Gregor:  A millionaire.  I was like "this is your garage?".   It’s like this giant warehouse out in this industrial park.  

Morning:  They’re moving to Nevada though.  They have a "Red Ranch". 

AnnieG: Just in time for the water to run out.

D.Gregor: I know.  It doesn’t make any sense.  I don’t know why anyone would want to move to Nevada.

Morning: Maybe that’s a secret invention he’s working on.  Water

D.Gregor: Water out of  sand.

AnnieG:  Digitizing it some how so that it turns into water.

DGregor:   Yeah.  I have no idea.

Morning:   Wavelet compression. Put the waves in wavelet.   

DGregor: Ahhh that’s it.

Morning:  I guess I can give you a little more detail on the origin.  I’m a very independent filmmaker in terms of I work in all sorts of genres I do drama, I do documentary, I do experimental; I love shooting more of an essayic/personal diary/journal kind of filmmaking that I would often do with my Bolex. But even a hundred feet of film…

AnnieG:  It’s expensive.

Morning:  Yeah.  And I even like cutting with work prints in 16 so I could project it on a big screen to see how the relation goes in editing.  So I felt video was okay, it had it’s place.  It was a different medium than film it didn’t replace film it’s just a different medium.   But I really, even when Gregor and I went to Ryerson and we were entering Ryerson in the 90’s, he was ahead of me, but when we were entering we could tell film would become a fine art.  It was already on it’s way out.  We knew that at some point the technology would converge and film would be on the decline just like painting became a fine art when photography came in.  We knew that filmmaking would probably be somebody somewhere making their own emulsion on y’know some plastic 20 or 30 years from now but for the most part as a commercial medium we even knew back then it was on its way out.  So I guess I was feeling I wanted to take that next step and I thought a prosumer camera like the HVX200 would sort of suit my needs.  It shot 720, it shot progressive, it shot up to 60 frames per second.   So I came up with a little budget of what I wanted to spend, 15 grand, and I showed it to my brother cause he’s ahead of me and he’s more focussed on being a cinematographer where I’m a little more of a generalist in terms of wanting to know how to make films on my own or with a crew but I can be versatile that way.  And he felt I wasn’t going to be happy going from the Bolex to the HVX200, that there were just too many sacrifices.  So he said watch the Red, watch it’s development and see how it goes.  This was in 2005, it was just a rumour on the internet.   So I also followed it religiously and still go to Red User every single day. Back in the day it was DVX User until they finally decided it had enough steam and created their own website which became Reduser.net.  So yeah, I put my money down on the first day that they were taking deposits and in April 2006 I couldn’t fly down to NAB but I phoned and left a message.  I didn’t hear back from them till midnight, of course they’re two hours ahead, but I was a little worried that I got lost in the shuffle but I didn’t and ended up being in the first 100 cameras that got sold.  

AnnieG: Just a quick question since you are talking about where it’s going.  What do you think about Michael Mann in a feature and commercial format to use digital.   Since you guys are in the DP world and in the indie world working as a versatile artist what is your take on that and its impact?

D.Gregor:  Well, I mean. Digital films have been around, Dogma 95 was kind of the first wake up call that you could shoot something on minidv and have a lot of people go watch it.  

Morning:  Well, Hoop Dreams was before that but that was a documentary.  

D.Gregor: That was a documentary, but that was a very popular documentary.    

AnnieG: Dancer In the Dark.

D.Gregor: That was Lars von Trier who came out of the Dogma 95.

AnnieG: Which he put to end anyways.

D.Gregor: Well yeah.  If you read the Dogma 95 manifesto it’s a drunken joke.  

Morning: Well Dancer In The Dark broke Dogma 95 in many ways.  It was his first post Dogma 95 film but it was video.   

