Here’s the artwork I designed for the new Viridians EP, [sp]arrows. The EP is due for release April 20th, 2013. In the meantime you can listen to Streaming by Viridians right here.
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LA DISTRIBUTION DE FM YOUTH
Les auditions sont terminées et je suis fier d’annoncer la distribution pour mon premier long métrage, FM YOUTH. Voici les acteurs que vous verrez bientôt au grand écran:
Stéphane Simard
Katrine Deniset
Mariève Laflèche
Elyse Saurette
André Vrignon-Tessier
Youssef Aroub
Elena Sturk-Lussier
Lauren Donnelly
Danny Sisler
Ben Maréga
Claire Thomas
Rob Vilar
Damien Ferland
Jocelyne Nicolas
Colin Ritchot
Merci à tous ceux qui se sont présentés aux auditions et un gros merci spécial à Françoise Therrien Vrignon et Mylène Simard pour leur appui lors du processus de sélection. J’ai trop hâte de commencer à travailler avec tous ces gens!
Lost Photograph
This is a photograph I’ve been missing for 3 years. I was in Rome in 2010. I was sitting on a stone step across from the Altare della Patria. An elderly man was sitting next to me. He just had this interesting look and I felt compelled to take this shot. I knew I was near the end of my roll of film and I was really hoping the shot would turn out. When I got the film developed I realised that the frame wasn’t in the digital scans they’d given me. I figured I’d run out of film on the day and the shot hadn’t made it. I was disappointed. I’d kind of taken a risk stealing away this photograph and it had gone unrewarded.
The other day, looking through my old Europe negatives in search of a frame I’m using for the new Viridians EP cover, I found the shot of the old man in Rome at the top of one of the strips. They’d simply missed it. This is the photograph. I’m pretty happy with it!
(My camera had a light leak that was unbeknownst to me during the entirety of the trip. Hence, the orange burns at the top right edge of the frame.)
Premiere of Alors, t’as soif de quoi (avec Mahogany Frog)
The premiere for my newest film, Alors, t’as soif de quoi (avec Mahogany Frog), will be held at the Winnipeg Cinematheque (100 Arthur St.) on Saturday, March 16th at 4pm. The film plays as part of the Gimme Some Truth festival of documentary film! I’m thrilled to finally show this film after nearly three years spent working on it. Thanks so much to Mahogany Frog who were gracious enough to trust me with making this film and everyone at the Winnipeg Film Group and Gimme Some Truth who’ve supported me along the way. Hope you all can make it out!
Here’s the synopsis for the film followed by a trailer and a link to the Gimme Some Truth website:
Together for 15 years and having recorded six studio albums, Winnipeg’s Mahogany Frog is one of the best bands you’ve never heard. Alors, t’as soif de quoi? documents the band on stage as well as off as they try to reconcile lofty dreams of rock stardom with an uncompromising need to create music that is decidedly not radio friendly or mainstream. Their special brand of visceral face-melting instrumental psychedelic jazz-rock is the product of an endless love for pushing artistic boundaries and a steadfast determination not to sell out. Set your synths to stun.
60 mins, 2013, HD/SD
Sonata for Christian
In 2008, I received the Winnipeg Film Group’s First Film Fund grant and made a short film called Sonata for Christian on Super 16mm. It’s my one and only 16mm film and it couldn’t have been made without the wonderful and talented cast and crew I had at my disposal. Together we brought to life this vision of suburban ennui and sexual awakenings. I learned so much while making this film and am eternally grateful to Sean Garrity who mentored me through the entire process and generously gave of his time to answer all of my questions and put to rest my many concerns. I must also thank Onalee Ames who not only accepted a leading role in the film but also granted me access to her acting studio which allowed me to meet so many talented actors, some of which ended up in the film. Jason Heke, the Director of Photography, was so committed to the project and it amazed me how we were so often on the same page. While scouting locations, we would toss around film titles such as The Straight Story and The Virgin Suicides, trying to close in on a look for the film. The technical team he assembled for the shoot was second to none. I’ve never been so spoiled on a set. Kevin Bacon, our sound guy, came through for me when I was desperately searching for anyone who knew how to work a sound recorder. He did a magnificent job. I also have to thank Natalie Dacquisto, the Production Designer, who not only dressed the sets and found amazing props, but also assembled an amazing team for wardrobe, make-up and hair. Thanks also to Mark Borowski, the Production Manager, and Sara Stouffer (formerly Atwood – she actually met her husband Ben on the set of Sonata!), the Assistant Director, for paying the bills, coordinating permits and keeping us on schedule and well fed. I couldn’t have asked for a more professional cast. Ben Beauchemin, Onalee Ames, Claire Thomas and Hannah Anderson delivered great lead performances and were a joy to work with. I’m proud to say that out of the alumni of the Sonata cast, Ben, Hannah and Lauren Donnelly all ended up leaving Winnipeg in pursuit of acting careers. Ben and Hannah now live in Toronto and Lauren is out in Vancouver. Thanks are also due to Jaimz Asmundson who co-edited the film with me and in a certain way, saved it. He was the fresh set of eyes that found a way to piece all the scenes together when I had lost all perspective and couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He also came up with the idea for the credit sequences which I’m very fond of. Merci to my good friends Nadia Gaudet, who composed the starkly beautiful and minimalist piano score for the film, and Eric Gosselin, who recorded it all. Thanks also to the ever so professional Edgar Ozolins who ensured the overall sound mix of the film and didn’t charge me an arm and a leg. I’m eternally grateful for that. Thanks to everyone who was involved with the film, who let us film in their houses, who lent us props and gear and who supported us through it all. It was so much fun. Sonata for Christian went on to screen at the 2011 Gimli Film Festival (Gimli, MB) and the 2012 Canadian Film Festival (Toronto, ON).
