By Julia Courtenay
It’s been a blockbuster year for film in Vancouver, providing a slew of opportunities for Background Performers (a.k.a Extras) to be anything from zombies, to German officers, FBI agents, bikers, baristas or nuns—and get paid!
Want to get in on the action? Read on to find out how to work as a Background Performer on set.
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Before Gareth Edwards was behind the helm of the reboot of Godzilla (2014) and the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) he directed, wrote, shot and created the visual effects for his breakout sci-fi indie film Monsters.
With a production budget of just under $15,000 the film was shot in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Texas with a crew so small that they were all able to drive together in a seven-passenger van. After picture lock Edwards spent five months working out of his studio apartment, where he created all 250 of the visual f/x shots using Adobe software, Autodesk 3ds Max and ZBrush.
When the topic of low budget sci-fi indie films comes up, it’s hard not to mention the absolute powerhouse that is Primer, a movie that Shane Carruth directed, produced, wrote, scored and starred in. During its 2004 debut it won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, alongside the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation prize.
With a shooting budget of $7,000, Carruth’s film tackled the notoriously difficult topic of time travel. While this concept is absolutely within the realm of science fiction, this portrayal has been praised for being represented in a down-to-earth manner that enforces a kind of realism that is not commonly seen in this genre.
Directed by Charlie McDowell (the son of Malcolm McDowell) and produced by mumblecore giants Jay and Mark Duplass, The One That I Love is a welcome homage to the classic sci-fi television series The Twilight Zone (1959–1964), taking an ordinary couple and dropping them into a bizarre ethical quandary.
With an estimated budget of $100,000 (aided perhaps by the fact that filming took place at the home of McDowell’s parents), this film is a reminder that sci-fi isn’t necessarily synonymous with battle in space, or giant monsters. A speculative concept can stay true to it’s science fiction heritage and be an incredibly powerful tool to understand human behavior.
by Ryan Uytdewilligen
In short, an Auteur is an artist who applies a high amount of stylistic control over their craft. In the case of Auture Filmmaking, this would be the director.
In the history of cinema, most cinema buffs point to auteur filmmakers as a source of inspiration. Scorsese, Kubrick, Lynch, Burton, Kurosawa, Mallick, the same names pop up over and over again for a reason. They have a cinematic identity that radiates through their work, whether it’s a repetitive setting or a reoccurring theme.
It’s easy to identify a Wes Anderson movie because he has his team of regulars (like Owen Wilson and Bill Murray) on display. His wild pallet of bright colours easily identifies it as a wacky, almost surreal, universe only he could create. He’s so good at getting his vision across, people keep coming back for more.
That is the sign of the auteur filmmaker: creative control for a personal end product that resonates with the zeitgeist.
Written by Freddie Kim
Shooting in Vancouver has become a haven for film and television. Vancouver is considered a premier location, and was affectionately given the nickname “Hollywood North.” But what artistic edge does it have over other major cities? Here are 5 factors that differentiate shooting in Vancouver.
Vancouver’s higher latitude means extended daytime shooting hours during summer– a huge boon for productions shooting on a tight timeline. During peak filming season, Vancouver gets up to 16 hours of daylight, two hours more than Los Angeles, yet avoids the southern California heat during summer.
With softer light, ideal lighting ratios and a warmer colour, the “golden” or “magic” hour after sunrise and before sunset is often the best time to shoot. In any given season, the sun in Vancouver remains lower on the horizon than in most US cities, giving Vancouver a magic hour that is actually way longer than one hour, and often spectacular for more than two.
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Vancouver often has a thick cloud cover that diffuses light. Harsh sunlight pouring above your subjects is complicated to control and a sky sprinkled with clouds is a nightmare due to constantly changing light. Cloudy grey skies make for constant lighting conditions and a much easier shoot.
Although Vancouverites love to complain about it, rain isn’t always a bad thing. Our mild winters and lack of snow allow for a nearly year-round shooting window. Although uncomfortable to hold a shoot in the rain, it often doesn’t read on camera and can easily look moody, arty, and unlike anything that LA can offer.
Compared to popular American film locations, Vancouver’s air pollution is low. Cleaner air means a larger spectrum of unfiltered sunlight. In places with heavy pollution, sunlight may come prefiltered and muted, negating much of its artistic usefulness. The lack of pollution during sunrise or sunset provides a gorgeous broad spectrum in Vancouver and exquisite backdrops.
Written by Clarence Sponagle
Martha Cooper is a photographer whose pictures of hip-hop graffiti helped share the art-form all over the world. What started off as a conventional hobby turned into a revolutionary career that is still going today, at her age of 75. In the 1970s Martha discovered graffiti art in the Bronx and began taking photos, turning her collection into a book entitled Subway Art. Though the book sold few copies in the 1970s, some were shoplifted and photocopied. Pirated copies of the book were circulated internationally and turned the art-form into a worldwide phenomena.