D.Gregor:  To me as a cinematographer as long as, budgets aside, I think you just have to make an aesthetic choice at a certain point.  But, you can’t ignore budgets, no one lives in a vacuum with out y’know…"oh you know what ever it costs we’ll just do it".Films aren’t made that way almost no where except for a few Hollywood movies.  So In Canada digital, I think it’s great.   Certainly there’s a lot more films being made.  I don’t know if there’s a lot more better films being made but there certainly are good films being made on digital video–absolutely.  There’s probably a lot more bad films too, but I mean, I don’t have to watch the bad films, it doesn’t matter, so long as a gem comes along every now and again that’s fine.  And what the Red Camera has done as an affordable digital camera is it’s levelled the playing field with 35mm so you don’t have to see it as a compromise to shoot digitally anymore–aesthetically. 

AnnieG:  Aesthetically yeah.

D.Gregor:  There’s a feature I shot on minidv when the DVX first came out and it turned out quite well and we blew it up to 35. And we got as much production value out of that format as we could but it still has a look that’s not as grand or cinematic as my personal aesthetic is as I would say most people’s aesthetic is.  So if the Red Camera had been available or had been around at that point in time we would have shot on that and I think the film would have had a much bigger impact.  Y’know you try to get the most you can out of the budget you have with your production value and now the Red Camera’s allowed you to go so much further and stretch your dollars so much further than you could before with the production value and really suck people in to the story telling.  So I think you had mentioned Michael Mann, and I mean I haven’t seen Public Enemies yet.

AnnieG: Miami Vice was partially shot…

D.Gregor: Miami Vice was on the Viper. And it’s interesting because he, from what I can tell, he likes his films to look digital.  

AnnieG: Yeah, he embraces it.

D.Gregor: He doesn’t try to make it look like film.  I mean that’s not my personal aesthetic but I find it interesting that someone like Michael Mann whose made so many movies and some really stylish films over the years now his films he’s shooting digitally and he wants it to look like video which is kinda wierd but it’s obviously a very aesthetic choice.  He wants to invoke some kind of an effect on people.  Miami Vice looked very video it did not look like film or cinematic at all it looked very digital, like digital video.  I guess in a way it makes it feel more like reality.  Because reality TV is so dominant now and people are so used to watching digital video on reality television so.

Morning:  And their home videos before that.

D.Gregor:  And home video before that but it was never a dominant entertainment form to watch things on video.  

Morning:  Except with America’s Funniest Home Videos, that’s where it all started I think.  

D.Gregor: What?

Morning: America’s Funniest Home Videos.

D.Gregor:  America’s Funniest Home Videos, yes well.   

AnnieG:  Well there’s skate board.  As long as boarding’s been around also there’s also the underground videos with skate videos.

D.Gregor: Of course.

AnnieG: They were very popular and that was a movement on its own. 

D.Gregor: Absolutely.

AnnieG:  Or music video making. 

D.Gregor:  Absolutely, yeah.  And I think there’s a lot of people who’ve come out of the skate board video genre and went right into the Red Camera for sure.  It’s a natural progression.  It’s a bit heavy.  It’s a bit of a big heavy camera for skate board videos.  

Morning: They’re waiting for the Scarlet for sure. 

AnnieG:  Canon XL was a favourite for skate videos for a long time.

D.Gregor:  Yeah, I don’t know there’s so many aspects of the digital revolution.  You could say that the video revolution started with 3/4 inch porta packs in the early 70’s.  Before you had to have a tethered camera that records to some one inch machine in a studio but then the 3/4 inch porta pack came out and it was an analog camera that recorded on 3/4 inch tape and a lot of artists, video artists, documentarians started shooting with that and it was all the same arguments that we’re using today.  It’s freedom, it’s independence, it’s greater creative control, and the Red Camera is definitely part of that evolution of technology.  And it’s come to the point now where in most situations or in many situations it’s completely imperceptible the difference between the Red Camera and 35mm.  And 35 mm film is the gold standard of picture quality.   

AnnieG: Well there’s 70.

