They say you should never start with a feature. I did. I got through it. My advice to new filmmakers - Don't start with a feature. But each film here has been a learning experience. So please, walk the path with us, starting at the beginning....
2020 Rode Challenge: September 2020 - Run
We had tried to make this film once before and were unable to complete. So the Rode challenge offered us another chance to tell the story. We entered the short film into the Rode Film Challenge. It was a whole lot of fun. Check out the shot of our fab cast and crew.
The FILM: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWEUGmRxC8Q
The BTS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ1Dr0jLPA4&t=1s
We were challenged to complete a film in 48 hours following the criteria while social distancing and staying in isolation during the early days of Covid-19. We are plased to say that we entered all four competitions. Here are our entries:
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You can see the first one here:
vimeo.com/402088087 You can see the second one here: vimeo.com/404328711 You can see the third one here: vimeo.com/412092169 You and see the fourth one here: vimeo.com/414581910 |
It was quite the adventure as we recruited people from around the world to help make these films.
Remote filmmaking had its challenges but we were so pleased with the results. Hope you enjoy the films. Got a nice mention in Filmfest magazine regarding the 48 Stuck At Home challenges: filmfestmagazine.com/news/filmmakers-face-challenges-during-the-48-hour-stuck-at-home-project/?fbclid=IwAR05-TR5MRjPw_4hd7IrZKm6o1-4U8-KQDJvNSLDKUpawB_THBEdm-gJwW4 |
MR. WEIR - October 2018 - A series of gristly murders, a stranger in town. Is it a co-incidence or something else? Our first time entering the Toronto 48 Hour Film Project. We had a fun time. The criteria was the following:
A character named Riley Ludwig, a door to door salesperson.
The line was "In another life, if you're lucky."
The prop was a headband.
The genre was horror.
We had a great team, some of whom we worked with for the first time and look forward to working with again. While we didn't win, we learned a lot and are gearing up for the challenge in 2019.
CAST:
Riley Ludwig: Lena Booth
Mr. Weir: Carlos Jimenez-Rauda
With Patrina Kelly McBride, Nicole McInally, Ian James Smith, Shawn Vincent Davis, Eleonora Rud
Crew:
Written by the team
Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Camera Operators: Tim Biemann and Brian Dorion
Sound: Cheri Booth and Ian James Smith
Production Manager: Taylor Martin
Craft Service: Monica Smith
Locations curtesy of Nicole McInally
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/301970691
WATCH THE BTS HERE:
vimeo.com/313930055
A character named Riley Ludwig, a door to door salesperson.
The line was "In another life, if you're lucky."
The prop was a headband.
The genre was horror.
We had a great team, some of whom we worked with for the first time and look forward to working with again. While we didn't win, we learned a lot and are gearing up for the challenge in 2019.
CAST:
Riley Ludwig: Lena Booth
Mr. Weir: Carlos Jimenez-Rauda
With Patrina Kelly McBride, Nicole McInally, Ian James Smith, Shawn Vincent Davis, Eleonora Rud
Crew:
Written by the team
Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Camera Operators: Tim Biemann and Brian Dorion
Sound: Cheri Booth and Ian James Smith
Production Manager: Taylor Martin
Craft Service: Monica Smith
Locations curtesy of Nicole McInally
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/301970691
WATCH THE BTS HERE:
vimeo.com/313930055
END OF DAYS - May 2018 - A post-apocalyptic film set at a crossroads. What heppened doesn't matter. Only that it did and now a group of survivors struggles with the aftermath. There are two version. The original was for the 4th KW Film Challenge and is close to six minutes. The second cut is three minutes, recut for the Rodemic Challenge and is the better cut. There is also a BTS video. All are here for your enjoyment. The budget for this was roughly $150 mostly for craft service and gas for transportation costs.
