NB Film Co-op

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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Thank you to the Moncton Capital Theatre for allowing Film Co-op Film and Television Certificate students to hold casting sessions free of charge there for Diplomatic Relations.

Thank you to all those who gave their time to assist with the casting sessions on Diplomatic Relations.

Thank you to Saint John member Pauline Cronin for donating a chair, cleaning supplies and paper towels to the Film Co-op!

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For those of you who have already renewed in the late days of December or these early days of January...thank you very much for your support of the Film Co-op. 

If you have any questions about your membership (upgrading-downgrading etc.) email Cat at: info@nbfilmcoop.com and she will be happy to help you out.

Recent Renewals for 2008: Joe Blades, Jon Driscoll, Dale Brown, Denise Guitard, Michel Guitard, Angela-Jo Griffin, Jeff Seymour, Jack Cunningham, Bunthivy Nou, Cayman Grant, Bruce LeGrow, Denis Cormier, Pauline Cronin

Recent New members for 2008: Colin Charlton

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SPOTLIGHT ON 3RB PRODUCTIONS LTD IN MIRAMICHI, NB   

The idea of 3RB Productions Ltd was first conceived in the 90’s.  It began with formal training in the field of film, digital imaging and video production by its president and founder, Michael Stephen McKinnon.
After  years of training and development through courses and practical experience, the company was officially formed in September 2007, with the inclusion of Mr. Jim Stacey as Marketing Director, and Mr. Ronald Mazerolle assuming the position of Vice President and Audio Technician.  A recent addition to our staff is Mr. Steve Sills, our IT Tech.

In our near future we will be moving to our new building and intend to expand our professional relations, and recruit a strong and committed staff.
 
Currently we are filming part 1 of a 10 part documentary.  We also have a mini-series scheduled for early spring and a made for television, full-length movie planned to begin by the end of 2008.

THE TEAM:
Stephen McKinnon
Was born in Miramichi and worked and lived in every province in Canada with the exception of PEI.  He worked in the Arctic Circle and photographed the wildlife there from early 80’s to ’86. Then, Stephen enlisted in the Canadian Forces in 1986.  As an Imaging Technician, he  toured Bosnia and Herzegovina in a photographer, video technician, peacekeeper position and retired from the military in 2007 and founded 3RB Productions Ltd.  
 

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MAKIN' SOME FUNNY MONEY IN CAPE BRETON
 
I’m sitting around working on one of most recent screenplays, Marvelous Man, and it’s coming along beautifully.  Then I receive an email from Cat LeBlanc requesting to do with my indie film Toilet Love (No Manners, No Morals, No Consequences) and how I made some cash off it.  I could use a break from staring at my screenplay so here goes…how I made a little money off a film with bad sound, bad lighting, amateur camera operators for the most part, and a good story with great dialogue.
 
First off, I needed to make money from this endeavor I took on in 2004.  I literally poured my blood, sweat, and tears into what turned out to be a Cape Breton cult classic.  I made Toilet Love with my friend Shane McHugh, from Foxboro Mass., who I met at the New York Film Academy in 2002.  I don’t now if he would have made the hike from Foxboro if he knew what was in store for him when we wrote, directed, and produced a feature in two and half months with countless volunteers, who I am so thankful for.   
 
The problems began right off the hop,; our producer who will be left anonymous, dropped out of the project on the first day of shooting because his friends, who apparently didn’t have any vision, didn’t like the screenplay, and thought we were too childish and pointless.  So, we ended up without any lighting or sound equipment but we did have a decent camera in a Sony VX2000.  We made the decision to push on and not use any of the equipment for the whole movie.  Stupid eh? Yup.  But what the hell, right? Shane was up from Mass., we came this far, and had the actors on location by the time we found out about the producer. 
 
