Cinema Canada (Jun-Jul 1973)

Varcoaver The British Columbia Film Industry Association held its monthly meeting and a large number of people were in attendance. There were discussions on a variety of subjects: the recent submissions to the C.F.D.C. from west coast filmmakers, the Provincial government and its involvement with the film industry in British Columbia, the quota system for Canadian films, tax structures, and the necessity of the British Columbia film community to have a co-operative spirit to better promote a native film industry and to attract outside producers. Guest of the Association was Vancouver Sun critic Les Wedman, who participated in some lively and healthy discussion about the history and future of feature films in British Columbia. The B.C.F.I.A. also drew attention to Cinema Canada, and asked its membership to support the “Canadian film magazine”. Meanwhile in sunny Pemberton the Spider film company has recently completed the shooting of “After the Dance’’, the sixth C.F.D.C. west coast grant film in production. The apparent climax of the movie was the destruction of a 1959 De Soto, destroyed by three drunken loggers out on a spree. After several attempts to blow the car to smithereens, the actors started throwing Molotov cocktails, enabling the erstwhile film crew to take some terrific action shots of destruction. The film is a comedy. Directed by George Johnson and written by Doug White. The actors are Graham Crawley, who wants a chick that will make your tongue hit the floor; Rob Johnson, who attacks his car like a flying commando; and the well-known Irish actor, Hagen Beggs. Image Flow Centre is currently producing a series of medical education films with John Cassils as producer. Tom Shandel is directing two accident prevention films for the Workman’s Compensation Board, while Werner Aellen is producing a feature film called “Wolf Pen Principle’? — a recent winner in the C.F.D.C. low budget feature film competition. Jack Darcus, who wrote the script will direct. Jack is the first filmmaker on the West Coast to receive a $60,000.00 grant, and the project should be an exciting one. The lead actor will be Vladimir Valenta. Shooting is scheduled to begin on June 20th. 26 Cinema Canada Canawest Film Productions Ltd. is currently producing 12 half-hour animated television films for Hanna Barbera. The program is scheduled for release on the N.B.C. television network, as an adult program. Title “Wait Until your Father Gets Home’’. Jack Gettles of Canawest has recently toured the country looking for Canadian personnel to work on the series. The program calls for a large staff of key animators, assistants, animation photographers, and animation checkers. If necessary Canawest will train their own personnel. Any trained animators or people with experience in film animation can contact Canawest in Vancouver. Signed: Doug White. Seymour films announced today they have firmed their 1973-74 slate, with principal photography set to roll mid-week. Two second units began photography at various Vancouver Island locations last March. The eleven man crew will complete set construction in several weeks. The company announced they have set up a new branch office in Vancouver. Headquartered in Hollywood, Seymour produces T.V. commercials, theatrical shorts and features. With regional production becoming a reality the Film Board has been producing a number of films in British Columbia. Peter Jones, NFB producer in Vancouver says regional production is to interpret B.C. in the same manner the NFB interprets Canada, and the Vancouver production office has a mandate to do so. They will also, wherever possible, be using local film-makers to make these local films. The NFB has just completed over three hours of production with several films in progress and more to come. A large number of films will be animation films, under John Taylor. Here’s a list of NFB projects: ‘‘Pleasure Fair’’, “We Call them Killers’, ‘‘He’s not the Walking Kind”, “Community Action Theatre’’, and ‘Seventh Step to Freedom”. Films nearing completion are: “Prairie” (roloscope, animation), “The Bigot” (Al Sens, animation), ‘‘Elevator” (animation by Jim Kalnin and Mal Hoskin), “‘T.V. Sale’’ (animation by Ernie Schmidt), “Jogging’’ (animation) and “Bear’s Christmas’ (animation). Barrie Howells is busy with two films. One an hour special on the Yukon, working title “Yukon’”’, and a film on Stanley King, titled ‘‘King’’. Plans are also underway for 2 films Chris Aikenhead working on Garden of Eden. (SFU film workshop) on Levi-Strauss, another film by Al Sens called “Limits to Growth’, a documentary on “Foster Homes’’, and a film on the conflict of the economic policies of Haida and the white man called “La-X-uit”. A couple of pilot films on the people of B.C. are being shot under the titles of “Chilcotin” and ‘Queen Charlottes’. Sure is a lot of activity for the summer. Simon Fraser University, while not a film school, has a vitality in its film workshop which is all out of proportion to the facilities. Under resident filmmaker Vincent Vaitiekunas, who is the single teacher involved, the workshop has produced seven 16mm films this year. The quantity was matched by the quality of the productions. All of the films were well photographed and had fair sound quality. When films like these are made on such pitiable resources the enthusiasm and dedication of the resident and students are demonstrably self-evident, and go a long way with little stock, no money, and poor equipment. The resident’s abilities become the necessary ingredient. Two talents that stood out in the program were Ron Precious, for his cinematography and Chris Aikenhead as a writer-director. Precious has a sensitivity to both light and content, which gives him most of what a cameraman could want. Chris Aikenhead tackles that director’s nightmare, a film about a film director making a film.