Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your film?

Caitlyn Byrnes: I am a production designer and writer/director based in Vancouver BC. My film is called One Last Ride. It tells of an unlikely friendship between a young soul singer and a taxi driver.

This is the synopsis:

Tired of being ripped off by entitled hipsters, taxi driver Inderjeet Dhaliwal is prepared to call the cops when his latest customer, a boisterous young soul singer named Maggie, can’t pay the fare. Desperate to get to her audition, Maggie attempts to find some common ground between them, and uncovers an unexpected shared love of deep soul music.

Jem Garrard: I’m a Writer and Director from London, UK and Vancouver has been home to me for the past six years. In that time I’ve been directing and shooting music videos, commercials and documentaries. My film is called The Wolf Who Came to Dinner and it tells the story of 8 year old Bea Barkley who imagines her Moms dinner date to be a werewolf and she makes it her mission to get rid of him over the course of the evening.

Mo Soliman: I’m Mo Soliman, writer/director for the film Under A Glass Moon. UAGM is both a mystery thriller and a character-driven piece, where a world of secrets unfold as the story is told.

Can you tell us about how the idea for your film came to be and what your creative process was like in making it come to life?

Caitlyn Byrnes: My film was inspired by my own experience as a struggling artist, my love of fleeting moments of human connection, and more than anything the soulful music and wild spirit of my friend Colleen Rennison who stars in the film. I wrote it for her.

I had the idea for some time but it wasn’t until I was talking to a friend about Crazy 8’s that I thought it might be a viable way to make my film come to life. Then I pitched it and the rest is history!

Jem Garrard: I grew up in a single parent family with my Mom and two sisters and we were always creating characters and monsters. I’m a big fan of monster movies and horror and a lot of my stories are about family dynamics so I decided to mesh the two. It’s part autobiographical I guess. The script was developed over a period of about seven or eight years. The six months leading up to the crazy 8s pitch deadline was when the script really started to come together for me.

Mo Soliman: I’m a big fan of the genre, especially Hitchcock and I wanted to create a story which uses these elements of suspense storytelling. I also wanted to explore how the medium of film can evoke the very primal emotion of fear. Essentially it is a film about coming face to face with your worst fear. So it’s kind of an experiment in story telling that I wanted to undertake. There are surreal elements and very subjective visuals in this film aimed at creating a visceral experience for the audience

What was the most memorable moment for you in the Crazy 8s process?

Caitlyn Byrnes: The first time Colleen sang on set for the camera – it was in that moment I really realized that the film I had in my head for so long was actually being made!

Jem Garrard: The most memorable part, there are many. Production went really well – seeing the wolf and these characters I’d had in my mind for so long come to life was surreal. Post was insane. I learned a lot about myself. I can pull four all-nighters in a row (and I don’t drink coffee!). But probably getting the call that I had made it to the final 6 is up there with memorable moments. I was with family and friends and it was a great celebration.

Mo Soliman: When I got the phone call at 11 p.m from the Crazy 8s producers telling me I got selected!

What books have been influential to you so far in your career?

Caitlyn Byrnes: On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I read this book right before I left on a trip for India was I was 18. It has really informed my view of life every since. Particularly my view of art.

Jem Garrard: I read a lot of everything. I’m a big sci-fi geek actually so Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury are up there. I’ve also been heavily influenced by J.D. Salinger’s work.

Mo Soliman: I think reading is imperative to what I do. My favourite film books are Hitchcock: The Definitive Study by Francois Truffaut, The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje and Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood by Peter Biskind. Non-film books include everything by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Milan Kundera, Albert Camus, Kafka and Naguib Mahfouz.

What other projects are you working on and where can we find out more about you?

Caitlyn Byrnes: I just finished designing a feature called Unseen and will likely be going on to design a few more projects soon! You can find out more about me and my team at scopitonefilms.com or the-herd.ca.

Jem Garrard: Currently I have three short sci-fis in post, nearing completion. My feature documentary Guns to Mics is being released in April and I’m jumping into pre-production on a comedy TV show called The Switch. I’ll be directing the first season beginning in April.

Mo Soliman: Currently I’m producing a video series for Government Canada as well as TV spots for the United Nations Development Program. You can check out my website at bigredfish.co

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For more information about Crazy 8s, please visit crazy8s.cc

The post The Biz Interview: Crazy 8s Filmmakers appeared first on Biz Books.

We spoke with Jim Gordon about his love of film and his experience in entertainment.

How did you become interested in the entertainment industry and what steps did you take to get involved?

I became interested at a very young age, developing a love of movies thanks to my wonderful mother. When I was a kid, it was sports, movies and wanting to be a radio DJ. I got a TV/film review column in the local newspaper by the time I was 17 and also got involved in TV and radio, and DJ’ing in bars. I studied Film at the University of Waterloo, and along with my cousin, made a movie that was broadcast locally. That led to a 4 movie deal with a small movie company in Toronto after university. It was a great first break, and I loved it, but I kept doing film reviews as well.

