Goodbye and Good Luck, Roy Hayter!

 VFS's Film Production graduation ceremonies are always a treat, never mind a great opportunity to network with tomorrow's filmmakers. Today, the 141 class held theirs (Vancity Theatre in downtown Vancouver). Great, innovative stuff from the students in that group. I've been to three of these now over the past year, and the films just keep getting better and better!

It was also Roy Hayter's last day, and he left the graduating class with a few parting pearls of wisdom. Roy has been making films for years and a VFS instructor for fourteen of those. But "filmmaker" and "instructor" only describe what he does. Granted, he does those things very well, but what I (and apparently many others) find truly fascinating about Roy is the person he is.

This past January, I had the chance to meet and work with him on the set of his VFS Compendium VI film, The Flowers, as a stand-in. (Note: Mel got to, as well - just one in a string of opportunities we've had to work together this year!). Having never been on a location before, except as a kid when my mom was a producer for CTV, I spent the day listening, learning, and absorbing. For the first time, I truly understood what an AD, a PA, a grip, and a best boy did - and why it's sometimes okay to "cheat"!

Mostly, though, I watched Roy. Not just because I'd like to sit in that chair one day, but because of the signature way he treats people while never taking his eye off the ball, regardless of the inevitable, enveloping chaos that comes with making a movie. Intelligent, confident and successful, it could be easy for Roy to treat his crew like crap and get away with it. It happens all the time.

But not once did Mel or I felt like a peon or a nuisance. Ever-gracious, Roy kept the atmosphere light and relaxed, even as we all sailed ahead at a hundred miles an hour. He smiled, he got serious; he joked, he reigned us in; he told us what to do but always checked how we were doing. In short, he was a pro at taking the emotional temperature of the room en route to the wrap. He and his crew made our first experience one of our best to date.

Then in the spring, I was brought on board as composer. In the ensuing weeks and months, Roy and I would meet to discuss the tone and feel of the film, and particularly how the music would help tell the story. We talked Stravinsky and Herrmann, Williams and Elfman, what instruments would work best here, what tone would sell the emotion there, until we'd built a map for me to populate with sound. And as before, it was a treat to work with Roy, a man as warm as he his professional. Everyone I talk to at VFS seems to have the same impression of him. I know he'd say I was overdoing it if I said any more, so I'll draw the praise to a close, out of respect. But not because there isn't more to say.

And now he's moving on to devote his full attention to directing once again. Roy, thank you for making my practical introduction to filmmaking so enjoyable. I wish you nothing but success in the years ahead. I know you'll have it!

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From Dream to Reality: Shooting "Reinventing Leonard"

Another milestone hit and reason to celebrate: After seven months of development, re-writes and pre-production, Christian Antonio Mejia Acosta, Annie Klein and I got down to business yesterday and began day one of production on "Double-Booked"!

The first film in a series called Reinventing Leonard, "Double-Booked" is the story of a 63-year old curmudgeon and book fanatic forced by circumstances to confront the modern world.

With four hours left before his plane leaves for San Francisco and Thanksgiving with his daughter, Leonard has a problem: he can either pack his clothes or a stack of his favourite books into his tiny suitcase, but he can't do both. A no-brainer you say? And yet anyone who adores books can relate. Will the stubborn old codger conquer his fears and embrace the solution that sits quietly on his bedroom shelf? You'll have to watch it to find out!

"Double-Booked" is an allegory about change, designed to make us laugh and reflect on the new crossroads we face every day as we struggle to adapt to an ever-changing world. And it was a blast to hammer out with Chris before I wrote the script.


But Leonard's story is one thing. Turning it into a movie is a different beast altogether, with its myriad, seemingly insurmountable tasks: acquiring financing (still in progress), assembling the production team (some of them didn't show up at the last minute), nailing down the cast (we had to cut a character due to a dearth of potential actors for the part), finding the location (after months of hits, misses and dead ends) lining up equipment and props (can a wall calendar really be that hard to find in June?), the list goes on.

We were surrounded by mentors and resources at VFS we couldn't have done without and for which we are eternal grateful. But at the end of the day, we were a group of independent, largely inexperienced students making our first film. Which meant we were bound to discover the very best (and only) way to make a movie when you're new: the hard way!

No one has worked harder than Chris to get Leonard off the ground and make it a success. Part man, part machine, and all heart, there's no one else I'd rather work with. He goes and he goes and never stops until things are done, and done right. The guy is passionate, professional, gracious and a fantastic emotional self-manager - indispensable 'musts' when you're sitting in the big boy's chair. Meanwhile, he actually gives a sh*t about his team members and what's going on in their lives, while still helping us to keep our eyes on the ball when it comes to production. Chris, you are in every respect a leader, a visionary and a gentleman.

Annie appeared from somewhere out of the mist, half way in time between my first coffee shop meeting with Chris back in November 2010 and today. What a find! Focused, dignified, sweet and also bullish when need be, she has brought a wealth of film experience, organizational skills and interpersonal finesse I didn't expect at this level. Some might argue it's all just part of being British. Possibly. Whatever the reason, Annie has been an absolute delight to work with. And trust me, I've worked with some real non-delights, wherever they came from!

