BY KELSEY DUNBAR
Filmmakers came to network in downtown Kitchener with Conestoga students and others who have an interest in film.
The first annual Filmmaker’s Forum: 12 Angry Filmmakers kicked off with a teaser clip of Duncan Finnigan’s latest project. After being welcomed by the MCs and a brief introduction by Tom Bishop, co-ordinator of media foundations at Conestoga, the floor was opened up for mingling and networking.
Students from Conestoga College attended the event, many from media foundations as well as former students of the program.
“I have worked with a few people here in small, small capacities, and it is nice to see a familiar face and hopefully they can introduce me to someone who could have a better opportunity for me at the moment … It’s all about being in the right place at the right time, it is just a chain of events,” Adrian Baker said. Baker is a former media foundations student who is currently in his second year of the broadcast-television program at Conestoga.
Professional filmmakers such as Brad McMillan attended the event to pass along tips to up-and-coming filmmakers and to encourage their creativity.
“The best thing to do is to make sure you’re getting out there. This event is a great opportunity,” McMillan said. “Coming to things like this and networking is nine-tenths of the law for filmmakers. Getting to know who is who, and know what is going on in your area. Even volunteering, get out there and try new things to get yourself experience … It will help you become a more complete artist.”
McMillan showed clips of his film Post Lifers. It is a comedy/horror mockumentry about zombies in the woods trying to get away from mankind. The film consists of a bunch of interviews where the zombies talk about the problems they are having, their regrets, their triumphs and reflections on their lives. McMillan’s film can be purchased by contacting him via email at postlifeproductions@gmail.com.
Erica Robinson, also known as Gada Jane, attended the event to meet with people she has worked with before and to offer new filmmakers her advice.
“It’s a long process, figuring out what you can bring to a project and what you need from other people and just trying to meet as many people as possible and find those connections. So, it is something you don’t want to rush because it is like you are building relationships with everybody.”
New to the business, Torin Langen previewed his latest horror project titled Fondue at the forum. Langen is soon to turn 20 years old and he is already making a big splash in the K-W filmmakers community. Although he has never attended post-secondary school, it doesn’t show in his films. Langen will be entering his horror film in film festivals and is hoping to be accepted to the Tromadance Film Festival in New Jersey in 2014.
It is a rather ironic story how Langen got into creating his own horror films.
“When I was in the second grade, I saw the film The Nightmare Before Christmas and it terrified me … So my dad actually taught me how to do stop motion to console me and to show me that these aren’t monsters, they are just little figurines,” Langen said. “After he showed me that, I started making more figurines on my own out of clay and creating stop motion … Once I got into middle school I started playing around with live action animation. I was sort of scared into it but it turned out for the best.”
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