Just a heads-up to those of you hoping to catch the Canadian theatrical premiere of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, the fun action-comedy-horror by Filmgrads Jon Knautz and Patrick Whitewe wrote about last week.
On Friday, we had the great pleasure of hosting writer/director/actor Christopher Guest on campus. Guest held court to a packed house of Writing, Film, and Actingstudents. With the moderator stuck in traffic, the evening took shape as a casual, intimate, and often hilarious two-hour Q&A.
Among many other things, Guest discussed his long career, which includes favourites like This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, breaking into the industry (”Tonight is actually my big break,” he joked), and his unique brand of improvised documentary-style comedy.
His process - creating histories for the characters which are given to the actors and carefully outlining the story beats while writing no dialogue - may be out of the ordinary but contains many lessons for filmmakers, writers, and actors alike.
For writers, one of the key points is just how completely Guest believes in traditional three-act story structure, that every scene has clearly defined goals that, even improvised, must be achieved for the story to work. “Improvisation is not just people messing around in a room. It’s incredibly strict,” he said.
“When you’re writing comedy, there’s about three good hours in a day,” he said about his daily writing regimen. “The rest of it is a myth.”
His process - “We shoot in 26, 27 days - then I edit for a year” - as well as his tendency to cut down his own part in a film surprised the filmmakers and actors alike.
Guest discussed all his films at various points in the evening, and frequently returned to 1984’s This is Spinal Tap’s long road to production and 1996’s Waiting for Guffman’s memorable characters. “All the people in Waiting for Guffman are narcissistic and untalented,” he said. “My favourite combination.”
While he prefers to work on his own material, Guest is actually in Vancouver shooting a role in Night at the Museum 2. “The part they offered me is Ivan the Terrible, and I read that and thought, ‘I can make that funny.’”
To most, his career began with Spinal Tap, but he’d toiled for years with National Lampoon and had paid his dues on the road to carving out his own place in the industry: “It was a series of steps. It’s not usually one big thing.”
Before wrapping up the evening and spending some time one-on-one with students outside the theatre, he had important advice for young artists. “If you want to be a writer, director, or actor, there’s nothing to think about: you do it. There’s nothing that will stop you from doing it.”
Congratulations to everyone involved, including Writer/Director Jean-Sebastien Di Fruscia, Director of Photography Cole Stamm, Producer Veronica Bautista, Editor Leo Lu, Art Director Paul Orlando, and sound designersCraig Carpenter and Gunnar Petersen.
Cole, whose work on the film was recently honoured with a CSC nomination, says: “Everyone worked incredibly hard and was serious about their roles, which helped in delegating certain things and backing up to see the big picture. And, we got to shoot in an insane asylum that was absolutely haunted. That was memorable.”
UPDATE!: The NY Film & Video Festival has two sets of screenings, in July and September. Hail Mary is, in fact, premiering at the September festival. So there’s still time to make travel plans…
Have you RSVP’d for the upcoming VFS Open House yet?
This Wednesday, July 23 event is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get a first-hand look at all 13 programs at VFS, meet their Heads of Department and senior faculty, and see award-winning student work.
You’ll also have the chance to meet students and grads, including some we’ve profiled on this very blog - Nicky Forsman and Tihemme Gagnon are but two examples!
VFS Open House
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
6pm – 8pm
VFS Café
390 West Hastings Street
To register for this Open House, email openhouse@vfs.com or call 604.631.3590.
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is about to make its theatrical debut.
The action/horror/comedy feature starring genre legend Robert Englund is the work of Brookstreet Pictures: Filmgrads Jon Knautz (director) and Patrick White (producer), along with producer Trevor Matthews, who also plays the titular plumber-turned-monster-slayer. (Jack Brooks Key Makeup Artist Brandi Boulet is also a VFS grad, out of Makeup Design.)
Now it’s hitting select theatres in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal on July 25th. Click for the details.
This is Brookstreet’s first feature after several well-received shorts: a huge transition.