What else could happen to make our situation even worse?  Well my grandmother’s kidneys failed and I went to visit her everyday because we all knew her last days were coming along.  While she was in the hospital her 93 year old sister, my grand aunt Jose, passed away.  I went to the funeral, but it was hard to feel sad about a woman who lived her life to the fullest.  She had season tickets to the 1961 New York Yankees, and she gave me the team autographed ball when I was 11 (…and I’m a Red Sox fan).  On a side note, at one point she was the nanny for the man who invented plastic hip replacements. I spoke with him on the phone that week and he sent us a cheque to pay for the funeral.  Then Shane and I were back to the Film because that’s what Jose would have wanted.
 
One night after we finished shooting, traveling on the Trans Canada we hit a deer with my piece of crap Sunfire.  The only thing was, this piece of crap was the main means of transportation for Shane and I. We also had to drive the actors around too if they couldn’t get drives.  That accident kept us from shooting one day.
 
What else could happen right?  Anything?  Yup.  My kidneys failed this time.  I was on location shooting until I needed to pumped full of Demerol.  Two days later after thinking I was about to die, getting rushed to the hospital for emergency scans, and feeling the worst pain I  have ever felt in my life, I was back on set with my kidneys back functioning somewhere around 80%.  They went up to 100% shortly after.  Who knows why?  The specialists couldn’t tell me but if you could ask my grandmother it’s because she prayed for me every waking moment for those two days while she was in the hospital for the same thing. 
 
And all this so you can view my cheap comedy on Google Video, but not before I made some cash off this baby.  Firstly, I got some press.  Cape Breton Post gave me a full page feature article about my film and the screenings.  I did an interview with All Access Pass, which was doing a show on the Atlantic Film Festival.  I still don’t get what I had to do with anything but they asked to interview me for it even though I didn’t have anything in the festival but I got to represent screenwriters on the east coast.  CBC Radio also did an interview with me before the screenings. 
 
Before the screenings we dropped our trailer on YouTube, then had ads put in the Cape Breton Post, cblocals.com along with mass emails because there wasn’t Facebook then.  At this point I was nervous and not many people had seen it.  I took it to St. F.X. with me when I went to visit one of my friends in the seven-year undergrad degree program so he could view it privately.  We left to get some coffee and when I got back my friend’s roommate had taken it to his friends’ place without permission.  I was very angry, but that night I found out they watched it six times in one day and over fourteen people watched it more than once.  The screenings went pretty well, I can’t remember exactly how much I made there but I know I sold a lot of DVDs those nights.
 
After the screenings I started putting my DVDs in stores.  Mostly all skate shops or places that sold local indie music.  They were more than happy to sell them for me plus I gave $2.00 to the clerks for every DVD they sold.  I kept a box of DVDs in my trunk and I must have sold over 100 copies while I took a job at a call center to make some Christmas present cash.  These DVDs came in handy wherever I went; people bought them while I was at Tim Horton’s, gas stations, and parties.  Not to mention the loads of free drinks at the bars from the people I made laugh. 
 
The coolest place that I sold them was at the flea market.  I made about $100 every Sunday I went out.  Plus, it gave people a chance to talk to me and I could sign the DVDs for them  (signing autographs was new weird experience for me).  I now know I have copies in Germany, Scotland, and Afghanistan. 
 
I made a bunch of shorts, acted in some, and have been writing like crazy on a few different feature lengths.  Now, I’m thinking, since I’m taking Project Management at the Centre for Arts and Tech, and if I can profit $5000 on a $2000 dollar movie in Cape Breton alone, I really have to learn and get experience with real budgets and see what I can get accomplished then. 

New Film Co-op member Ash Young based in Fredericton: ash_young80@hotmail.com

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TIME TO START UP AN ALL NEW WRITER'S ROOST FOR 2008!

Moncton based Co-op member Peter de Niverville will be assisting Cat in putting together a new Writer's Roost for 2008. Any Co-op members who have scripts they want to workshop or discuss with other Co-op member writers through email are welcome to join the Writers Roost this year but the group would be limited to 15 people. Please email Cat to join at: info@nbfilmcoop.com

Once Cat has 15 eager writers onboard, she will update the Writer's Roost web link and online forum.

