Category Archives: Training and Networking

TV Showrunner Bootcamp: apply now!

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BIPOC writers take note: here’s a great way to advance in episodic television.

The BIPOC TV & Film Showrunner Training Bootcamp is a 4-day workshop-style intensive for mid-level to senior writers. Led by writer and executive producer, Anthony Q. Farrell, along with special guest instructors and panellists, the workshop will train up to 50 writers on best practices in managing and staffing their writing rooms, managing production and post-production schedules, and working effectively with production companies and broadcasters.

Farrell says:

“A nice thing about the Canadian Entertainment industry right now is that more doors are opening for BIPOC creators. It’s a beautiful thing. What I’m noticing though, is that many of those creators are being thrown into showrunning without any real preparation or support. The goal of this program is to get mid and upper-level writers ready for the jump to showrunning, demystify elements of the role that are new to them, and to inspire them to take creative control of their series. We’ll go through the nuts and bolts of the job so they’re mostly ready for the opportunity if and when it arises.”

The Showrunner Training Bootcamp is open to Canadian writers who are Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized (Persons of Colour). To be eligible you must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

  1. You have or had a show (web or TV) in development with a Canadian broadcaster or with a production company; or,
  2. You have attained a producer-level credit on at least one season of a Canadian TV or web series; or,
  3. You have a story editor credit on an animated series.

Here’s the program:

Week 1 (October 16): Managing and staffing your creative team

  • What to look for when hiring, where to find your writers
  • How to cultivate a safe working environment
  • How to communicate and delegate effectively
  • How and when to promote junior writers
  • How to work best with story editors/coordinators
  • How to manage relationships and set realistic expectations with producers
  • How to manage a co-showrunning relationship

Week 2 (October 23): Managing Schedules
Guest Instructor: Jim Corston

  • Breaking down line producing and budgets
  • Pitfalls for showrunners to avoid
  • Determining budget realities and priorities
  • Staying within your budget and production schedule
  • Special session on notes; who gives them, when, pushing back, communicating them to writers

Week 3 (November 6): Production & Post Production
Guest Instructor: Dave Huband

  • Post production workflow from day one to delivery
  • Tracking dailies
  • Working with editors (giving and taking notes)
  • What to look for at the mix and in colour correction

Week 4 (November 20): Managing Relationships + Wrap-up
Guest Panellists: Marsha Greene, Floyd Kane, Vera Santamaria

  • Building and managing relationships with your writers, actors, crew, non-writing producers, broadcasters
  • Panel featuring showrunners from Canada and the US

Apply by September 19, 2021 here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCjxsiHG0GN0bqQb9EPhk3N8A5ar78eIaMb2gzX4JnmKVO4Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

My take: Ana de Lara, this is for you!

The Future of Film Showcase 2021

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The annual Future of Film Showcase (FOFS) is happening now.

Evan Goldberg (google him if you don’t recognize the name) gave the opening keynote conversation.

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail interviewed him leading up to this. On if heading off to Hollywood is the only way to make it, he says:

“Seth and I knew our sensibility was in making huge in-theatre comedies. But if you’re trying to make a dramatic indie film that’s not specifically designed to be a blockbuster that makes a lot of money, then Canada has an incredible system to help you. I feel that Canada is always pushing its filmmakers in an impressive way. Usually there’s the industry that pushes it, but the actual political forces of Canada push it forward, too. But I feel like it’s going to break through in a bigger way soon. Canada has been known as a great place to produce comedians, but there’s a wave of directors and producers coming up, too. And the opportunities are growing: We have giant corporations and studios setting up shop here.”

Most of the Industry Panels have passed or are full but there are still two ZOOM seminars available:

Watch this year’s films on CBC GEM and read about them here.

My take: a worthy cause and event — but maybe slightly ageist, as their definition of emerging means 40 and under. I guess that makes me “post-emerging?” (Back in the day, 30 was the supposed dividing line. Remember, “Don’t trust anyone over 30?”)

Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative announces 2021 participants

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The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative has just announced this year’s participants.

The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative is a training and development program for emerging and mid-career creatives and producers of commercial television and/or digital media content. The program aims to provide industry access and an international market platform for participants to sell their projects at the Banff World Media Festival, June 14-July 16, 2021.

I recently interviewed Mia Golden and Arnold Lim, both participants this year, separately by email:

Michael Korican: Congratulations! How does it feel?

Mia Golden: “It feels wonderful. I had applied last year but didn’t get in so it was really exciting to get the news.”

Arnold Lim: “I am really grateful for the opportunity! The Banff Media Festival and the Netflix Diversity of Voices Initiative are making a real-world difference. As an indie director and producer, I have never had the opportunity to go before, so this is a tangible opportunity that I don’t take for granted.”

M.K.: How long have you been living in Victoria and have you noticed attitudes and behaviour towards diverse people change over that time?

M.G.: “I moved to Victoria in ’94 and have seen many changes. When I first moved here there really wasn’t much diversity. And while it still wouldn’t be considered a melting pot with respect to cultural diversity, I at least don’t feel like I stand out anymore. Aside from Jamaica where I was born and Toronto, where my mother and I moved when she returned to Canada (with her 2 year old Jamaican souvenir) I had always lived in communities that were primarily White. And like many children I was on the receiving end of teasing and name calling, and because I stood out visually, the name calling was racially based.”

A.L.: “I was born in Vancouver and moved to Victoria as a teenager. Things have changed for the better, but I do think there is still room to grow. Flagrant incidences of racism are becoming less frequent, but the more subtle instances are still there. Having said that I am proud to be Canadian and know that there are places that have it much worse.”

M.K.: Can you share some “then” and “now” examples?

M.G.: “I have always found Victoria more open compared to my teenage home town in Northern BC where my last visit there a few years ago a man leaned out his truck window and yelled, “Hey, it’s Chaka Khan.” Now having said all that, I feel that most biases are based on unconscious beliefs, fears or misunderstandings and I really don’t take things too personally. I am very happy there is more awareness on the topic and that representation is finally increasing in mainstream media. I’d love for people to know that a BIPOC parent can have a child of any colour within the spectrum of their DNA, for example. Like I am the shade that I am but I have friends and acquaintances with the same type of mixture who are very dark and some who have no pigment at all. That’s genetics! I’d love for that awareness to trickle down when it comes to casting families. I am seeing more mixed families in commercials and I’d love to see continued awareness of that in our film community here on the Island. If you watch most films from even a couple of years ago, it’s primarily white actors. Now some of that is due to the pool to choose from. Like I said before we aren’t a BIPOC rich community, but it is getting better and I feel we as filmmakers need to be proactive in seeking out diversity in what we write and how we cast. Now to be clear, I feel that casting should be based on talent and ability to give the director the performance needed for the role, but opportunities should be wide open. And I do think that in the last couple of years especially, there is an increase in awareness.”

A.L.: “I remember when I first moved to Victoria I got on the bus and was sitting down behind a woman who turned around just then and yelled at me to “Go back to where you came from!” before moving to a different seat to get away from me.”

M.K.: Of all the projects you’ll be taking to Banff, which one excites you most, and why?

M.G.: “I am very lucky that the team I work with and I have a few projects including a few features, a factual series and a couple of series. I am, however, most excited about one of the features we shot in November that I wrote, co-produced and acted in. We will be announcing more about that in the near future!”

A.L.: “I have both a feature called “The Bryce Lee Story” and a continuing series called “Holdouts” that I am developing with various writers that I am very excited about because they tell unique stories of the Asian-Canadian experience in Canada. Of all the films I have directed or produced, none of them had any diversity in the leads until I started casting them in. I am excited to continue that journey in front of and behind the camera.”