D.Gregor:  Well, there’s 70 but who shoots 65?  That doesn’t happen very often.  And the vast majority of films are shot on 35 and that’s what we’re used to seeing that the look.  And now the Red Camera’s kind of converged and it’s really perceptually it’s not much even though it’s completely different technologies.  The digital technology is so close in resolution and latitude, its’ difficult to explain, but there’s just some qualities of it that are different that what digital and video technologies were in the past that made them look very different and perhaps aesthetically unappealing.  I mean one of the biggest digital films of all time was probably The Blair Witch Project:  a super indie low budget thing.  And it was shot as a mock documentary, it looked very much like minidv video.  You know there’s technically a lot of things wrong with that movie but it worked, it sucked the audience in.  It kind of felt like a real documentary and you got pulled into it and it had a big impact on people.  And then 10 years later you have Cloverfield which is the Hollywood version of The Blair Witch Project which I thought was a really scary movie.  It sucked your right in and it used all those techniques that an independent filmmaker had used in Blair Witch.   

Morning:  I think they shot it with three or four different formats and three or four different cameras.   

D.Gregor:  Cloverfield was shot with an HVX200 and a Viper and an F900 I believe.  A bunch of cameras.

Morning: I’d have to say that the biggest digital feature was Attack of The Clones.   

D.Gregor: Oh, Attack of The Clones.  Technically yes.  Lucas’s last trilogy was all HD.

Morning: No.

D.Gregor: Well the first one was 35 and the last two were shot…

Morning: On the Genesis prototype.    

AnnieG: Would you like to add anything to what’s happening? (To Morning)

Morning:  Well, I guess I see it as a third.   To me it’s not video it’s not film it has it’s own aesthetic.  I think that will be discovered more as more people shoot with it.  People will be trying to emulate film and that’s fine.  Just like with video you can get closer to film with digital cinema using Red but I think it will also start to work out its own aesthetic which will be interesting.  There’s a lot more directions people can go.  Some people feel that shooting a time base of 60 frames per second instead of 24 is going to give you more realistic motion but we’re so used to motion blur with the 24 frames per second that might seem, I don’t want to say disjointed but, disturbing in some ways.  I guess some people do that with a tighter shudder with action.

D.Gregor: Well if it’s going to look like Survivor. It’ll look like Survivor if you shoot it at that frame rate.  

Morning:  I’m not saying that’s what I want to do.

D.Gregor:  But if you want to look like Lost that’s a dramatic series inspired by a reality show.  Personally I think there’s something in frame rates that’s a very important aspect of story telling when you see something that looks like the news and reality that…

Morning: It pulls you in a certain way.

D.Gregor:  You have different expectations and you react very differently to it than when you see something that has the blur and softness of film because of the different frame rate and shudder speed I think it puts you in a state of mind that is more accepting to storytelling because of the lower frame rate.  I don’t want to get too technical.

AnnieG:  I don’t mind it’s up to you. I’m gonna put you’re who thing up there because I think it’s fascinating.

Morning: I think that indeed any artist has to be aware of the signifiers they’re using and that includes frame rates.  In terms of if there’s a history or not, creating in a vacuum, and there’s a history of film and video making, and that even becomes a tool in itself.  Comparably say in the music world Tom Waits seems to see genres as musical instruments and I think that’s true, I can’t think of any video or film artists right now but the audiences are much more sophisticated now and the artistry has to take it to another level as well.  And genres and signifiers come into play a lot more.

AnnieG: So just to add do you think we’re going to have a resurgence of what people did with French New Wave and what people did with Italian Neo-Realism where people are gonna focus more on aesthetic to tell the story.  Do you think digital is gonna allow independent filmmakers to take that route?

D.Gregor:  I think it’s gonna bring in a generation.  Cameras like the Red because the production value is so high with it the sophistication of the next generation of filmmakers is going to be so high and so developed because you’re learning on something that has some of the best production value around.  It’s not like you’re learning on a little inexpensive camera with horrible picture and technically so many things wrong with it. You can learn in a format that Hollywood directors work with.  So it’s going to make people, I would think, more sophisticated in their filmmaking.  And audiences are far more sophisticated too so it kind of goes hand in hand.  It’s difficult with HD delivery at home and with DVD and Blue Ray, people are much used to higher quality standards.

AnnieG: Just with HBO and television.

D.Gregor:   Television has totally raised the bar.  

AnnieG: For films.

D.Gregor: For films, I completely agree.