Here it is for all to enjoy.
These Are Some Of My Friends
Here’s the film I shot for the 2012 WNDX One Take Super-8 Event. Some of my friends. Some of their thoughts. Starring Derrick Finch, Karina Meridji Arbez, Godzilla the Cat, George Grenier and Françoise Therrien Vrignon One of my friends, Scott Fitzpatrick, had some really kind things to say about it in this Cineflyer article.
Check out more films from the WNDX One Take Super-8 Event here.
Saffron Myst
This is the video I made for Mahogany Frog’s Saffron Myst. The song is taken off their new album, Senna. The new album is awesome and getting rave reviews! The video is basically a mash-up of 5 different vintage car ads. Mahogany Frog’s album release for Senna goes down on September 28th, 2012, at Frame Arts Warehouse. Here’s the Facebook event page.
Stay tuned for Alors, t’as soif de quoi? avec Mahogany Frog an hour long concert/doc film that I directed about Mahogany Frog. Candid tour footage. Interviews. An Exchange District loft concert. Day jobs. Coming soon to a screen near you.
Buy Mahogany Frog’s music here.
Éveil dans la ville à la Maison des artistes
Je présente deux films dans une exposition de groupe nommée Éveil dans la ville qui se présente à la Maison des artistes. Le vernissage sera ce jeudi, le 6 septembre à 19h00. Les deux autres artistes dans le show sont hannah_g et Chantel Mierau.
Les deux films que je présente sont 177, boulevard Dollard et Saint-Boniface, je t’aime (Un film en 8 tableaux), une version modifiée du film que j’ai conçu pour l’événement Bands Vs Filmmakers.
L’expo est dans la gallérie jusqu’au 25 octobre. J’ai pas mal hâte.
INFO: Éveil dans la ville – Facebook
Two of my films will be showing as part of Éveil dans la ville, a group exhibit at Maison des artistes in St. Boniface. The opening is this Thursday, September 6th, at 7pm. The two other artists who will be showing are hannah_g and Chantel Mierau.
The two films I’ll be showing are 177, boulevard Dollard and Saint-Boniface, je t’aime (Un film en 8 tableaux), which is a modified version of my Bands Vs. Filmmakers film.
The exhibit is up until october 25th. I’m looking forward to it!
INFO: Éveil dans la ville – Facebook
Stillz:
One Take Super-8 Event 2012
Happy to announce that I’ve signed up for my fifth One Take Super-8 Event! The whole thing goes down on September 30th, 2012 as part of the WNDX festival. I’m cooking up something kind of neat. I think… Hopefully it’ll turn out! You never know until the screening.
Also, check out the One Take Super-8 5th Anniversary DVD. It includes my first Super 8 film, Bury the Baby, along with a host of other radical films: Snapperdoodle (Arlea Ashcroft & Andrea von Wickert), Worked to the Bone (Gwen Trutnau), Fish Arms (Mike Maryniuk), Sundown at the Dusty Trail (Darryl Nepinak), the voice and bearing of trees (Karen Asmundson), Devisible (Robert Pasternak), Spider Pig (Scott Benesiinaabandan), Poor Andy in « The Wedding Ball » (Joshua Stanton), Arkansas American Flag (Ed Ackerman), With Care (Kevin Bacon), a(e0)liens (Danielle Sturk), The Bourgeois Walk (Cam Woykin), 3D Jesus/2×4/Architects Table (Andrew Milne), Rocket John (Curtis L. Wiebe), Heartspeak (Damien Ferland), Singh (Sunny Sidhu), Frame Storm (Jim Pomeroy), 0$ Per Gallon (Kristen Andrews), Sun Moon Stars Rain (Leslie Supnet), Chaos Theory (Aaron Zeghers), Not In Service (Matt Webber), Down (Scott Fitzpatrick), The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (Clint Enns), Spin (Heidi Phillips). With special bonus films: Reilvolution (Alex Rogalski), In Reflection (Cecilia Araneda), Preliminary Notes On Gesture (Solomon Nagler) and Goths! On the Bus! (Karen & Jaimz Asmundson).
Transcribing all those titles makes me marvel at the amount of talent we have in Winnipeg. Such a diverse scene of artists and friends. The One Take Super-8 event is a true testament to our love of filmmaking in this city. The number of quality films turned out by this event is staggering. Many of these went on to screen at various festivals around North America and the World. Goths! On the Bus! even went on to screen at Cannes in 2012. I remember seeing With Care, Spider Pig and Bury the Baby all screen in the same program at the $100 Dollar Film Fest in Calgary in 2008.
The One Take Super-8 Event promotes true cinema in my eyes. No agenda, no grand scheme, no money. Film for the sake of film. Pure expression, experimentation and fun.
Plus! Rad DVD artwork courtesy of the ever so awesome Leslie Supnet.
Maison des artistes
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Bonnes nouvelles! Une version modifiée du film que j’ai tourné pour l’évènement Bands VS Filmmakers (renommé « Saint-Boniface, je t’aime ») et « 177, boulevard Dollard » seront en exposition à la Maison des artistes (Winnipeg) à partir du mois de septembre. Plus de détails à venir! Vernissage le 6 septembre 2012.
Good news! A modified version of the film that I shot for Bands VS Filmmakers (re-named « Saint-Boniface, je t’aime ») and « 177, boulevard Dollard » will be part of an exhibit at Maison des artistes in Winnipeg, starting in September. More détails to follow! Gallery opening on September 6th, 2012.