The person that my film profiles is Navin Chandaria - a highly successful enterpreneur who immigrated to Canada in the mid-seventies and began a business that he currently runs with his son and two daughters. The film focuses on the strong family aspect in both Navin's life and business. We had the wonderful opportunity of shooting in his beautiful family mansion where all four generations live together.

The atmosphere at the shoot was warm, welcoming and lively. The whole family got involved and their enthusiasm was heartwarming. I had a chance to work with an amazing crew. Robert Walsh DP'd and we shot with the RED epic. Chris Godin also did some great b-cam footage for us and Matt Gorman ran the set with style.

Here's a behind the scenes video that was put together for the film:

 
I'm excited about how the final piece turned out (edited by the wonderful Mike Reisacher) and will post it here shortly.

George Stroumboulopoulos hosted centre stage while Richard Crouse led an engaging Q&A with all the winners in the press room.

Monsieur Lazhar stole the show with six Genie awards including Best Director and Best Picture. Director Philippe Falardeau was spirited as always and gave words of encouragement to filmmakers across the country saying “Be bold, be persistent, be wild, be a little delinquant and take risks”.  

When asked about his experience at the Oscars he said “It was a good general rehearsal for tonight” - a very sincere statement that expressed his pride in being part of the Canadian film industry. He also addressed the Canadian public saying “Go see them, not because they’re Canadian films but because they’re good films.”

with Anna Hardwick, Ingrid Veninger and Katherine B

Along with Monsieur Lazhar, some great contenders were in the running this year including Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, Jean-Marc Vallees Cafe de Flore and Larysa Kondracki’s Whistleblower - all amazing films in their own right.

It was a very inspiring night for Canadian cinema.

I'm learning more and more with each shadowing gig that you really need to go into television directing light-heartedly. I appreciated T.W.'s approach - his signature grunting and abiliity to make the crew laugh.

Even when it feels like there's way too much to shoot in one day (and there is), it really helps when you can lighten the mood and make everyone feel like they are part of the journey.

For this show I had the opportunity to be involved right from the beginning, through the entire prep phase. As much as I love being on set, I was even more excited about seeing this part of it.

My Babysitter's A Vampire (which aires on the Disney Channel & Teletoon) is in it's second season and has brought onboard some very impressive directors - including ofcourse T.W. but also Bruce MacDonald (for the TV movie) and Paul Fox. It's got a distinct cinematic look which really makes it stand out as a kids show.

I had a chance to discuss the importance of the look/tone of the show with one of the show's producers, Brian Irving and the writer/showrunner Tim Burns. It was great to have a chance to pick their brains during the process.

Unlike Warthogs, the show is shot in 3 days with no rehearsal. The episode we shot was the Halloween one and there was a lot going on - costume changes, SFX, Makeup FX, stunts - the works. I really enjoyed witnessing the whole process and see how much planning, focus and flexibility it takes to get your day.

Sean Cullen’s hilarious award presentation was one of the highlights of the evening, prompting lots of laughs from the audience and exemplifying some of Canada’s great comedic talent. I was also happy to see T.W. Peacocke (who I'm currently shadowing) take home an award for his directing work on Heartland. Another memorable moment came from director/producer Ted Kotcheff who was recognized with the DGC's lifetime achievement award. Kotcheff’s statment “A flourishing film industry defines a nation” really hit home.

I was also really stoked to hear this coming from the director of Rambo: First Blood :)

All and all it was a fun evening.

Mars Horodyski & Priya Rao with Honouree Ted Kotcheff

What's Up Warthogs is a sitcom style show shot with a multi-cam set up. It was my first time seeing this style in action and though it's tricky at first, you definitely get the hang of it. Showrunner, Dean Batali (That 70s Show) was a treat to have on set, with all his past sitcom experience.

Each episode was broken up into two days - one full day of rehearsal and one full shooting day. It was an interesting way of shooting and although very fast-paced, it allowed for a lot of freedom because of the full day of rehearsal.

I was really impressed by the positive atmosphere on set. The producers (Aircraft Pictures) and creators (Julie Sagalowsky and Alex Diaz) had instilled a very nurturing environment on set and it showed. The last block we shot was the second season finale and also the last day of shooting for the cast & crew. It was an emotional day for everyone and althought they were all happy to get a break, they were sad to leave.

Definitely a set I'd like to work on!

Harvey was wonderful to observe and gave me some great insights about working in television. He kept the atmosphere on set really fun yet focused and was extremely respectful of the crew. I had a chance to discuss his blocking with him and troubleshoot some of the scenes that needed to be condensed. Everyone says that television moves very quickly and I had a chance to see that first hand. The crew is extremely efficient and no time lags between location moves. I also had a chance to discuss the differences between television directing and feature directing with Harvey. Although both require creativity and vision, television requires a  different kind of agility and compromise. Being able to think on your feet and rework scenes to get your day is crucial.