Morning: I find it interesting culturally. I find it goes in cycles at least for North American culture.  I personally find that when I’m disappointed in feature films coming out then I’ll kind of look around TV and there’s often suddenly a renaissance in television and then peeterss out and then hopefully the films come back.  It’s interesting because I don’t watch broadcast TV anymore, well I do but on DVD. I’ll wait till the season’s over and I’ll rent the DVD’s.  I used to really love waiting for that every Thursday night at 8 p.m. and you get to see your next instalment that’s a great experience but the way my life is right now and I’m sure there’s a lot of people who’d rather watch it when they want to.  So there’s not that global experience.   

D.Gregor:  I think there’s a generation that watches broadcast television at that set time.  But there’s a definite generational break where people will watch–on the internet you just go to that channel…

Morning: Or they PVR or TiVo it.

D.Gregor:  They PVR or TiVo it, or if it’s a series they totally missed online they can rent the DVD’s and watch it as one serial storyline.  Six Feet Under was my first series that I watched on DVD and it was one of the most satisfying viewing experiences I’ve ever had.  It blew my mind.  A feature film is like a short story to me and a really good series like that is like reading a novel.  You sink right into so many storylines and characters  and it’s so rich with detail that you can’t have in a two hour movie.

Morning:   Well they’ve allowed themselves to have storylines and arcs that go beyond the one episode. Where as the CSI’s everything has to be wrapped up it just becomes like a boring it’s been played out.

D.Gregor: It’s so formulaic.

Morning: It’s been played out so much that it just becomes a formula.   And I think that gets back to a point and gives way to a point where it really starts with the word.   It starts with the writing.  No matter how much technology can bring quality to the masses if the technology is not supporting something that has integrity it’s just smoke and mirrors in the end.  So you really have to have either a solid script or solid actors that can improv really well.  In the end it’s better to have a script you can throw away than try to make a go of something.  Start with a good idea based in a good script working with good actors and a good director and even a good art director and then you can find a cinematographer.  No I’m just joking.   

AnnieG:  So we’ve talked about that and we’re looking at independent filmmakers and all the different genres and all the different levels.  But with Red Camera and an independent film festival like this we were talking a bit inside the workshop about economics.   How does this translate to new filmmakers and people who want to get involved with a festival like this.  They have a plethora of knowledge available to them.  And it really is, it’s the information age and anybody can learn.  How do you tell people to get educated to put out good quality product with these tools?

D.Gregor:  What Morning was saying every good film starts with a good concept.  You need a concept first and I see people get seduced by technology and neglect the story and the concept.   And you can watch a lot of different Hollywood movies that look beautiful and have the best production value but they’re really bad movies.  They’re boring, they’re not interesting, or they don’t make sense, or y’know you just don’t buy them.  So as a cinematographer my job is to know and understand technology and how to get the most out of each format.  But I’d much rather watch a great story that’s shot that’s not so well shot rather than a beautiful looking film that I don’t find interesting at all.  You can educate yourself all you want about the technology but at a certain point you have to stick to the basics: story, script, characters.   You need the meat, the substance of your movie to work otherwise it’s just eye candy and it’s not very satisfying.

AnnieG:  And you Morning?

Morning:  I guess schools are a good way to go.  I guess with the Scarlet it’ll be tempting just to buy your own camera because it’ll be pretty cheap.  But renting is also great because you don’t have to watch it depreciate and you’ll always have the greatest and the latest.  It’s tough and that’s why going to school can be great too because technology is there and you have kind of free labour surrounding you and you get to try out all the different departments if you want to because you have that kind of access.  Hopefully, you can find a mentor too.  I think whether you go to school or not that can be a really essential thing is to find someone who you admire that can give you some guidance because you can go so far but you can run into a lot of unnecessary pitfalls if you’re just going it alone.  Some people are self taught too so it’s hard to come up with one rule for how to learn it and I think that’s what I’ve found really interesting about filmmaking in the first place is that there are so many ways to find a path and so many different avenues.   And it’s just getting wider and wider and more versatile in terms of how you can express yourself and how you can find an audience.   But I guess really it’s a marathon in the end you just have to really really want it.  And it’s something that even in the darkest of times will not leave you.  I mean if you curse at it and tell it to leave you alone, it’s not for the dabbler for sure.  