How would you sum up what you do as a film critic and television personality? What’s a typical work day like for you?

As a film critic on CTV, my job is to convey my thoughts and opinions as quickly and succinctly as possible. I try to cover a wide variety of films/DVDs each week so there’s hopefully something for everyone. With our TV show, The Travel Guys, our approach over the last 11 years has been very similar in that we cover a destination with insight, information, and humour, hopefully giving the viewer a sense of what it’s like. As for a typical day, it varies, depending on what “hat” I’m wearing that day.

What’s the biggest misconception about film critics?

I’m not sure, maybe that we don’t like mainstream movies, which is not the case.

How would you sum up the films of 2014 so far?

I think it’s been pretty good overall. There have been some wonderful films this year from the Hollywood, as well as documentaries, independent and foreign films. I loved Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, and Philip Seymour Hoffman reminded me of all the great performances we’ll never see in one of his last films, the old school spy thriller A Most Wanted Man. The Lunchbox from India is certainly worth seeing, and though I’m so tired of anything with a vampire, Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston were superb in Only Lovers Left Alive. I’ve also enjoyed Birdman with Michael Keaton, Foxcatcher with Steve Carell and The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch.

In your opinion, what are three elements that every film needs to be effective?

A well-written story, interesting characters, and solid acting.

What are your favourite movies?

My favourite movie is The Americanization of Emily (1964), with James Garner and Julie Andrews. It’s an anti-war, romantic drama set during the days leading up to D-Day. It was brilliantly written by the master, Paddy Chayefsky, who also wrote Marty (1955) and the prophetic film about the decline of TV called Network (1976). I also love Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960), and The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) which stars my all-time favourite actor, William Holden.

How about some memorable moments in your career so far?

As a film critic I’ve been very fortunate to have interviewed some well-known people in the business, Helen Mirren and Clint Eastwood rank up there. And Jeff Bridges was such a nice guy, really cool, the dude. But I’ll never forget the time years ago when and I saw Marcello Mastroianni in a Toronto hotel lobby, it took all my nerve to go over and shake his hand but I’m glad I did. He was the epitome of elegance and grace.

Co-hosting a travel show, there have been a number of highlights, but watching locals in Northern Malaysia bet on coconut-plucking, tree monkeys would rank up there.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a film critic?

See a wide variety of film. Read other critics (Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss is among my favourites). Write what you see and post it.

What books have been influential to you in becoming a film critic?

I’ve read so many great books on directors, writers and actors, but those which come to mind are screenwriting books by Syd Field, Hitchcock: The Definitive Study – Francois Truffaut’s book of conversations with Alfred Hitchcock, David Mamet’s Writing in Restaurants, and not too long ago I read the 2001 bio on film/theatre critic, Kenneth Tynan, and Todd McCartney’s 1997 bio on director Howard Hawks.

Where can we find out more about you and keep up with your current and future projects?

Thanks for asking. My film review segments air on CTV every Friday on the morning, noon, and 5pm News shows. You can also find other reviews/interviews at gastowngazette.com and prevailprevail.com.

The Travel Guys airs weekly on SHAW TV, CHEK TV, and NOVUS TV. You can also find me at travelguystv.com and @travelguystv & @jimctvmovies.

The post The Biz Interview: Jim Gordon of CTV and The Travel Guys appeared first on Biz Books.

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for the production from the early stages (initial ideas, writing, etc.) all the way to the theatrical release of Becoming Redwood?

I wrote Becoming Redwood in 1998 while living in Los Angeles. I had written a script prior and felt it wasn’t deep enough and as a writer I needed to go further. So, I decided to delve into my own past and that lead me to Redwood. I had parents that divorced, that had come from the U.S to Canada during the Vietnam war. I had searched for ways of getting them back together and did believe I could beat Jack Nicklaus. Not in the way Redwood believed, but we shared very similar thought processes and the script took off from there. I wrote the first draft that year and received some interest at an agency in Los Angeles. Ultimately however, I felt as a director and writer I wasn’t ready and neither was the script. For the next half decade I spent my time honing my craft as a writer/director as well as an editor and after many re-writes of Redwood I shopped it around with my agent in Vancouver, Barbara Bird.

There was interest again, but the Canadian model’s didn’t make sense to me. The script was too polished to enter the telefilm/development world and the grant system itself was foreign to me. I wanted to follow the private financing model which I believed at the time would give me more creative control. I found out Chad Willett and Joely Collins were going to start a new company (StoryLab Productions) and were looking for a script. They read it and loved it. We agreed on the private financing system and away we went. I happened to be directing a feature documentary (The Good Son: The life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini) at the same time the financing came in for Redwood and did both films at the same time. Pre-Production and Casting happened in June/July of 2011 and Redwood went to camera in Late July and all of August. Post Production was great as my ratio was very low and I know the editor very well. Charlie Renfrew is an great friend of mine and we work well together. Schaun Tozer came on board to compose and we work very well together as well. The film was done in December of 2011 and sound/music/color correction was finished by April. The film then hit the festival circuit in September of 2012, opening the Edmonton Film Festival, winning the jury prize, then off to VIFF, winning the most popular film award. Now it’s about to be theatrical released across Canada.