My take: I think this is wonderful! Just like I think we need more women in politics, we need more diversity in media. And business and education too. Few people know that Sir James Douglas, one of colonial Victoria’s first governors, was born in Demerara to a Scottish father and a Barbadian Creole mother and had an Anglo-Métis wife. Victoria’s nineteenth century history is populated by a mix of First Nations, Chinese, Scots, English, Americans and even Hawaiians.

Best places to live as a filmmaker in 2021

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MovieMaker Magazine has just published their Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2021.

COVID got you down? Fed up with your current town? Perhaps a move is in your future.

Here is the list:

HALL OF FAME CITIES

  • New York City
  • Los Angeles

BIG CITIES

  • 25. St. Petersburg, Florida
  • 24. Milwaukee
  • 23. Seattle
  • 22. San Antonio
  • 21. Kansas City, Missouri
  • 20. Washington D.C.
  • 19. Portland
  • 18. Baltimore
  • 17. San Diego
  • 16. Memphis
  • 15. Oklahoma City
  • 14. Cleveland
  • 13. Cincinnati
  • 12. Dallas
  • 11. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 10. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • 9. Boston
  • 8. Miami
  • 7. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 6. Philadelphia
  • 5. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • 4. Chicago
  • 3. Austin
  • 2. Atlanta
  • 1. Albuquerque

SMALL CITIES & TOWNS

  • 10. Ashland, Oregon
  • 9. Wilmington, North Carolina
  • 8. Richmond, Virginia
  • 7. Tulsa
  • 6. Providence
  • 5. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  • 4. Savannah
  • 3. Pittsburgh
  • 2. Santa Fe
  • 1. New Orleans

Of Vancouver, they say:

“Ryan Reynolds came home last year to shoot the star-studded The Adam Project, which features Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana. But Vancouverites are more than accustomed to seeing famous faces around town at this point: generous, sustainable tax incentives, and temperate Canadian weather have lured many an A-lister up the Pacific Coast. Sandra Bullock shot an untitled Netflix film in the Chinatown district of Vancouver in 2020, and you can ponder what it might be about as you walk along nine beaches stretching out over 18 kilometers — that’s about 11 miles in American. If you’re looking to go back to school, British Columbia has seventeen educational institutions that offer digital media and motion picture production programs, including the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Capilano U, and Vancouver Film School. Tax credits in British Columbia can be tricky, but it’s worth the money you’ll spend on a good accountant to figure them out. A production can receive a 35% basic tax credit along with several additional credits for particular types of projects and locations. For example, a digitally animated production done in certain locations could receive a total credit of a jaw-dropping 69.5%.”

Of Victoria, they say:

“Vancouver thrives as a big-city alternative to Los Angeles and New York City, and Victoria thrives as a smaller alternative. It’s only about 75 miles away from Vancouver, but getting there will require a combination of driving and a ferry — which takes about four hours from downtown Vancouver — or a flight, which takes about 35 minutes. Victoria is worth the trip. The Vancouver Island Sound Film and Media Commission notes that the island, where Victoria is located, has locations that can double for everything from Central Park to English castles to the French Quarter to the Napa Valley. Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in Deadpool is really Hatley Castle, just outside Victoria, and Vancouver Island’s Highway 19 was the scene of a harrowing chase in Sonic the Hedgehog. We’d suggest referring to our entry about Vancouver for a taste of the significant tax benefits that await you in Victoria, but as we said there, you’ll probably want to enlist a tax professional. The commission will cheerfully direct you to qualified crew and production services, and your mood will be elevated by waking up each day to dreamy greenery and crashing waves.”

My take: so there! Five mentions on a list of thirty-seven places: we’re punching above our weight.

How to film an indie feature

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Ted Sim of Indy Mogul recently interviewed Nigel Bluck, DOP on The Peanut Butter Falcon, to discover How to Film an Indie Feature.