“It was daunting,” says Patrick. “It was a long process, and definitely a lot more risks, but that much more rewarding.”
“We’ve been making short films. We’ve been working on this stuff for a long time. To get a 35mm print that’s going to be shipped to theatres… It’s fulfilling the dream.”
Jack Brooks should appeal to anyone who remembers the great popcorn horror movies - Patrick cites The Fly, Gremlins, and Evil Dead. “It’s a real fun movie. It definitely is a throwback to movies we enjoyed back in the ’80s.”
“I think what we’re trying to capture is fans from the ’80s horror but also people who might think that the so-called ‘torture porn’ has gone too far. We don’t hurt people - we hurt monsters.”
The trio started Brookstreet in 2004, but Jon and Patrick go back a couple of years earlier, to their VFS days. “Jon and I met at Vancouver Film School then Jon met Trev, and we all came together,” Patrick explains.
“Really, this project kind of birthed itself. Jon and Trev kind of had an idea down at Trev’s cottage, so from there, we all drew on our ideas. I started thinking, ‘Okay, well, how do we get the cast involved? Where do we shoot it?’”
A key part of that cast was Englund, a fixture of film and TV best-known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films: probably the most familiar face from that era and genre.
“We never thought we’d ever get him,” says Patrick. “We had a list, and everybody was on the left and he was on the right. The shorts came in handy, because we were able to send him a short we made called Still Life that did really well in the festival circuit. He read the script and saw that it was a meaty role. He was going to have some fun.”
Audiences are loving it, and Patrick, Jon, and Trevor are enjoying the ride. “We just came back from Fantasia in Montreal,” Patrick says, “And there’s nothing better than being in the theatre with people screaming at the screen.”
What’s next for Jack Brooks? Well, after its run in theatres, it’s bound to have a long life on DVD - Patrick hopes it becomes one of those staples, like Evil Dead, of teenage parties: “It’s going to be a great party movie down the road.”
Faithful blog readers will remember the amazing achievements of VFS graduates at last year’s Air Canada enRoute Student Film Festival — in which numerous VFS films were selected to screen on Air Canada flights, and several were up for (and won) major awards.
Well, it’s that time again! This summer’s enRoute selections include Filmgrad Jared Stepp’s The Last Planet, fellow Film graduate Terry Stone’s documentary Virtuoso, and Classical Animation grad Tammy Dubinsky’s Hold the Mustard. Congratulations to all 3 for being screened at 30,000 feet… and here are a few words with Jared, on this success for The Last Planet…
How does it feel to know your film is screening on flights across the country?
The short answer: Awesome.
I feel this is a great honour for the cast, crew, and I to get our hard work out there for people to see all across Canada. Our goal is to entertain and to do that on a national level is a great opportunity. If we can transport you to another time and place, and make you smile, I feel we have done our job.
Many Film Production films lean toward drama. What was the development process like for you, in writing - and pitching - this comedy?
I’ve always been a geek in general, and leaned towards Sci-Fi as a focus for my nerdy ways. I knew I wanted to make a film about those great serials of the 1940s, and how that genre is lost today. I thought more on it, not only the genre, but the actual actors and professionals who focused much of their careers and are unknown to most people. So I thought, I like that genre of film a lot, why not try to make an episode of a fictional 1940s serial? And touch on the themes of what happens when things age and become forgotten.
The pitch was a challenge. Like I said, this genre of film is unknown to most people. I had to convince a lot of people about the story, what I was trying to accomplish, and the tone of the piece. But with my strong vision and perseverance, I was chosen to make the movie and I feel I accomplished my goals.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the look of the film. It was achieved by the hard work of my Director of Photography Sumeet Vats, and our wonderfully imaginitive art team of Devin Coppens and Kristine George. We researched and discussed things thoroughly to achieve a look similar to the actual serials of the 1940s. We also had a great help through the Digital Intermediate process at Technicolor.