I had a chance to explore the sets and admire some spectacular production design. The studios were originally built for the show "Wind at my Back" and are now undergoing some renovations. It was my first time on a period drama set. Getting to see the details, antique elements and costumes first hand made the whole experience that much more unique.

We hosted our second annual Canadian Film Lounge (a celebrity gift lounge dedicated exclusively to Canadian Cinema) at the Royal York Hotel. I took on the job of putting together a reel of all the Canadian feature films at TIFF which was a great way to get acquainted with the best films that Canada has to offer.

Check out all the action on our Live TIFF Blog right here : http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/tiff-2011-live

First Weekend Club Team at Reel Canadian Film Lounge 2011

I had the chance to attend several great parties including the annual CFC BBQ, the OMDC party & our very own First Weekend Club party at the Drake Hotel. Although shmoozing is always fun & can be productive, I really wanted to take advantage of my pass and see some films. It's so easy to get swept up in all the other excitement going on at the festival. Luckily I managed to see some great films. My favourites included the new Duplass Brothers film "Jeff Who Still Lives at Home", the Canadian comedy "Doppelganger Paul" and Agnieszka Holland's intense drama "In Darkness".

Hanging out next to the William F. Whites truck after the CFThe festival always leaves me feeling inspired and anxious to make my first feature. After the festival I quickly dove right back in to working on my own script. That rush of desire to produce something is probably the best thing that I walked away with after the festival.

Although the next week of catching up on sleep was pretty good too.

The film was being made with an ultra low budget (shot on Canon 7D & 5D Mark II SLR cameras) and the script was developed through a two day improvisation "jam session" with the actors. Ciccoritti wrote a "Scriptment" (a combination of a detailed treatment and a script) and filmed the imporvisations to add to the character development and deepen the story. Then he co-wrote the script with two more writers. I was really interested to see how the whole thing would play out on set.

The day I attended was a night shoot. It began with a short scene at the Royal Cinema and then the rest took place at Gatto Nero in Little Italy. The film centres around a tight-knit group of Italian-Canadian men who come together to welcome home a homegrown star. The cultural angle is very important to Ciccorriti's films as is the authenticity of its representation.

It was great to watch Ciccorriti work with his ensemble cast. He was very focused yet gave each actor the freedom to bring something new to the table. Because of the improvised nature of the film from its early stages it was interesting to see how the director would maintain a balance. I was really impressed and loved the lively energy that Ciccorriti brought to set - even at 3am in the morning.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the final film.

This obsession led to the making of my short film "Declaring Genius" about a musician who just days before his own 27th birthday believes he is destined to join the "Curse of 27 Club", begins plotting his own death while trying to complete his final masterpiece.

"The Curse of 27 Club" includes artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morisson, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, D.Boon and many others. There have been other interesting occurances related to musicians in the past including the Curse of the Ninth wherein a composer is destined to die after the completion of his 9th symphony.  The list includes Beethoven, Mahler, Schubert, Bruckner among others. Whether it's coincidence, conspiracy theory or fate - it's definitely interesting to think about.

Here's the film. All the way back from 2004!

DECLARING GENIUS (dir. Mars Horodyski, 2004)

Convinced that he is destined to be part of the "Curse of 27 Club", an aspiring composer becomes obsessed with plotting his own death and finishing his final masterpiece as he draws closer to his 27th birthday.

Writer Doug Taylor (Naked Josh) and director Vincenzo Natali (Cube) were awarded $40,000 in cash prizes for their work on the film which grossed $2.1 million in Canada and $26.9 million world-wide. First Weekend Club’s attendance was recognized as an integral force in creating awareness for Canadian theatrical releases.

Last year’s award was presented to the writer & director of Trailer Park Boys:Countdown to Liquor Day which grossed $2.9 million in Canada. The awards ceremony was held in a garage in Halifax. This year the event was held in a small genetics lab at Mount Sinai Hospital drawing on the subject matter and tone of Splice. It was definitely memorable and a great way to showcase a real Canadian success story.

Natali extended many  thanks to Telefilm, saying that the film could not have been made without their continued support.

“Making movies is much like making a monster, you don’t know what terror you’ve wrought until it has escaped from the lab. The fact that Splice was a box office success in its native country is another testament to Telefilm’s foresight and their faith in Canadian filmmakers to produce popular entertainment. Without their support this strange but beautiful creature could never have come to life.”