InFocus Film School Blog

Janalee Budge, who hails from Whistler, BC, has a background in art direction and graphic design, giving her work a unique artistic style. “I want to make visually beautiful documentaries and with (my biography film) Unbound, that magical and super beautiful visual style is what I’d like to explore.”

Janalee took a leap of faith in going back to school to study filmmaking, and leave her relative work security – but it’s a leap that is paying off. “I was looking for a course that I could take part time, so I took a one day course to see what [InFocus] was all about, and I was super happy with it. So I decided to do the drama and documentary six month course. I was working as an art director before, and I was in charge of corporate ads and webisodes, but I wasn’t very hands on.“

Janalee is an avid believer in strong visual themes and images in her films but since studying at InFocus, her ideas and themes have broadened: ”I didn’t know what to expect because this program covers so much of film. When I first started I wanted to hone in on my camera and editing skills, but we also get a lot of classes here on directing, lighting and grip and all those other aspects of filmmaking. They’re all interconnected so I’m really happy I got to do some of those classes as well as focusing on my documentary filmmaking.”

What’s next for Janalee? “I wouldn’t mind trying to work on a bigger set while working on my own projects, and this school helped me utilize these different skill sets. I like the fact that I’m in such an intensive course and that it’s a small class (so) it’s more hands on.”

Watch Janalee’s biography film, Unbound, below.

“When I was about ten or eleven I started fooling around with my dad’s camcorder, making a lot of videos and if there was a programme I could have done after I finished school I would have done it.”

Rider Laskin’s love and interest in film started at a young age in Langley, but it wasn’t until studying History in college that his interest become a solid possibility. “I took some film courses in college and I’ve always watched a lot of movies. And I’ve always been interested in making movies and so when I [graduated] I started looking around for different programmes and [InFocus] fit my criteria.” Rider’s passion and desire to become a filmmaker is evident – he always knew filmmaking was his calling, and is eager to learn about every aspect of the filmmaking process.

So what is the biggest challenge he’s faced while studying the dream he always wanted to pursue? “I knew it was difficult to make a movie but being here and thinking about movies all day and speaking with the professionals, has reinforced the idea of how difficult it is. It’s such an expensive art form and requires so many resources…it’s daunting.”

If he feels daunted or intimidated about the entire process of filmmaking, it has not stymied his creativity. Rider’s favourite project that he’s worked on so far is “Waiting Room,” a short film he wrote and directed himself: “the experience of making that movie, and [dealing with] all the stress that came with it was invaluable. InFocus has given me a practical skill set which I can use to put my creative energy into; it was very cool to take something that was an inkling of an idea, and eventually turn it into a finished product.”

Check out Rider’s bio project below:

Struggling to resist the constant distractions in your home? Find inspiration in new surroundings, and discover some of Vancouver’s finest coffee shops.

Our three key qualities for the perfect coffee shop writing spot are ample seating, plentiful outlets and exceptional hot brew. Find your new favourite home-away-from-home in these rain city gems.

Downtown
Mink Chocolates Cafe
863 W Hastings St.

If you want to pair your caffeine buzz with a sugar high, Mink Chocolates Cafe not only serves up excellent coffee, but also offers a large array of specialty drinks and delectable treats. Inside it’s clean and bright, with a good number of small tables for writers who are working alone.

Kitsilano
Calhoun’s Bakery Café
3035 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

One of the few coffee shops in Vancouver that is open 24/7, Calhoun’s is inviting and spacious and provides an extensive menu of comfort food and baked goods– not to mention, fresh coffee to keep you going all night long.

Fairview Slopes
Caffe Cittadella
2310 Ash Street

Located in a converted heritage house, Caffe Cittadella is absolutely charming, with two small floors of seating and a multi-level outdoor patio. A few blocks away from the cacophony of Cambie and Broadway, this coffee shop is off the main street and blissfully quiet – the perfect spot for writers.

Gastown
Revolver
325 Cambie Street

For the caffeine connoisseur, Revolver truly sets a standard for exceptional service and top-notch pourover brew. You may need to experiment bit to find a time when the shop isn’t packed with people, but it’s absolutely worth the effort.

Grandview-Woodlands
Platform 7
2331 E Hastings Street

Cement walls, pipe shelving and a curious row of flame fueled coffee siphons give Platform 7 an appealing steampunk vibe, and the funky decor is worth a visit alone. The ample seating and retro music selection is just icing on the cake– and it’s sure to get your creative juices flowing.

Hastings-Sunrise
East Cafe
2401 E Hastings Street

Exactly what every neighbourhood cafe should strive to be– vibrant and welcoming with excellent coffee and locally sourced baked goods. The staff goes above and beyond making you feel at home, and their efforts don’t go unnoticed by their very local clientele.

Mount Pleasant

Aperture Coffee Bar
243 W Broadway

With its exposed brick columns, herringbone floor and incredible coffee, Aperture Coffee Bar is definitely an inspiring place to work– and, in case you need a distraction, it hosts an impressive bookshelf of lovingly worn novels.