Some takeaways (mostly direct quotes) for me:

  • Shooting single-camera wastes a lot of people’s time.
  • Light for the whole scene, not just one shot. Get yourself into a backlit situation for the master and then you’re going to be fine.
  • The best thing you can do is to take light away and start shaping things that way.
  • Shoot a Master and a Sub-Master. Then shoot two Over-the-Shoulder Medium shots. Those two setups gets you the minimum coverage you need for a scene.
  • Night shooting: go to the street at night and you look at what’s there; look at the colour temperature of the lights that are there and the lights that you put in, make them the same colour temperature so it all belongs in one reality.
  • Choose less gear and make smart solutions.

My take: I have never heard of the French Over, so that’s a new angle for me. Love Nigel’s approach to doing more with less. Although some find two-camera shoots scary, I will say the music video I made with two-cameras was so much easier to edit. His lighting philosophy makes it possible.

Summarizing Coverage on 12,000 Screenplays

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Stephen Follows has just released a report that all writers should download immediately.

“Judging Screenplays by their Coverage” co-authored by Josh Cockcroft with Liora Michlin, is a free 67 page PDF analysis of over 12,000 feature film screenplays and their scores by professional readers.

There are three sections: How to Impress Script Readers, The Average Screenplay and Screenwriters and The Act of Screenwriting.

You owe it to yourself to download it and read it fully (no email address required!) but here’s an executive summary from Stephen:

  1. Know thy genre. Your priorities should rest on the particular nature of your chosen genre. For example, Family films place the highest premium on catharsis, while for Action films it’s plot.
  2. Some stories work better than others. The vast majority of scripts can be summarized using just six basic emotional plot arcs – and some perform better than others.
  3. If you’re happy and you know it, redraft your script. Film is about conflict and drama and for almost all genres, the happier the scripts were, the worse they performed. The one notable exception was comedy, where the reverse is true.
  4. Swearing is big and it is clever. There is a positive correlation between the level of swearing in a script and how well it scored, for all but the sweariest screenplays.
  5. It’s not about length, it’s what you do with it. The exact length doesn’t matter too much, so long as your script is between 90 and 130 pages. Outside of those approximate boundaries scores drop precipitously.
  6. Don’t rush your script for a competition. The closer to the deadline a script was finished, the worse it performed.
  7. Use flashbacks responsibly. Scripts with more than fifteen flashbacks perform worse than those with few to no flashbacks.
  8. VO is A-OK. Some in the industry believe that frequent use of voiceover is an indicator of a bad movie, however we found no such correlation. We suggest that any complaints on the topic should be sent to editors, rather than writers.
  9. Don’t worry if you’re underrepresented within your genre – it’s your superpower. Female writers outperform male writers in male-dominated genres (such as Action) and the reverse is true in female-dominated genres (such as Family).

My take: I love everything Stephen does! The correlations he reveals here are fascinating. For instance, films (except comedies) with negative sentiments score better.

Indie filmmaking tips

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Although experience may be the best teacher, the next best is learning from someone who’s been there.

Noam Kroll has just released 126 Lessons On Independent Film Directing, Cinematography, Post-Production, Distribution, And More… that I find invaluable.

Noam is a filmmaker based in LA and he’s distilled his experience in producing, directing, writing, cinematography, editing and sound. He concludes with career advice. Seven nuggets:

“See your limitations as advantages, and look for ways to leverage them to make your film more unique in some way.”

“Write the movie that you want to see. The one you would stand in line for on opening weekend.”

“You can’t expect to achieve a nice color balance in post if there is no color contrast in your raw footage. Always use lighting, props, or wardrobe to achieve color contrast on set.”

“Color and sound can completely transform your film. They aren’t just technical tasks, they are also creative opportunities to entirely change the mood of your film. Capitalize on that.”

“You will be judged on the font you use for your title and end credits. Poor font choice can knock down your production value as fast as anything else. When in doubt, white sans serif on a black background will work just fine.”

“It’s critical for filmmakers today to build an audience for their work. Start now. You have an opportunity to sell your content directly to the public and don’t need to wait for permission. But you can only do it if you have an audience that’s hungry for your next project.”