New Rooster Gretchen Kelbaugh loves to write, race and rant. Currently editing her feature doc, "Menocracy".

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Training & Development 

ANNUAL NBFC INTRO/INTERMEDIATE WORKSHOP PROGRAMME TO NOW START UP IN MID-MARCH 2008

Due to the Film Co-op's Film and Television certificate programme productions being shot in February of this year, the New intro/intermediate workshop program will not start up until Mid March. The new workshop schedule will now be unveiled in mid February instead of mid January

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CALL 455-1632 OR EMAIL CAT AT: info@nbfilmcoop.com directly to register for this below workshop.

This Certificate Programme Workshop is proudly sponsored by the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-operative and New Brunswick  Film

Principles of Film Design
(Theory)
January 26/27, Saturday/Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm
Instructor: Emanuel Jannasch
Location: NB Sports Hall of Fame, 503 Queen Street, Fredericton
Fee: $75 For Film Co-op Members
$95 For Non-Members

This two day workshop presents  techniques of film design developed over 25 years in the industry. The tools you will learn apply equally well to multimillion dollar features and to no-budget independent work. Primarily intended for the production designer, these tools also help the director to create an overall vision for the film and , encourage the writer to work cinematically. Anyone who pursues film as a visual art will benefit From this weekend.
 
The first day considers the film as a whole; what it means to create a look, how to tease out and reinforce the dramatic structure of the piece,  how to identify the elements at your disposal, how to prioritize the problems to be solved.
 
The second day considers the individual elements of the design. What kinds of sets and locations work for the drama,  for the camera,  for the gaffer?  How can magnificent sets be created on the cheap?   How is wardrobe integrated into production design.? What makes a good prop?
 
The workshop focuses on creative aspects, but filmmaking is first of all a logistical challenge,  Over the weekend, participants will also learn some management  tips for turning your vision into reality.

Instructor's Bio: Emanuel came to film from a background in construction work and architecture. His credits as production designer or art director include Def-Con 4 (1982), Margaret’s Museum (1996), and The Conclave (2005). His work on New Waterford Girl (1998) was recognized with a Genie nomination.

Since setting up the Screen Arts program at NSCC in 1999-2000, he has been doing increasing amounts of teaching in university programs and at film training places across the country.

He hasn’t spent any time in Fredericton since designing and building sets for Samuel Lount and looks forward to coming back.

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Festivals

2008 SILVER WAVE FILM FESTIVAL
November 13-16, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Call for Submissions!
 
The 8th annual Silver Wave Film Festival (SWFF) is now accepting submissions. This year's festival takes place from November 13th to November 16th, 2008.
 
SWFF is the annual film and video festival presented by the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-operative. It has both curated and competitive streams, as well as a solid line-up of social activities and workshops that get the town buzzing.
 
This year, we are celebrating our 8th year with some new programming approaches and again we’ve waived the submission fee for filmmakers submitting so, it promises to be a good year. Save the dates and plan to attend!
 
Film and video projects that are accepted for screening into the SWFF and created by New Brunswick Filmmakers residing in the province and those filmmakers from away will be considered for the Silver Wave Awards.
 
The deadline for submissions is August 3rd, 2008, 5pm Atlantic Standard Time.
 
Incomplete applications and applications received after this deadline will not be accepted under any circumstances.
 
The following items must accompany the application:
· Completed Application form, on CD in an MS Word or .rtf type document;
· List of credits;
· 3 DVD pre-screening copies of the finished project for jury consideration for awards; (NOTE: only Mini DV, Beta SP and 35 mm will be screened at the Festival. DVDS will not be accepted)
· Productions stills, in jpeg format at 300dpi resolution, on CD to be used in festival promotional materials;
· Press Kit (if available of past festival/special screenings of film/video);
· Director's Bio and headshot;
· Poster representing the film or documentary (if available);
 
NOTE: Submissions materials will not be returned to you by the SWFF. Please email: info@nbfilmcoop.com if you have any questions. You will be advised whether or not your submission has been accepted for screening in advance of the festival.