Cast:
John Cormier - Blind
Greg Allen - Lost
Patrina Kelly McBride - Lonely
Terren Mooney - Derelict
with Jeffrey Wolfe, Julie Davey and Steven Lockyer and Micheal Heitmann
Crew:
Written, Directed and Edited -Danute Dorion
2nd Camera, BTS camera - Leah Gerber
Sound - Brendan Highmore
Production Manager, Additional Camera - Cheri Booth
Make-up - Julie Davey
Location manager - Dave McBride
Craft Service - Steamy Eats
WATCH THEM HERE:
1st Cut - vimeo.com/271022352
2nd Cut - vimeo.com/285619766/4577c44d40
BTS - vimeo.com/285619917/ffab926751
Cast:
John Cormier - Blind
Greg Allen - Lost
Patrina Kelly McBride - Lonely
Terren Mooney - Derelict
with Jeffrey Wolfe, Julie Davey and Steven Lockyer and Micheal Heitmann
Crew:
Written, Directed and Edited -Danute Dorion
2nd Camera, BTS camera - Leah Gerber
Sound - Brendan Highmore
Production Manager, Additional Camera - Cheri Booth
Make-up - Julie Davey
Location manager - Dave McBride
Craft Service - Steamy Eats
WATCH THEM HERE:
1st Cut - vimeo.com/271022352
2nd Cut - vimeo.com/285619766/4577c44d40
BTS - vimeo.com/285619917/ffab926751
DRACULA - Chapter 1 Johnathan Harker's Diary - May 5 - The Castle - Wherein I meet My Host (recut April 2018) - Recut from the original short film. Was never really satisfied with the opening scene as it felt out of place with the rest of the short. So we edited it out and I think the end result is a better film. The focus is only on the scene in the library. This is the cut we will be offering on the festival circuit.
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/265929500
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/265929500
BRAIN STORM - 3rd KW FIlm Challenge - Completed October 2018
A week later we decided to enter the 3rd KW Film Challenge. THis time around there was no 1 hour filming limit. But we had to choose a prop and use it in the short. We opted for a colander. Since the focal point of the challenge was a prop we decided to use the colander as the main character in the challenge. What ensued was a day of hilarity and awesome fun full of colandery goodness.
Cast:
Brian Dorion
Danute Dorion
Cheri Booth
Lena Booth
Jeffrey Wolf
Michael Heitman
4 Colanders
Crew:
Written by the group
Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Camera: Brian Dorion
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/238148854
A week later we decided to enter the 3rd KW Film Challenge. THis time around there was no 1 hour filming limit. But we had to choose a prop and use it in the short. We opted for a colander. Since the focal point of the challenge was a prop we decided to use the colander as the main character in the challenge. What ensued was a day of hilarity and awesome fun full of colandery goodness.
Cast:
Brian Dorion
Danute Dorion
Cheri Booth
Lena Booth
Jeffrey Wolf
Michael Heitman
4 Colanders
Crew:
Written by the group
Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Camera: Brian Dorion
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/238148854
STREET BEAT- An homage short to the vigilante crime fighters of Capital City - Completed October 2017
This was our first time entry in the Folkeston Film Challenge. Inspired by the film Mystery Men, we chose to do a talk show segment on the newest Vigilante crime fighter in Capitol City: Space Geisha Ninja Warrior. It was silly and a whole lot of fun. Everyone got to play two characters and it was a real family effort shot over a weekend.
Cast and Crew:
Danny Dorion
Brian Dorion
Cheri Booth
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/237305681
This was our first time entry in the Folkeston Film Challenge. Inspired by the film Mystery Men, we chose to do a talk show segment on the newest Vigilante crime fighter in Capitol City: Space Geisha Ninja Warrior. It was silly and a whole lot of fun. Everyone got to play two characters and it was a real family effort shot over a weekend.
Cast and Crew:
Danny Dorion
Brian Dorion
Cheri Booth
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/237305681
FROM OUT OF TOWN - A movie trailer in the Film Noire look - Completed September 2017
This was our entry in the 2017 Colchester Film Festival. We wanted to do something we could plan out a bit before hand and thought why not do a movie trailer. It's a loose story and pretty much anything can be be fit in. And we've been wanting to try some night shooting with the A7's. So we decided to do a film noire story. A detective. A dame. And 2 mobs bringing war to the streets. There may be a Director's cut in the future. We didn't get short listed, but of the 209 submission we were the 22nd most watched film. Not bad. Especially considering that this is an international challenge.
CAST:
Michael Masurkevitch as Rick Powers
Elysia Cloet as Julie Rogers
Mike Fan as Mr. Chang
Michael Heitmann as Carlo Vincinni
Suzanne Brenneman as Roberta
Brian Otto as Rocky
Jeffrey Wolf as Gino
Robert Metcalfe as The Barber
With: Jeffrey Blakeney, Mark Starratt, Trish Bludon, Ron VanderZwaag, John Settle, Andrea Molnar, Shawn Vincent, and Jessie Lubin
CREW:
Written, Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Director of Photography: Brian Dorion
Camera 2: Danute Dorion
Sound: Brian Dorion
Production Manager: Becca Petricevic
Lighting: Most of the cast
Costumes and Props: Alice Sheffield
Craft Service: Steamy Eats
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/232222750
This was our entry in the 2017 Colchester Film Festival. We wanted to do something we could plan out a bit before hand and thought why not do a movie trailer. It's a loose story and pretty much anything can be be fit in. And we've been wanting to try some night shooting with the A7's. So we decided to do a film noire story. A detective. A dame. And 2 mobs bringing war to the streets. There may be a Director's cut in the future. We didn't get short listed, but of the 209 submission we were the 22nd most watched film. Not bad. Especially considering that this is an international challenge.
CAST:
Michael Masurkevitch as Rick Powers
Elysia Cloet as Julie Rogers
Mike Fan as Mr. Chang
Michael Heitmann as Carlo Vincinni
Suzanne Brenneman as Roberta
Brian Otto as Rocky
Jeffrey Wolf as Gino
Robert Metcalfe as The Barber
With: Jeffrey Blakeney, Mark Starratt, Trish Bludon, Ron VanderZwaag, John Settle, Andrea Molnar, Shawn Vincent, and Jessie Lubin
CREW:
Written, Directed and Edited: Danute Dorion
Director of Photography: Brian Dorion
Camera 2: Danute Dorion
Sound: Brian Dorion
Production Manager: Becca Petricevic
Lighting: Most of the cast
Costumes and Props: Alice Sheffield
Craft Service: Steamy Eats
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/232222750
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA - EPISODE 3 WHEREIN I MEET MY HOST - Part three of a non-existant film series - Completed January 2017
This was our entry into the 2nd 1 Hr. Film Challenge. We played with the idea that this was an episode in a larger project. We ran an intensive tech walk through prior to arriving on location as we planned a number of moving shots key to the central action. The hard work paid off as we took the Technical Award. We shot in two locations in the same house, using 3 camera to cover the footage. Friends in St. Catharines had the perfect house and we were honored that they agreed to let us shoot there as it truly added the magic of that perfect location. In the end, we called cut on the final shot at the 55 minute mark, which gave us that last five minutes to record the voice overs in the same space and maintain room tone continuity.
CAST:
John Cormier as Dracula
Michael Masurkevitch as Jonathan Harker
Lindsay Grisebach as Mina Murray
Susan St. John as Helga
Lena Booth as Victoria
Heather Murray as Abigail
CREW:
Written, Directed and Edited: Danny Dorion
Camera 1 and DOP: Tim Biemann
Camera 2: Brian Dorion
Camera 3: Lindsay Grisebach and Adam Murray
Sound: Alice Sheffield
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/201474454
This was our entry into the 2nd 1 Hr. Film Challenge. We played with the idea that this was an episode in a larger project. We ran an intensive tech walk through prior to arriving on location as we planned a number of moving shots key to the central action. The hard work paid off as we took the Technical Award. We shot in two locations in the same house, using 3 camera to cover the footage. Friends in St. Catharines had the perfect house and we were honored that they agreed to let us shoot there as it truly added the magic of that perfect location. In the end, we called cut on the final shot at the 55 minute mark, which gave us that last five minutes to record the voice overs in the same space and maintain room tone continuity.
CAST:
John Cormier as Dracula
Michael Masurkevitch as Jonathan Harker
Lindsay Grisebach as Mina Murray
Susan St. John as Helga
Lena Booth as Victoria
Heather Murray as Abigail
CREW:
Written, Directed and Edited: Danny Dorion
Camera 1 and DOP: Tim Biemann
Camera 2: Brian Dorion
Camera 3: Lindsay Grisebach and Adam Murray
Sound: Alice Sheffield
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/201474454
HONOR - When your life is a single word - completed October 2016
This was entered as part of a 1 Hour Film Challenge. We had exactly 60 minutes to shot the film. That meant two weeks of intensive planning everything down to the last detail. In the end we shot with 2 cameras and finished in 58 minutes. The location couldn't have been more perfect as we arranged to shoot in the Japanese Garden at the Guelph Arboretum in Guelph, Ontario. Two days of editing later we had this lovely little short film.