AnnieG:   And lastly, we’ve talked about the evolution of this craft, and the different levels of it, and how Red Camera fits into it, and just the experience here at Mississauga Independent Film Festival.  What does a festival like this, I mean given the landscape in filmmaking in Canada right now and how hard it is for anyone to break into the industry or to make an impact on the culture, why is a festival like this important to indie filmmakers?  

D.Gregor:   A film festival like this gives filmmakers an opportunity to watch their films with an audience that’s not their friends and family.  You can get a more genuine reaction.  Y’know learn and grow as an artist.  An artist needs an
audience especially a filmmaker.  It doesn’t make sense to make films for just an audience of you.

AnnieG: It’s therapy.

D.Gregor: It’s therapy, it’s a very expensive therapy, yeah.  Well I mean I’m sure there’s therapeutic aspects to all creative art forms but if you want to go out and be able to make a living and a career at it you’re going to have to make films that appeal to more people than just yourself.  You’re going to have to find things in common with an audience.  This is kind of a support network for nurturing filmmakers and y’know this is where people can try things that more commercial projects wouldn’t.  You can experiment a bit more when you’re an indie filmmaker.   And as an audience member it’s great to go and watch projects like that, that kind of break the rules and try things outside the boundaries.  Film festivals like this serve both independent filmmakers and audiences too.  It’s a great place to see the next generation, who’s going to be the next big director.   

AnnieG:  And you Morning?

Morning:  I think it’s great to go out to the cinema and I think it great, well internet allows us to access…What?

D.Gregor:  (laughing) I think it’s great to go out to the cinema (laughing).

AnnieG:  It think that’s really sweet!

D.Gregor:  (laughing)

AnnieG:   It was really sweet and genuine.

D.Gregor: Yeah?

AnnieG:   (To Morning) I’m on your team. (giggles)

Morning:  I’m just thinking…

D.Gregor:  That’s just wierd.

AnnieG: It’s all in context, you guys are great.

Morning:  The internet allows you to access for culture globally which is great as well but there is something about being local and having your local cinema and getting awareness and not having to go to Toronto Film Festival, or New York, or L.A., or where ever.  There should be festivals in every major metropolitan area because it’s still a socio-cultural event.  And it also allows as Gregor said a filmmaker to have an audience but it’s also, I think, about the cultural experience.  Artists in some ways are a filter through which we can see the times we live in and I also think that is the area we live in and the culture that we have is partly based on our geographical locations.   So to have festivals in your home town is essential for filmmaking or any art really. 

AnnieG:  Thank you guys so much.

For more information about D.Gregor Hagey you can check out his website at www.dghagey.com .  And for more information about Morning Glory you can check out www.rubedo.ca

© all photographs and related media provided by AnnieG in co-operation with D.Gregor Hagey and Morning Glory and are the property of their respective holders. This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, or reproduced in any other way, without written consent from AnnieGMovies.

I met Allan Ungar at The Mississauga Independent Film Festival this summer and got around to seeing his film Annulment as well.  It’s a non-linear action/drama short shot on digital. (say that one five times really fast) It’s a tall order for an aspiring indie filmmaker but Ungar turns this one out pretty good if you ask me.  An interesting story bordering on the philisophical and highly invested in the emotional elements of action and violence.  I must say that I really enjoyed this short and found it to be visual proof that short films can be just as satisfying as features if they are done rig; needless to say Allan Ungar did this right.  I’ll also have to say that I really enjoyed talking with Allan Unger as he’s a real sweet heart and a bright young man.  I suspect this film is the beginning of something for Allan; whether it be a style, a genre choice, or simply a unique method of storytelling he will embark on I don’t know–but I do like it.  By the end of this short you’ll be guessing and guessing about who’s who and who done it.  For now you can get a taste of Annulment in the trailer to your left and a dose of Allan Ungar below–enjoy!

AnnieG:  Here we are at Mississauga Independent Film Festival with…

Allan Ungar:  Allan Unger.

AnnieG:  From…

Allan Unger: The film Annulment.

AnnieG:  Tell me a bit about your movie.