“The only way to learn how to make a film is to make a film.”

My take: I love reading filmmaking advice and I sometimes try to imagine the trying circumstances behind them. By the way, Noam has great suggestions for micro-budget features too.

Discoverability guide published

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Andra Sheffer‘s Independent Production Fund just gave everyone an early Christmas present.

It’s a PDF entitled ‘Be Discovered!’

Download this right away and learn a new strategy to help your work find its audience on the web — one that goes beyond Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

To summarize, the strategy is:

  1. Create an IMDb page
  2. Create a Wikipedia article
  3. Add JSON-LD Schema to your website pages

I know you’ve heard of IMDb and Wikipedia, but you might be scratching your head when it comes to the third thing.

Simply put, schema is one way of adding metadata (tags) to your data (content) so search engines will understand it better and index it properly. This is known as the semantic web.

Luckily there are a couple of free tools from Google to help you:

You use the first one to quickly tag an existing page to create movie schema code you can add to the page, and the second one to double check that the new code is working without errors.

Andra says if you follow this strategy:

“Ideally, all those ‘knowledge cards’ that pop up on the right side of your search screens or as the priority recommendation on mobile devices, will be Canadian web series, resulting from the use of these techniques and the metadata relationships that are discovered by search engines.”

My take: I love it when I learn something new, and the code for semantic indexing of your web content is new to me. Looks like I’m gonna be busy updating my webpages this holiday.

CMF lists support for Canadian exports

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Amidst a background of reflection on Canada’s cultural place in a digital age, the Canada Media Fund has published a list of federal and provincial support for audio-visual exports.

The 10-page PDF list 6 national and 19 provincial programs, ranging from 1 in Yukon to 4 in Ontario.

For instance, Telefilm Canada‘s International Marketing Program:

“…seeks to support the marketing of Canadian feature length and short films that have a huge potential for success. Supports the international promotion and marketing strategy for Canadian productions officially selected to be presented during a recognized international festival. Nature of the assistance: Non-reimbursable contribution that can reach 100% of eligible costs, up to a cumulative maximum of $40,000 per eligible production.”

My take: as we look beyond our borders, this is handy information.

Zapruder Films seeks Canadian female feature writer for dev deal

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Because they don’t feel the Canadian feature film industry is doing enough to bridge the gender gap, Matthew Miller and Matt Johnson of Toronto’s Zapruder Films have launched a program to help support the development of one emerging female screenwriter.

They will be giving all of their $12,000 Telefilm development funds to one woman to develop a treatment into a first draft narrative feature script.

The rules:

“The contest opens September 8, 2016 and closes September 18, 2016.
The winner will be announced on Friday, September 30.
Applicants must not have written a produced feature length screenplay.
Scripts must be the original work of a female writer and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.
The writer must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
The writer must agree to option the material to Zapruder Films for a 24 month period.
The writer must not be a member of any screenwriting unions or guilds.”

Your single PDF application must be at least seven pages:

“One page synopsis of the film
A short treatment of the film (5-10 pages)
A short brief addressing what your film means to you (300 word maximum)”

I asked Matthew and Matt what sort of response their program has received:

“The response has been really encouraging. There have already been several submissions and dozens of inquiries as to the specifics of the rules and regulations. For the most part, it is very hard for young writers without an agent to get their foot in the door. Most companies don’t accept unsolicited works so we think that alone has provided a breath of fresh air. And it is trying to help address the issue of gender disparity in our industry and that has helped to spawn a healthy and spirited debate on social media. We couldn’t be happier with where things are at this early in the program.”

My take: I applaud Zapruder Films for this program. It’s smart on two counts: firstly, they’re addressing the gender imbalance in the Canadian feature film industry. Hey, it’s 2016 already. Secondly, these guys want to encourage new, as-yet-unheard voices, with new, interesting stories to tell. As we all know, story is king, or in this case, queen.