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Arts in NB

Art’s Birthday today!

Art's Birthday" is an annual event first proposed in 1963 by French artist Robert Filliou.  He suggested that 1,000,000 years ago, there was no art. But one day, on the 17th of January to be precise, Art was born.  According to Filliou, it happened when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water.  To recognize the worldwide appreciation of art, centres and organizations worldwide celebrate the occasion with performances, contests, interactive fun, and other goodies. 

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FREDERICTON - MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Fredericton Music Festival provides the music students in the Fredericton area with the opportunity to perform in public and be adjudicated by highly qualified professional musicians in their discipline. The Festival Committeeis made up of volunteers who strive to make the festival a great experience for young musicians.
 
The Festival Committee meets on the fourth Monday of the month. Volunteers are welcome to attend. For more details, please contact Ralph Simpson, president, at 459-8485.
 
The 2008 FREDERICTON MUSIC FESTIVAL will be held from April 12 to 25. The 2008 Fredericton Music Festival Syllabus may be purchased at Tony’s Music Box at 396 Queen Street in Fredericton. The deadline for entries is January 19, 2008. 
 
The entry forms will be available from December 1, 2007 to January 19, 2008 at Tony's Music Box and Music Stop on Prospect Street in Fredericton.

HAL PENNELL
RENTALS
TONY'S MUSIC BOX LTD
506-458-8286(Phone)
506-450-2922(Fax)
rentals@tonysmusicbox.ca
www.tonysmusicbox.ca

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FREDERICTON - MONDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES SWINGS INTO ACTION IN 2008

Making its world premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, Craig Gillespie‘s sweetly off-kilter debut feature film of , LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, has already received overwhelming critical acclaim, with Ryan Gosling delivering another dazzling performance in the title role. This perfectly composed first film is the perfect marriage of impeccable performance and incredible script, and a potent delicacy for the heart and mind.

Set in a Midwestern small town during a typically snowy winter, Lars Lindstrom (Gosling, THE NOTEBOOK, HALF NELSON) is an awkward young man who lives in the garage beside his deceased father's house. With a brother and sister-in-law who would like to see him settled down and raising a family (especially after years of living under the shadow of his taciturn widower father), Lars' social life consists primarily of attending church. Lars' family is obviously overjoyed then, when he makes the announcement that has found a special friend. Delight turns to panic, however, when the new girlfriend arrives.

Although lovely in her own way, the fact that Bianca is a realistic full-sized doll with an elaborate back story (charmingly recounted by a boisterously in-love Lars) leads Lars' family to believe Lars has finally gone off the deep end. At the urging of Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson, DOGVILLE, ALL THE KING'S MEN), a kind but slightly loopy doctor, his worried family is told to go with the flow and pretend that Lars's lady friend is real, in the hope of helping him work through his issues. The local community ultimately responds with surprising compassion in welcoming the new couple as Bianca goes bowling, starts a career as a model, and is embraced as a member of the community.

At times both hilarious and heartbreaking, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL is a gently naughty comic melodrama of love found and lost. The film boldly addresses how a damaged person comes to terms with past traumas and grows into adult responsibilities when faced with death, loneliness and even abuse. Both Gosling's exceptional - indeed - revelatory - performance and the impressive direction of Craig Gillespie evoke overwhelming empathy for a man and the past he struggles to leave behind.

"Ryan Gosling is once again outstanding in this offbeat but exceptionally accomplished film. Starting off as funny and quirky, Lars and the Real Girl gradually becomes a riveting yet never heavy-handed psychological portrait of a lost soul who thinks no one loves him" - Peter Brunette, Screen International

Monday, Jan 21, 2008, 8pm
JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS
Director: Jonathan Demme
With: Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter
Run Time: 120 minutes
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Distributor: Mongrel Media
Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / PQ NR / Maritimes NR

JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS won over international audiences this year when it screened as a Special Presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme (the amazingly versatile filmmaker behind SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD) gives us a unique fly-on-the-wall perspective as we observe Jimmy Carter in public and private. Never has such a candid portrait been filmed of a high-profile politician that gives the audience access to his thoughts in the moment.

