The process of filmmaking is challenging both from a personal and technical angle. There are obstacles to overcome with raising the funds to buy the film and maybe even pay the crew... self-preservation always seems to be close to the bottom of the to-do list of the filmmaker. The rewards are usually worth the cost and having done your best work in the service of a great story enriches everyone who participates.
My first sustained production experience was tangentially related to the Film Co-op. In the late 80s Kevin Holden had a summer job with Planned Parenthood NB where he was producing a series of videos. I helped him out and I was able to rack up a lot of production experience with Cable 10's 3/4-inch video equipment. The following two summers had other Planned Parenthood projects, but with both of us being hired. It was my first experience working with a very small budget and a very small crew. It also gave me a chance to work with Tony Merzetti on a few shoots, as he brought his lighting and camera expertise to parts of the project. In the final summer of the project we worked more closely with the Film Co-op and were able to work with Co-op directors including Errol Williams. I was also able to write, direct, light and edit which let me hone both production and post-production skills.
As I was working on my B.A. at UNB, a couple of my professors came up with the idea for a movie review program for Cable 10. Bill Buxton and Barry Cameron needed someone with video experience to help them with the show. Along with Tony we formed the core production team for the next few years of "Cinefile." I produced and directed 50 episodes and when Bill went to Concordia I was able to co-host a season with Barry who took over the producing duties after I left the show. In the second season of "Cinefile" we began shooting in the Film Co-op and it gave Tony a chance to have some fun and show off his lighting skills.
Documentary filmmaker Ron Mann gave a workshop at the Film Co-op early in 1991. It got everyone excited about documentaries and Errol Williams talked about the idea that he had for a documentary on Willie O'Ree, who broke the colour line in the NHL. It was a great story and I really wanted to work on the film and help Errol get it made. During a break I told Errol that I wanted to help him and that I would do whatever I could to work on the film that he was going to make.
The first time that I ever recorded sound for a film was during the shooting of Doug Sutherland's film "Smoke." I was acting in the film as a stormtrooper extra and one day in front of the Centennial Building there was a challenge in recording sound in a car. Someone needed to squeeze into the back seat of a car to record a bit of sound. I squeezed myself in there and was given a quick overview of operation of the Nagra. It was fun and brief, but I didn't forget the experience.
When things started to get going on the Willie O'Ree project Errol chose Tony for camera and lighting and I was able to start out by doing some research and then sound recording. As with many Co-op productions the official title doesn't really limit what you do. The shooting began just before Canada Day 1991, when Willie arrived in Fredericton to ride in the parade. It was the beginning of many months of shooting, research, writing and travel. Errol, Tony, myself and Jacquie Anderson were travelling to a different city almost once a month. We spent a lot of time together and became a solid, efficient crew. Near the end of the shooting phase we were able to work almost silently. We'd worked together so much that we could tell what we needed to shoot, when to start, stop and what direction that we needed to go in.
The post-production of what became "Echoes in the Rink" stretched on for a few years. It brought together an amazing group of talented people to tell Willie's story. While work continued on the documentary, other opportunities presented themselves. Errol was able to film a vignette and a commercial for the NB Human Rights Commission which gave Tony and I another chance to work together. As the years went by and the roles that we played on "Echoes" changed, so did our titles. Errol very generously made me a co-producer along with Tony.
Working on a film with over 80 rolls of sound gave me a lot of experience in recording sound and my skills steadily improved with the practice. What doesn't increase as a production continues on is the money that is available. Luckily there were other things happening. Doug Sutherland produced a lot of corporate videos and Tony and I were able to work on many of them. It gave us many more chances to work together along with Don Steeves to become a tight, industrial video production crew. With freelance sound work to help pay the bills, I was able to keep in practice and still help people out with their films.
Doug Sutherland had an idea for a feature film called "Love Potion" which was an ultra-low budget production. We'd shoot when film, actors and locations were available. The drama presented a whole new set of challenges for Doug and for Tony and I with lighting and sound. We shot in rain, and snow. In all the seasons. Inside and outside. In hunting lodges, in the woods and in government offices. Every time we'd go out there would be a truck idling, a blown circuit breaker, sub-zero temperatures, or some other unforeseeable last-minute change.
A shorter film can be easier to make than a feature but it presents many of the same challenges. Ken Furlong had a great idea for a short film that consisted of a man interrogated in a room by two police officers. Ken gave me the chance to record the sound for the film. He'd planned the shoot meticulously and most of the work was concentrated over a couple of weekends. It was a great shoot that was enjoyable and resulted in a great short film that gave Tony a Moonsnail award at the Atlantic Film Festival for his lighting.
By this time I'd finally felt comfortable recording sound and helping people out with their films. I was able to take a position on the board of the coop and able to help a lot of people out on their films by recording sound and editing. In 1998 we were finally able to premiere "Echoes in the Rink." In 1999 "Love Potion" premiered in Saint Andrews. Completing a film and having it seen gives everyone who worked on the production a great sense of accomplishment.
As we got ready for the premiere of "Echoes" Errol was back from Bermuda and there was a feeling of incredible accomplishment. We did it. At the premiere as I stood in front of a crowd that included Willie, politicians, crew, friends and family I felt an overwhelming clarity in what I had been doing over the last few years. We worked together to tell a story. We made friends. We helped to change the world just a little bit. We did our best work with the best people anyone could ever hope to work with. That's what the Film Co-op is about.