What themes and ideas do you want the audience to think about from watching the film?

That love can change everything. It might not change things the way you thought, but it’s the only positive way forward.

What was the most challenging sequence for you to film?

There were very few, but the 18th hole at Augusta scene was written with the gallery/crowd lifting Redwood onto their shoulders, a big celebratory moment. We didn’t have the money for extras in that scene or any time, so modifying that feeling without visual support was difficult for me, however it worked in the end.

You have a diverse background as a director that has included documentaries, TV series, and dramas. How does your preparation change if you are shooting a drama like Becoming Redwood vs. a documentary like The Good Son or a TV series like Captain Starship?

Preparing for different genres is why I do them. It’s very exciting for me to step into different worlds. However it all goes back to story in whatever your directing. So my preparation for any film, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction is delving as deeply as I can into the story. Knowing it’s elements, it’s characters. For non-fiction these are real people so that preparation is a bit different than the casting process in fiction, however it’s still about finding real moments, real people.

Which accomplishments are you most proud of from each filmmaking experience that you’ve had and what are the most important lessons you’ve learned?

I’m very proud of Becoming Redwood for enduring the many years of that’s scripts growth. It was hard, but I kept going and it’s paid off with a beautiful film that I’ll always be very proud of. For The Good Son, it’s just such an amazing film because of it’s subject matter – Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini. He allowed me to enter his life and was very open during the process, no matter if it was painful to him or not, he was open. I’m very grateful to him for that experience.

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to never panic. Even when you are, never show it. The minute that happens you might as well go home and close shop because it will never show you the way through hard times.

From your perspective, what are the keys to creating effective drama in a film or a documentary?

Well for one thing you need to know where those dramatic moments are and figuring out the best way to present them. With Redwood it was understanding those silent introspective moments with my character Redwood and drawing those moments out properly. To effect drama I decided to break the 4th wall and have Redwood look directly at the audience, sometimes in total silence, sometimes with a line. It was a chance, but I found it to be very effective for his character and heighten the dramatic aspect the film needed.

With The Good Son it was making sure I approached the death of both Ray’s brother and Deuk-Koo Kim with respect. Nothing ever over the top in those moments, so lots of mindfullness as a filmmaker. With documentary it’s different however when it comes to effecting drama. Your job, in my opinion, is to create a comforting environment for them to express themselves and then get out of the way.

Which steps can directors take to build positive working relationships with their cast and crew during the making of a film?

It’s all about trust and creating a safe environment for the actors or your subjects. So for crew it’s for me to lead in that example and make sure that happens. That is just a directors job whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. With actors it’s essential for me to make sure they feel safe to express themselves in their work. With subjects in documentaries, if they don’t trust you, you have no film.

Who and what were your major inspirations for becoming a director?

I found directing through a lot of people. Because I’m a late bloomer and didn’t fully understand early in my life that being an artists is not a choice, I attribute most of my inspiration to my parents who never questioned my own choices. As crazy as they were. Then one day I found my wonderful wife, Jennifer Copping who’s continued that support exponentially, and finally, Francois Truffaut. 400 blows also changed my life.

Are there any authors or specific books that have been influential in your development as a filmmaker?

Walter Murch’s In the Blink of an Eye. Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies. Nikolai Gorchakov’s Stanislavsky Directs.

What is the biggest obstacle facing independent filmmakers today?

I think it’s getting your work seen at the next level. Studios control theatres, have massive P&A budgets and the film festival route has changed. So there’s little room for indie films to truly break through. However, it’s an exciting time as well. Technically equipment has never been better or cheaper and with new distribution channels and funding possibilities via the internet, there is a new world coming. We just have to be patient, open minded and continue doing great work. Great work always shines through.

What advice would you offer to aspiring directors who are looking to get started in the industry?

Learn how to write, find a great editor and get a good lawyer.

Are there any upcoming projects that you’re working on that you’d like to mention?

I’m writing two feature film scripts and starting a re-write on a feature script I’m shooting this summer in the U.S. I’ve also started a new production company called Profile Films with two fellow filmmakers in Vancouver and we have a few projects in development that are starting to find there legs and could go to camera soon as well.

Becoming Redwood opens in Vancouver on April 26th, 2013. For more information on the film, please visit BecomingRedwood.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Jesse James Miller – Director of Becoming Redwood appeared first on Biz Books.