In the film, Jimmy Carter openly discusses everything from his sixty-one-year marriage to Rosalynn Carter to the emotional memories of his late mother, Lillian. When he jokes about being involuntarily retired when replaced as President of the United States in 1980 it becomes quite clear however that Carter has done anything but stop working. From election monitoring with the Carter Center, to building homes with Habitat for Humanity, to winning the Nobel Peace Prize, to writing twenty-one books, Carter is the only President who has used the White House as a launch pad towards more industrious career endeavors.

Last year, Carter dove headfirst into the most controversial topic in international politics, by publishing the book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS follows Carter on a vigorous tour as he confronts journalists, critics and students while tensions rise and the book generates a storm of controversy. 
During the course of the road trip, Carter confronts being called a liar, bigot, anti-Semite and plagiarist, yet takes it all in stride having a rebuttal for everything. What makes this film unique is that we are able to observe Carter while he handles widely divergent interviews from the perspectives of Al Jazeera and Israeli TV, to his harshest critics, including Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz. Regardless of your political view, how closely you follow the Middle East, sympathize or differ with Carter, what is most fascinating about this story is the journey that he takes you on.

The story that emerges, illustrated with footage from the time, delivers a surprising lesson in the importance of small details and the ultimate power of negotiation - Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Call 455-1632 or visit: http://www.nbfilmcoop.com/fs.htm

The Monday Night Film Series takes place at Tilley Hall, UNB Campus.

Tickets and memberships for the Monday Night Film Series are available at the door, Tilley Hall, Room 102 at each scheduled screening. Regular admission is $7 per screening, $3 for members. Regular half-year memberships are $20; $12 for students, seniors (65 years and up) and NB Film Co-op members. Memberships are now available at the NB Film Co-op, 732 Charlotte Street, Fredericton, 506-455-1632.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Merzetti, New Brunswick Film Co-op, 506-455-1632; info@nbfilmcoop.com

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FREDERICTON - Laugh and cry with The Vagina Monologues
 
Looking for a pre-Valentine's day gift for that special someone?  Or
just a night out with the girls or the guys?  How about a ticket to The
Vagina Monologues? Directed by Kathy VanGenne and Erika Nason, this powerful performance features some of Fredericton's talented actresses - perhaps even someone you know!

Eve Ensler's compelling script will move you to tears and have you
writhing in laughter. One thing is certain: you won't leave the theatre
unchanged. And by supporting the Fredericton Transition House, you'll
also leave a better person, knowing you're helping to end the violence.

The Vagina Monologues runs February 1 and 2 at the Playhouse. Tickets, $30, are on sale at The Playhouse: 458-8344 or 1-866-884-5800.

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The audience was unusually (and refreshingly) vocal for a screening of experimental works: chuckling aloud at the mundane and cheeky dialogues of onlookers waiting for 'Old Faithful' to blow, giggling to a song about eating vegetables instead of animals, cringing or exulting over the longest on-screen kiss ever, and fretting over the fate of a fallen fictionalized elephant.

Thanks to all who attended and for letting us know you support this type of event.

I encourage everyone to attend Barbara Sternberg's Talk and Screening Workshop on Experimental Film this Saturday, Jan 19 (2-5pm) at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre (follow signs leading upstairs) in Fredericton! She is one of Canada's most respected and widely distributed experimental filmmakers. Her work deals with representing reality on film, the relation of bodies with time, and memory, and how we each come to understand our own lived realities. 

Sternberg's visit is a real boon for the NB Film Co-op, and I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with a seasoned filmmaker. You may visit her website at http://www.barbarasternberg.com

For more info on experimental filmmakers in Canada, visit http://www.fringeonline.ca , http://www.cfmdc.org , and http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca