Cinema Canada (May 1980)

IATRRODUCING... michael savoie and peter shatalow hot to trot on black ice “Wow! You just finish a shoot, you come home late at night, your hands and feet are frozen, your ears are aching, your whole body is numb, the wind is whipping around inside your head, your mind is completely whapped, and man, the adrenalin is still pumping! You wanna go out there and shoot it again... It’s not a job, it’s ajoy !” Michael Savoie and Peter Shatalow are high : high on movie-making, high on the success that has been following them steadily for the past seven years. Cedar Films is their baby. Michael is cameraman/producer and Peter is director/editor. In the three years since the company’s conception, these two young men have succeeded in making some twenty-three films. “Our films are unique in that they are impressionistic,” says Michael. “We don’t make any pretense about being objective. It's impossible for us to make an objective film — we’re completely subjective... “We like to make films about people who struggle against incredible odds,” cuts in Peter. “People who accomplish, who achieve: we like to share that accomplishment with them.” Their latest and most spectacular achievement thus far is Black Ice, a ten minute theatrical short for the National Film Board. “We could have made a subjective documentary film about iceboating,” con tinues Michael. “But we didn’t. We made a drama. “We were experiencing what those guys were experiencing,” adds Peter. “We followed them around for twenty-five days, but the weather wasn’t right. We drove for thousands of miles, around and around, looking for those conditions which are in a space about this big (he makes a ball with his hands) and when we did hit it, there was such a sensation of joy that everyone just went wild. The film captures that, and it’s nice.” The ‘high’ started back in St. Catharines, Teamwork made it happen for Peter Shatalow and Michael Savoie as they mastered Black Ice. Ont., where Michael and Peter met about ten years ago. “From the first time we met each other we were making our own films.” St. Catharines offered little opportunity, so the two headed for Toronto where they both got work at the CBC — Michael as cameraman, Peter as editor. “Working at the CBC was great, but in our spare time we still made short films with our own money.” Eagerly, they studied film technique, absorbing all the knowledge the CBC had to offer. “We were hot to trot, and management knew it.” Apparently, Peter is still something of a legend. He went through the editing department in two years. By 1976 Michael and Peter knew it was time to strike out on their own. Cedar Films enabled them to do their own work under their own label. “High production values and quality have always been top priorities with us,” says Michael. “In fact, we are going to record Black Ice in stereo. It’s almost unheard of to record even a feature in stereo, but this film cries out for stereo, and we’re gonna do it.” There’s nothing stopping them. The next step after making some dandy little shorts is to shoot for the big one — features. Michael and Peter have bought the rights to a story, details of which they are hesitant to divulge because, as they say, “Everyone steals ideas from you in this business.” If all goes well, they will be ready to roll cameras this fall. What they propose sounds good... Adventure, greed, lust, moral dilemma, great characters, great action, murder — and gold! “We started this company because | could edit and Michael could shoot film” says Peter. “We could make movies and Cinema Canada/27 photo: Sunkist Graphics