Burnt Van Productions, a newly-formed local group, has entered into pre-production planning to shoot a full-length feature film in Grand Forks.
The script was written by director Edward MacLeod, who has over 33 years of experience in all aspects of performance, radio documentaries and TV commercials.
He won Best Script in the Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaker’s 2010 Film Challenge, as well as a national award for Best Commercial (Education Category) from the TV Bureau of Canada.
“I read a few years ago that one-in-five children is approached online by an Internet predator. They naively post personal information, birthdates, likes and dislikes, names of schools, and sometimes provocative photos that give unsavory people all the information they need to identify and find their targets,” MacLeod explained.
“I wrote the script – a thriller – to warn unsuspecting kids that some of the people they consider ‘friends’ may not be who you think they are.”
MacLeod approached local videographer Les Johnson with the idea of shooting an indigenous film to which Johnson replied, “You caught me at a good time.” He readily accepted the position as co-executive producer, as well as technical director. “I have all the equipment we need to shoot the film – sound equipment and cameras, and to keep post-production in house,” Johnson stated. “We welcome local residents who may have high-end, digital video cameras, if higher quality than my own, to join our team as camera operators.
We will require lots of technical production support from lighting to the person holding the boom microphone. Anyone interested can contact me at 250-443-9153 or email me at anything@lesjohnson.com.”
The team required an experienced producer with excellent organizational skills, and Ted Invictus was the first person to come to mind, MacLeod revealed.
“Ted has many years of experience as a stage manager in New York, Toronto, Hawaii, and locally,” MacLeod said. “He works tirelessly and selflessly to get the job done properly and, most importantly, he puts the greater good of the project above all other dynamics. The latter is the main reason why was invited to participate; he is the ultimate team player, and extremely well-organized.”
Rather than pay royalties for well-known music to create a score for the film, the team decided to highlight and honour local songwriters and artists.
Well-known audio technician and recording engineer Zak Eburne-Stoodley has generously agreed to take responsibility for producing the soundtrack. Composers in all genres of music are invited to submit any existing CDs, or perform their best work at an open audition.
“We need a completed soundtrack before we go into post-production. You may have noticed that music and editing are synchronized in well-produced movies.
Selected works will not only be featured in the film, but to help fund production costs, we will also produce a CD that hopefully will be sold throughout the Boundary,” Eburne-Stoodley added. “For more information and to set up an audition, local artists, groups and even chorales can contact me at 250-442-3854, or email zakeburne@gmail.com.”
This independent production will likely have 50 or more people involved. There are many tasks in all aspects of film production.
It will be an exciting project to join, and when it is completed, it will have created an inventory of local talent, skills and community support for other film or video making ventures in the future, whether indigenous or from out of town.
Gary Smith, a local performer and graduate of the Vancouver Film School, joined the team as assistant director.
He will work with both the director and technical director.
His participation gives the group over 130 years of combined experience.
The film will require performers of all ages from 16 years old and up. There are about 25 speaking roles, as well as many extra parts, and so there are opportunities to gain on-screen experience.
All roles and support positions are unpaid. A casting call has been set for April 6 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. People interested in auditioning can call Ted Invictus at 250-442-8686, or email him at ted.invictus@gmail.com.
– Submitted by Edward MacLeod