So what was shooting day like? In a word, long. Very, very long. And fun. And frustrating. And delightful. And delirium-inducing. Probably not unlike almost every other movie shoot going on in the world as we speak. But that's not the point of this post. I'm just excited that after years of hoping and dreaming and preparing to make movies, I'm finally doing it! And that I got the opportunity to work with such an awesome group of people, including Chris and Annie, a fantastic director of photography, Gabriel Medina (with Red camera and all), and a wicked crew that included my wife, Mel, in the role of script supervisor.

I'm telling you, man, it doesn't get any better than this: having a dream, knowing what it is, and going after it until it comes true. That's not Hallmark card goo; it's your soul talking to you. And now no matter what the future holds, I will always be able to say I answered. And in the words of my grandma, that feels pretty good!


To see the Facebook "shooting day" photo album, click here. 

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That Home Stretch Kind of Feeling

In February of 2005, I spontaneously decided to interview my grandmother. We had just played three games of crib and she'd skunked me without mercy, all five feet, two inches of her. Of course she apologized each time as we drank tea and ate shortbreak in her Coquitlam apartment, in one of many magical moments I enjoyed with her.

She was 87.  None of us knew she'd get sick and be gone one short month later.

Lynn Sternberger & Evan Elberson in
Term 5 Advanced TV Pilot class

As luck would have it, I had bought a pocket recorder for journalistic purposes that morning. So out it came and the conversation began. She'd been like a mother to me my whole life and I just knew this was going to be good. I didn't realize that what started as a whim would end up being my last face-to-face conversation with her and a permanent audio scrapbook of her life and thoughts. I can't tell you how glad I am that I did that.

One of my questions had to do with the passage of time. I asked her if 87 years felt like it had gone by quickly or slowly, a short time or a long time.

"Both," she answered. "On one hand, it feels like I was 16 just yesterday. But if I really think about all the things I saw and did, and add them up, I realize I've had a long, wonderful life. And that feels pretty good."

*              *              *

The "Great Toms Tour" of August 29, 2011.
(Opening act: 70s band, "Iron Baser.")

Now, I distinctly remember reading our first term schedule like it was yesterday. And Steve Toms' backwards-ballcapped tour through the student services office. And Piers Rae's much shorter hair. And I've got the pictures to prove it. So is it possible we're really almost done? I'm not simply getting nostalgic here; I want to know where the heck the time went!

But that was August 29, 2011. So whoosh! That's what a year feels like. Doesn't get any better with age either, believe me. Time is a child you just can't ever put to bed.

The desirable, the
unstoppable Piers Rae

Having said that, time is a lot more fair than we give it credit for - assuming, of course, we take advantage of it. As students, we always knew exactly what classes would be coming up in the next term, what subjects would be covered, what we'd have to read, what assignments would be due, and when. We were urged to listen to upcoming guest speakers and to take advantage of every contest, every invitation to submit, every chance to network. We were encouraged to step outside of our comfort zones and not wait for VFS to hook us up with students in other departments. Time marches on to be sure, but we were advised by "The Baze" (a.k.a. writing department head, Michael Baser) and those that had taken the hero's journey before us to alternately discipline and spend ourselves in the pursuit of excellence, opportunity, and wherever possible, free food.

The smart ones did. And when I and tally it all up, I realize we got a buttload of stuff done! The sheer volumeof our is staggering, way beyond anything I originally imagined. Scripts, outlines, beat sheets and/or bibles for feature and short films, TV specs, original TV pilots, animated series, web series, commercials and movies of the week. And those are just the tangibles!

What we can hold in our hands at the end of a year, amazing as it is, doesn't begin to cover the intangibles: the contacts made, the industry savvy gained, the confidence developed, the collaborative skills acquired, the story-writing disciplines achieved, and perhaps most importantly, the increased self-awareness and ability to call ourselves on our own bullshit. The stuff you can't just poke brass brads through and stuff in a backpack. The stuff that makes us true professionals and, if we were really paying attention, better people.

Because it was never about tests or grades or other figurative gold stars. In the film industry, you can either do the job or you can't. You're either professional, or you're not. You're either the kind of person want to work with or you're not, and that has nothing to do with bell curves or balloons. If I may riff on the words of a wise old wizard, it all has to do with how we value and manage the time we've been given. At VFS, we were given a year. Judging by the bags under our eyes and the unmistakably improved quality of our writing, I get the impression most of us used it wisely.

So, like my grandma, when I reflect back on what we actually did, the classes we sat through, the things we discussed, the scripts we workshopped, and the number of times Kate belched in class, I realize that we had a pretty full and exciting year! It doesn't stop time from feeling like it just a'whistles by, because in some naggingly abstract way we can't quite put our fingers on, it always does. But it should at least make us feel that good that we were passionate about something, committed a year of our lives to it, give it our all and saw it through to the end. And we're better writers. And we've built relationships with some great future collaborators. And we have a way clearer idea of how the industry ticks.

All we have to do is think about where our heads were at on August 28, 2011. What we thought of ourselves. What we thought about writing. What we thought about our futures. And we'll realizing we've come a long, long way. All because we dared to step apart from our former lives and do what we always wanted to do. And not waste a second going after it!

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