A long stretch of unfavourable weather meant that the team couldn’t summit the 8,091-metre peak, but Dan’s video is awe-inspiring nonetheless. (No wonder: As Dan put it to us originally, the team leader “wanted to put a little more of a cinematic look on the footage.”)
Join us on July 23, 2008 to experience a behind-the-scenes look inside all 13 of Vancouver Film School’s programs: an unparalleled introduction to a one-year education in every dimension of film, TV, games, and design, all under one roof.
This evening is not to be missed.
At this unique VFS Open House you will:
- Hear about our 13 programs: 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Digital Character Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Acting Essentials, Digital Design, Entertainment Business Management, Film Production, Game Design, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, Writing for Film & Television, and Foundation Visual Art & Design
- Meet our award-winning leaders, including the producers, writers, sound designers, makeup artists, and execs behind Zoolander, Three’s Company, The Butterfly Effect, Whale Music, EA’s NHL video games, and countless others
- See amazing examples of student films, reels, and portfolios from all of our programs, including incredible never-before-seen work
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
6pm – 8pm VFS Café
390 West Hastings Street
To register for this Open House, email openhouse@vfs.com or call 604.631.3590.
VFS students and graduates are known for grabbing at any opportunity to create (and build their reels), so we shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that so many VFSers participated in this past weekend’s Diesel Film Racing Tour. Teams were challenged to create an original short in just 24 hours.
A full six teams were led by VFS students and graduates, including:
–”Taking It” by Borrowtime (Darren Borrowman, Filmgrad)
–”The Rock That Looks Like Elvis” by The Incorrigibles (k. Arie Bird, current Writingstudent)
–”A Nutty Dilemna” by The Battery Eaters (Steve Stransman, recent Film grad)
–”Drip” by Firing Squad Productions (Diana Donaldson, Writing grad)
–”Pitching a Tent” by OD Films (Miguel Valdez-Lopez, recent Writing grad)
–”Robogreed” by Patrick Henry and friends (Patrick Henry, Film grad)
Want to go see the results of their weekend? The films are screening tonight at The Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus St., Vancouver - 9pm, for $9.
Congratulations to all the teams for finishing! And thank you to the “OD Films” team for providing some pics from the shoot… this team was chock-full of Writing grads including Valdez-Lopez, Keith Opatovsky, Kurt Hoffman, Rosely Cortes Bolio, Paul Ellington (also a graduate of Film), and Alyssa Ciccarelli, and featured the talents of Actinggrads Nathan Geoblette, Derek Bedry, Sydney Cochrane, Justine Percy, and Mesha Toor.
Director/Producer Steve Miner - whose extensive list of credits includes films like Friday the 13th Part 2, Lake Placid, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, and Halloween H20 and TV series like The Wonder Years, Dawson’s Creek, and Smallville, visited with students in our Film Production program this week.
As Film instructor Bruce Marchfelder moderated, the standing-room-only student audience heard Miner talk about the early days of his career and the lessons he’s learned since those beginnings making classic blockbuster horror films on a $90,000 budget.
In addition to extolling the virtues of hard work and persistence, he offered this piece of advice: “You depend on actors and need to learn to work with them” - something our Film Production students know well from their improvisation and director/actor workshops.
On Friday, we had the great pleasure of hosting writer/director/actor 
Have you RSVP’d for the upcoming VFS Open House yet?
Jack Brooks should appeal to anyone who remembers the great popcorn horror movies - Patrick cites The Fly, Gremlins, and Evil Dead. “It’s a real fun movie. It definitely is a throwback to movies we enjoyed back in the ’80s.”
“We never thought we’d ever get him,” says Patrick. “We had a list, and everybody was on the left and he was on the right. The shorts came in handy, because we were able to send him a short we made called Still Life that did really well in the festival circuit. He read the script and saw that it was a meaty role. He was going to have some fun.”
Faithful blog readers will remember the amazing achievements of VFS graduates at 
Dan Baas, the 
A chance like this doesn’t come along every day.
Director/Producer 