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HEAVY HITTING HORRORFEST’S FUNNY AND UNPREDICTABLE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR: FEET BANKS
Written by Johnny Papan
Whistler’s Heavy Hitting HorrorFest describes itself as a “one night, balls to the wall orgy of horrific, hilarious, and very independent short films.” Their website cautions attendees to “tell your brain to stock up on diapers.”
This now 13-year-old festival has grown into one of the largest and longest running horror festivals in Western Canada. This years festival aims for a more “intimate vibe,” screening at a 300 person theatre, as opposed to multiple theatres hosting 1200 attendees as seen in the past. Event organizer Feet Banks says this will not stop the festival from being “bigger, bloodier, and even more badass than ever before.” The even will feature a Red Carpet pre-party and costumes are encouraged.
The festival accepts film from around the world, and the deadline is September 15. Feet spoke with InFocus Film School about the festival, its origins, and some wild tidbits. Read the EXCLUSIVE Q&A below.
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Is there a better place to shoot a movie than Vancouver? With its versatile cityscape, beautiful forestry and mountain surrounds, and temperate climate, the city provides the perfect backdrop for almost any story you want to tell. Filmmakers seem to agree, with the city currently ranked as the third largest production centre for film and television in North America, earning the nickname ‘Hollywood North.’
For film production students, this thriving industry is a tremendous advantage. There is regular work available for editors, cinematographers, visual effects specialists and other industry professionals in the hundreds of productions that are filmed in the city every year, as well as in the many permanent studios located throughout the Greater Vancouver Area.
If you’re a film student based in Vancouver, it’s very likely that you’ve seen a movie that was shot in your hometown, even if you didn’t recognize it. Here are a few of the diverse range of productions that have called the city home.
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The third instalment of the popular superhero franchise used a number of well-known locations within the city during filming, including the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Art Gallery, as well as nearby sites like Hatley Castle and Golden Ears Provincial Park.
Some scenes in X-Men: Last Stand were shot in Golden Ears Provincial Park
Blockbuster action movies like ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ typically require extremely large film crews with hundreds of specialized professionals, creating valuable employment opportunities for students that graduate from a film school in Vancouver.
If horror fans enrolled in film school find the unspoilt forest scenery in ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ eerily familiar, there’s a reason for that. This critically acclaimed 2012 slasher movie was filmed almost entirely in or around Vancouver, with the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Aerospace Technology Campus also featuring heavily in exterior shots during the film.
While the film might divide opinion, there’s no denying the success of ‘50 Shades of Grey,’ which took in over $215 million at the box office, breaking the record for the highest grossest opening weekend for a female-directed film. Scenes were shot in many Vancouver locations students might recognize, including Gastown, Coal Harbour, and Oceanic Plaza.
50 Shades of Grey used Gastown as a shooting location
This offbeat indie comedy about a pregnant teenage girl earned widespread critical acclaim and an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2007. Shooting took place in various locations around BC – locals might recognize Eric Hamber Secondary School and the Hanna Medical Clinic in key scenes.
Despite its low budget and simple premise, the production crew for Juno still numbered well over 100, again demonstrating the numerous opportunities for trained Vancouver filmmakers to find work in a wide range of productions.
Another big budget action movie with a large crew, ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ used Vancouver to double for several international locations, including Seattle, San Francisco, and even Budapest. Students will find the clever shooting techniques used to transform local streets well worth studying as an example of advanced cinematography.
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Hollywood is Going to be in Desperate Need of Hollywood Scripts
By Victor van der Merwe
The world of visual effects is becoming an ever more crucial part of the film industry. CGI and 3D modelling is not just for monster movies and aliens anymore and as movies evolve, it is amazing to see what the visual effects departments can do. Having an actor fly on a dragon is impressive, but what can be even more amazing is subtle changes a person in the VFX department can make to make fabricated scenes look realistic. Here are five films that subtly use special effects to enhance their stories.
Click here to learn more about InFocus Film School’s Compositing for Visual Effects Program
By: Ryan Uytdewilligen
What’s the motivation for your movie’s location?
If you are going make your on-screen dream a reality, you’ll need actors, props, a screenplay, and a crew. But you can’t forget the most important physical aspect… the very bane that plagues all movie shoots; an answer to the pesky question, “where are we going to film?”
A shooting space can make or break everything depending on many minuscule factors. The job takes talent so that the rest of the crew’s day can run smoothly and the desired scene can be captured with ease.
Here’s the process one should take when finding and securing that sacred shooting space.
Click here to learn more about InFocus Film School’s Film Production Program!
Acclaimed director and film school graduate Ang Lee said: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can never learn enough.” That is especially true when it comes to film.
The benefits of a formal filmmaking education cannot be overstated. It gives young directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, and other aspiring artists the guidance and training they need to master their craft. A number of the most well-known and successful directors have gotten started at film school. It gave them a chance to develop their unique artistic style and voice.
Read on to find out how film school influenced the work of these three famous directors.
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee is one example of a director who praises his film school education. Fun Fact: Ang Lee and Spike Lee, also an Academy Award-winner, went to film school together!
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