Allan Unger: Annulment is kind of a race against time story about  guy who is trying to get to this girl and he’s being pursued by a group of other people and it’s set in a non-linear series of events.  So as we’re kind of jumping back and forth between present and past we kind of learn more about what’s going on in the present.   

AnnieG:  Excellent.  What does it mean to be a part of this particular festival and why is it important to you?  

Allan Unger:  Makes me feel important.  (giggle) Just period, makes me feel important. It’s actually interesting to just kind of mingle and just be in the same atmosphere of people who like doing what I do.  Who want to do the same things I want to do and I think it’s a great environment to kind of be out there supporting each other. People trying to makes films especially independently in Canada where I mean it’s tough.  

AnnieG:  What are your aspirations after being in this festival?  What do you hope to get from this festival in terms of marketing, communicating with people/getting in touch, talent, etc.? 

Allan Unger: Well, I mean you can always be open and never know when you’re going to meet someone else.  People usually meet and then end up collaborating some where down the road.  So, I mean, at this point I haven’t really thought about it like that and I’m just playing it by ear and seeing who I meet, seeing other films,  and hopefully making a couple of contacts.  Hopefully come back next year with something new.  

AnnieG:  What’s the best thing about the Gala here tonight?  

Allan Unger: Well is it politically incorrect to say free alcohol?  No, uhmmm, it’s just a nice, classy, high society vibe where people come and their show casing different talents and you’re mingling with people who are in the same industry as you.

AnnieG:  Are you interested in any of the workshops offered?

Allan Unger:  I actually just found out about the workshops when I looked at the little access pass they gave me.  I am, whether or not I’ll have time to get around to it is another story.  But, I think it’s actually a very smart idea that they’re incorporating it into a film festival.  I mean most people think you come to a festival to watch certain things by adding workshops they’re adding more and are catering to a broad audience to attract people to
come.  

AnnieG:  Would you say this festival is the most accessible to your generation in terms of where they are policy wise and in terms of where they are in accessibility?

Allan Unger: It’s definitely accessible.  One thing I noticed is that they are trying to cater to the independent filmmakers which not  a lot of festivals do.  We’re starting to see a bit more of it now but I mean I’m a lot younger than most people here so to me it’s kind of exciting to be here because everyone’s a lot older than I am.  I know I look old but I’m not (giggle).  It’s definitely very convenient because I was reading today that it’s the Mississauga Festival but it’s open to the Greater Toronto Area and even Ontario in general.  So I think it was a smart decision on the promoter’s part to make a choice to open it up to everybody. 

AnnieG: Any last words to filmmakers like you who want to get involved with this but think they can’t?

Allan Unger:  Just keep trying.  If you’re passionate about something don’t stop.  It’s better to go out and make something than wait for it to come to you.  Keep trying keep going. 

AnnieG:  Thank you very much.  It was great talking to you and have a great night.

Allan Unger:  You too-thank you. 

For More information about Allan Ungar and Annulment you can check them out at http://www.annulmentshortfilm.com/ Just one of many gems I found at MIFF this year.

© all photographs provided by AnnieG and all related media is the property of Allan Ungar and his respective associates/copyright holders.  This is a transcribed interview taken done by AnnieG at the 2009 Mississauga Independent Film Festival.   This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, or reproduced in any other way, without written consent from AnnieGMovies.

My last workshop at the Mississauga Independent Film Festival was nothing short of totally wicked and super cool.  I will try not to unleash my inner nerd on you good people but my mouth salivated as I watched the sexy RED Camera being set up before my eyes and continued to drool while the masters worked their magic with it and talked their techie talk.  Toronto based Director of Photography D. Gregor Hagey accompanied by his debonair and interesting tech brother (DIT) Morning Glory were the magicians behind the workshop.  Okay let’s just clear that up DIT stands for Digital Imaging Tech the rest was just creative license on my part.  The truth is these guys are just amazing and I actually got to interview these cool cats after the workshop but you’re going to have to wait in film geek limbo just a while longer for that one.

D. Gregor did an amazing job of introducing the Red Camera to the audience of young filmmakers.   He talked about the actual camera, how it works, the evolution of its technology and its comparability to the golden standard of 35mm.  He explained the possibilities and freedoms the camera allots while talking about the actual cost benefit ratio of rental versus ownership. The technical capacity and versatile aesthetic spectrum the RED provides filmmakers with was really interesting and I found all the information really helpful considering I’m planning to shoot a few projects over the course of the next year.   

Gregor compared and outlined the differences technically between the RED and other competing cameras which was in and of itself worthy of a workshop on its own.  We were lucky enough to sit in on someone whose worked on almost 200 projects and has 16 years of experience behind him.  We were getting first hand accounts and information about this camera from probably the first guy to adopt in Toronto.  All of this for $10.00?  If this workshop isn’t an indication that this festival really is a one of a kind experience then I really don’t know what is.  I came out of this ready to go to work on my own projects after D. Gregor Hagey solved about 50 of my technical problems for me in this short workshop.  Need I say more?

Of course I need say more because there was more!  After going through the tech specs and answering endless questions (mine included) the DOP and his DIT took a volunteer from the audience (the very beautiful Anastasia) and showed us in real time what the RED can do.  Real time, you read right, they showed us in real time several looks that can be created by the RED, how to render them, how to change them, how to use RAW images etc.  It was like test driving an Aston Martin and not having to worry about scratching it up.  That’s how cool this presentation was.  We got to see on a grand scale in the cinema what the RED can actually do.  Essentially it was a theoretical and technical seminar all in one.  We even got to see the trailer of a recent project D. Gregor worked on just to get a feel for what high level of production value the RED is producing in contemporary cinema.  Not only did the wizards take us through Oz they pulled the curtain back and showed us the wizard.  Far too many references of pop culture past, nonetheless, this was by far an incredible opportunity for anyone who attended to get a real feel for the potential and possibility at the hands of indie filmmakers who adopt the RED Camera.  

The RED offers equal opportunity via affordability without having to compromise picture quality.  In the end this is just another fine example of how hard the Campagna Brothers work to provide their fellow filmmakers with the best.  Hope they have Hagey back next year and every year to come because he did a great job of introducing us to RED and helping us to understand not only its potential but its inherent value to emerging and established filmmakers. 

Laurence Cohen is young Canadian film director with a unique ability to engage the audience emotionally while taking them on a splendid journey through his imagination.  I was lucky enough to embark on such a journey at the Mississauga Independent Film Festival where his film The Rocket Man was screening.  It was one of my  best movie watching experiences of 2009 by far.  The film is centred around a young boy (played by Connor Price) who is lost in a delusion that helps him deal with the death of his mother.  The film is written so beautifully that the audience secretly sides with the young boy hoping his delusion comes true yet all the while afraid of the danger this necessary delusion poses.   It takes us into the fragile and free minds of children who create so easily what we as adults shut out almost instantaneously. 

For anyone who truly loves this film will resonate on a deep and intrinsic level.  The short film has a unique style of storytelling where every frame counts and all that is revealed and concealed is equally important.  It’s the quality of story and the ability to engross them in it one frame at a time that sets Laurence Cohen apart from many of his contemporaries.  Most people working on a low budget will make a horror flick because zombies are easy; Cohen has taken the road less travelled and that in and of itself is to be admired–especially since he was so successful at it.

Cohen is a testament to the talent and universal story telling abilities of independent Canadian artists.  His style and vision is so remarkable it can contend with the early works of Speilberg and Jackson where the special spark of a young filmmaker are evident for all to see and the foreshadowing of great things to come.  But when I come across such a wonderful young filmmaker I wonder what will happen if this talent goes ignored?  As inspirational and beautiful as his art may be it needs to find an audience and is indicative of everything that’s wrong with the Canadian film scene.  Perhaps Cohen whose been playing with animation, claymation, and film since he was 8 years old will one day be played all over the world inspiring people all over the world with the moving image.  And then I might be there to say to everyone "I told you so!".  Till then I’ll be watching Laurence Cohen and all of his future projects. 

For more information about Laurence Cohen you can read more about him at http://www.auroralightworks.com/

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