Riley Park
The Grind & Gallery Coffee Bar
4124 Main St

A favourite of Vancouver writer’s groups, The Grind has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and a deceptively large seating area in the back. Open late, this Riley Park coffee shop is a great choice for a writing session.

West End
Breka Bakery & Cafe
812 Bute Street

Another rare Vancouver establishment that is open 24/7, Breka Bakery & Cafe is warm and unpretentious, with a huge selection of baked goods, soups and sandwiches. The large patio, which is heated during the colder months, is also perfect for people watching.

Yaletown
The Buzz Café & Espresso Bar
901 Homer Street

With a spacious layout that feels like a combination of an art gallery and an upscale living room, The Buzz Cafe has the distinction of being one of the only coffee shops in Vancouver ideal for writing in a quiet atmosphere.

It’s a beautiful, crisp autumn day in Vancouver and at InFocus Film School our Foundation Film Program, a six month filmmaking intensive, is now in session.

In honour of our class of new students who have travelled to the Pacific Northwest from all around the world, here are five tips on how to become a better filmmaker, and unleash your inner cinematic genius:

1) Recognize the Importance of Play

As children, we could dip our hands into a carton of paint and smear it on a canvas without much thought to what our soon-to-be-masterpiece would become. The worry of whether or not our work was any good is something that came much later in life, and it can be detrimental to the creative process.

If you find yourself stuck on a particular idea, or in a never ending struggle with perfectionism, take a moment to consider how you might approach your work if you were eight years old. Trust your impulses, put a pin in ideas, move past them when you get stuck, and do your best to practice openness.

2) Make Weekend Movies

It can be tempting to wait until conditions are perfect to start making films– when you have a generous budget, top-of-the-line cinematography equipment and seasoned actors. The truth is, is that money and technology are never a good substitute for talent and experience.

Grab your cellphone, a DSLR or even that old camcorder that is buried in your garage and start making movies. Enlist some friends to help out, operating the camera, dressing a location or standing in as actors. Remember that these films don’t have to be exceptional, but they should contain something in them that you feel represents your point of view, or your sense of humour.

3) Watch Bad Films

It may seem counterintuitive to include b-movies in your film studies, but they’re not only very entertaining – they can also teach you a lot about film production and story structure.

From cliched dialogue to overdone movie tropes, these films can act as a visual textbook on what not to do in your own cinematic endeavours. Use these as a guide to the mistakes many filmmakers make, and you’ll become better at identifying these issues in your own work.

4) Don’t Take it Personally

Here’s the truth  behind creativity — as you’re working towards mastering your craft, you’re going to have to work through a whole mess of mediocrity. The films you make in the beginning of your career aren’t always going to look how you want them to — in some cases you’re going to feel the impulse to trash an entire project after the final cut.

In order to become a better filmmaker you’re going to have to keep practicing, filming, writing and putting your work out there. Don’t look at your limitations as if they are a direct reflection of your worth as a person. Take pride in your dedication to improve as a creative talent.

5) Repeat

The most important thing you can do to continually nurture your creativity and skill is to keep making things. Write alone, or write with a partner. Recruit friends to meet up once a week and spend the afternoon filming. Edit that footage on your computer. Find other people who are making their own films, and help them with their productions.

Creativity is a muscle. To strengthen it, you must work on it daily. In order to become a masterful filmmaker you will need the ambition to succeed, the practice to refine your skill and the dedication to push yourself towards greatness.

Tonight I left the movie theatre wishing the directing and writing credit had my name instead of the name Sanna Lenken. It’s one of a handful of narcissistic fantasies that every filmmaker experiences. It’s how I felt after seeing the early works of Todd Solendz. “My Skinny Sister,” is a Swedish drama about a pudgy neglected twelve year old girl who witnesses her older sister’s ongoing struggles with figure skating and anorexia.

A triangle emerges as red headed tween Stella, (Rebecka Josephson, granddaughter of Bergman regular Erland Josephson), falls for her sister Katja’s forty-something skating coach. The lengthy dialogue scenes have moments of magic as Stella is a resourceful liar who can lie beautifully in a pinch. Her genius lies directed to both her parents and the chiseled skating coach are the only laugh-out-loud moments in this sobering film.

Obviously talent is abundant for this young actor whose understated performance includes a variety of brooding stares and giggling meltdowns. She has the unenviable task of her viewing her sister’s skating demise while keeping silent for fear of betrayal. The scenes unravel slowly with minimal cuts and the close-up stares are Bergmanesque. Most appealing about this film are Lenken’s storytelling choices: the anorexia breakdown is less relevant than the story of a young sister trying to behave like an older wiser sister. In this textured portrait of sister envy, not everything is solved, but a certain raven haired adolescent ends up with an awkward life affirming kiss.