“Like
writing a sonnet, the constraints would inspire the art.” This statement is
part of the back-story for Vancouver’s Crazy8s film competition, as listed on
their website. The constraints referred to are eight crazy days being the
amount of time that the triumphant emerging filmmakers have to create their
short films on a minuscule budget of $800.
Currently
in its 13th year of activity, the competition is a multi-step process that
attracts dozens of hopeful amateur and emerging professional filmmakers. It was
inspired in 1999 by the rapid-paced “Fly Filmmaking” at the Seattle
International Film Festival. The idea began with filmmaker Rick Stevenson, and
was enthusiastically supported by Rhonda Monteith, the past Executive Director
of the Directors Guild of Canada, BC. Eventually, after the competition changed
hands a few times, the not-for-profit Crazy8s Film Society was created to take
on the job and the festival continued on as an annual cornerstone feature of
the Vancouver film scene.
This
year with their entrance fee, all 118 filmmaking teams were privy to an
hour-long pitch workshop and educational experience with Mickey Rogers, a local
entrepreneur and strategic coach. From 118 video pitches, 40 semi-finalists
were chosen to present their concepts in person to a jury of film industry
professionals.
Of
these 40 filmmakers, 13 finalists were selected to workshop their script with a
professional story editor. Capilano University made a name for itself in the
competition with four of the 13 finalists being Capilano alumni, faculty, and
even one current student.
Among
the final films is Babies in the Wall, written/directed by Doreen Manuel and to be
produced by Tamara Bell & Dwayne Beaver. Manuel is the coordinator of
Capilano’s Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking program and she is also
the winner of the Women in Film and TV Spotlight Award for Excellence in
Education.
Marshall
Axani, a graduate of Capilano’s Motion Picture Arts program, placed in the top
six with his film concept The Vessel, alongside producers Diana Donaldson and Graham
Wardle. When asked, Axani describes the film as a “dramatic thriller with a
sci-fi element to it.” As a filmmaker, he values “morally ambiguous films that
challenge you to think in a certain way [and/or] pose questions you have to ask
within yourself.”
As
an already established filmmaker and the co-founder of his own production
company, Awkward Moment Productions, Axani has already established himself in
the industry.
Axani
credits his university education for helping him develop his craft, and
believes that it’s valuable to any artist. “[It] gives you the tools to get a
lot of hands on experience. That’s the biggest thing for artists: unless you
can make the mistakes and fail a few times, and succeed a few times … I don’t
think you can really define who you are or present your voice in the way you
necessarily want to; you haven’t found it yet.”
“When
I came out I had the language, I had the experience, I knew what films I didn’t
want to do and the ones that I did do, I picked what I enjoyed from them and
continue to build on those experiences,” he explains.
Axani
is also the recipient of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association
Emerging Director Award.
Capilano
Documentary program graduate Camille Mitchell (A Mother’s Love) also made it to top six
Crazy8s finalists with her producer Jonathan Tammuz. Writer/director Wayne
Robinson and his producer, current Capilano student Nigel Edwards, made the top
13 finalists, with their film concept, Nudis.
Each
of these artists was selected to make their film concept and artistic vision
become a reality.
“Crazy8s
is truly the single best way in B.C. to launch your career,” states Zach
Lipovsky, a Crazy8s alumni. Lipovsky is perhaps the most successful finalists
the competition has seen yet. His one-shot film Crazy Late helped him secure a spot in
the top five competitors on the Steven Spielberg reality television show On
the Lot.
For
potential winners, the competition offers fantastic exposure to leading
industry professionals. Axani describes the competition as “a good launching
pad for people.”
“There
are a lot of good companies that put into it, through the industry. It’s
building more of a relationship with them so that when you go on to do a bigger
project, like a feature film, you have a standing with them,” he says.
As
in the case of Lipovsky, some will go on to be incredibly successful
filmmakers, with their work going on to be shared with an international
industry.
Included
in the support package for the top six finalists is a high definition camera,
sound recording equipment, a lighting and grip package, complete production
insurance, free location permits, all required paperwork, access to edit suites
if required, and online editing. The editing includes features such as title
generation, colour correction, and professional sound mixing capabilities.
Winners
are also provided with access to the services of a casting director and
discounts on vehicle/props/costume rental. These resources are crucial if they
are going to stretch an $800 budget into a professional-grade short film.
For
potential filmmakers, Axani has a few simple words of advice: “Go in with
stories that you’re attached to personally. It has to be a story that resonates
with you as an artist and one that you, personally, are very attached to and
interested in. That human experience relates to everybody.”
The
upcoming Crazy8s gala film screening is on March 30, 2012 at the Vancouver
Centre for Performing Arts, 777 Homer Street, in Vancouver, BC. For further
information regarding tickets, go to http://crazy8s.cc/
//Claire McGilivray, writer
//Graphics by JJ Brewis
//Claire McGilivray, writer
//Graphics by JJ Brewis
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