bitdepth — 2004

Film Co-op Memories

The first film set that I was ever on was “The Spectre of Rexton” which was directed by Kevin Holden. It was many years ago in the 1980s and my first impression at the time was that it was very, very warm. It was a scene with 4 actors in a building in downtown Fredericton just around the corner from the NB Filmmakers’ Co-operative. While there was a lot of waiting around, people were in good spirits and it was exciting. Most people had things to do and it was amazing to watch how everything came together. The scene was blocked, the actors rehearsed, the lighting was tweaked and then they did the scene. The actors were really good and weeks later I was able to see the rushes and it was very cool to see how it actually looked a lot better on film than it did in person. I was hooked. I only was able to go out on other special effects and test shoots since the shooting schedule was mostly at night and I had a part-time job that interfered with it. But I knew that I would love to have the chance to work on a film and started looking for opportunities to work on more stuff. I still love the place and the people there.

March 24, 2004 film, filmmaking, kevinholden, nbfilmmakerscoop, thespectreofrexton

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Standing in the Shadows of Motown Poster I’ve been lucky enough to work on documentaries that gave me a chance to meet and learn about amazing people and stories that I would never have known about. When you work on a documentary you have a chance to preserve the story and lives of people and that’s what makes working on documentaries so wonderful and difficult. I finally was able to see the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown on the weekend. The documentary tells the story of the Funk Brothers, who were the heart and soul that made the Motown sound what it was. I’ve always loved Motown songs and heard many of them on Danny Finkleman’s CBC Radio show Finkleman’s 45s, but I never thought about how the Motown sound originated. The most obvious answer is that it came from the session musicans who played on all of the songs. They are an amazing group of incredibly talented musicians who never received proper credit or appreciation of what they accomplished. What’s amazing to watch is a band reassembled after many years and it seems as if they never took a break from playing. The film features a perfect blend between interviews, recreations and performances by the Funk Brothers with a near-perfect structure that kept me entertained and left me content. One of the great music documentaries.

March 22, 2004 cbc, dannyfinkleman, documentary, history, motown, music, standingintheshadowsofmotown, thefunkbrothers

New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Cooperative is 25!

About 21 years I first found out about the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Cooperative in Fredericton New Brunswick and today the Coop (as I will always know it) is 25. On March 1, 1979 the Coop came into being and the media arts scene in New Brunswick has never been the same. I owe the Coop so much (including my dues for this year) and it is inseparable from my own development as a media artist. Pretty much everything I know about filmmaking has come from there and it’s also probably the reason that I teach now.
The role of the Coop has changed dramatically over the past 2 1/2 decades. At first there were artists who needed the equipment to make their films. The reduced cost and portability of 16mm film equipment and the involvement of the National Film Board of Canada made it possible for a small group of artists to start telling their own stories in their own way. When I first walked into 51 York Street it was with my friend Kevin Holden who was working on a film called “Just Say Hello” which was part of New Brunswick’s Bicentennial celebration. I remember seeing the Steenbeck and learning how film was edited. I began recording sound when Doug Sutherland had no one to record sound for a scene on his short film, “Smoke.” I remember Dave Clarke, the first coordinator of the Coop. I remember my good friend Tony Merzetti the second and current coordinator of the Coop and the person who taught me so much about filmaking and lighting and editing that it couldn’t be crammed into any film school anywhere. The Coop is also where I met my friend Errol Williams who gave me a chance to work with him when I took a workshop and heard him talk about a documentary that he wanted to make about Willie O’Ree. During a break I told him if there was any way that I could help him I would. He’s given me a few chances to work with him and it’s always been fun.
So on the evening of the 25th birthday of the Coop I’m a bit sad that I can’t be there, but so proud that I’ve been able to be part of such an amazing organization that has helped so many people tell their stories. Now I’ll raise my glass which has some of the Scotch that was given to me as a present when I left the Coop a few years ago. Cheers and see you all soon!

March 1, 2004 daveclarke, dougsutherland, errol, film, filmmaking, fredericton, history, justsayhello, kevinholden, nbfilmmakerscoop, nfb, smoke, tonymerzetti, willieo'ree

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