CAST
Samurai - John Settle
Woman - Dani Lowry
Kaishakunin - Greg Allen
CREW
Written, Directed, Edited - Danny Dorion
Camera One - Brian Dorion
Camera Two - Danny Dorion
Production Assistants - Lena Booth, Stephanie Settle
Original Score - Jim Schneider
Costumes and Props - Alice Sheffield
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/189481510
This was entered as part of a 1 Hour Film Challenge. We had exactly 60 minutes to shot the film. That meant two weeks of intensive planning everything down to the last detail. In the end we shot with 2 cameras and finished in 58 minutes. The location couldn't have been more perfect as we arranged to shoot in the Japanese Garden at the Guelph Arboretum in Guelph, Ontario. Two days of editing later we had this lovely little short film.
CAST
Samurai - John Settle
Woman - Dani Lowry
Kaishakunin - Greg Allen
CREW
Written, Directed, Edited - Danny Dorion
Camera One - Brian Dorion
Camera Two - Danny Dorion
Production Assistants - Lena Booth, Stephanie Settle
Original Score - Jim Schneider
Costumes and Props - Alice Sheffield
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/189481510
We are please to be awarded laurel leaves from the Elevation Film Festival 2018 for Honor. They found the Cinematography and the Sound Design worthy of the accolade. Kudos to everyone who worked on this project.
ALL ABOUT YOU - How do I go on? - Completed October 2015
This was entered into the Colchester International Film Challenge issued as part of the Colchester Film Festival. This year there were 1400 entries from around the world. Just over 359 finished.
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The Title - All About You
- The Action - Taking out a pair of gloves but only putting one on
- The Line: That surely's too much for this town.
- Total length, including credits: 5 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 60 Hours
The project focused on a funeral, where Charlie talks to a stranger about the loss of his wife.
CAST
Charlie - Jeffrey Blakeney
Bob - John Sherritt
Helen - Danny Dorion
Preacher - Todd Harris
Sue - Lynn Brubacher
Brian - Brian Dorion
Extras - Angela Yeates and Lena Booth
CREW
Written and Edited - Danute Dorion and Cheri Booth
Directed - Cheri Booth
DOP - Brian Dorion
Sound - Lynn Brubacher and Angela Yeates
We got the whole crew together on the Friday evening and discussed the idea we had about setting the film at a funeral. Everyone worked to help put together the story and it was wonderful to see so much creativity help the story evolve. This was a much more complex story than the previous year. The biggest challenge once again was the weather. It got rather chilly but the big issue was the wind rustling the leaves. Fortunately we were able to clean up the sound as we shot with external mikes and no ADR was necessary. The next big challenge was foley, putting in the rustling leaves to match the movement on the screen. We think the end result was worth it. Budget? Breakfast of croissants, muffins and coffee, a coffee break mid shoot to warm everyone up and then pizza once we wrapped at the studio.
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/141344208
This was entered into the Colchester International Film Challenge issued as part of the Colchester Film Festival. This year there were 1400 entries from around the world. Just over 359 finished.
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The Title - All About You
- The Action - Taking out a pair of gloves but only putting one on
- The Line: That surely's too much for this town.
- Total length, including credits: 5 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 60 Hours
The project focused on a funeral, where Charlie talks to a stranger about the loss of his wife.
CAST
Charlie - Jeffrey Blakeney
Bob - John Sherritt
Helen - Danny Dorion
Preacher - Todd Harris
Sue - Lynn Brubacher
Brian - Brian Dorion
Extras - Angela Yeates and Lena Booth
CREW
Written and Edited - Danute Dorion and Cheri Booth
Directed - Cheri Booth
DOP - Brian Dorion
Sound - Lynn Brubacher and Angela Yeates
We got the whole crew together on the Friday evening and discussed the idea we had about setting the film at a funeral. Everyone worked to help put together the story and it was wonderful to see so much creativity help the story evolve. This was a much more complex story than the previous year. The biggest challenge once again was the weather. It got rather chilly but the big issue was the wind rustling the leaves. Fortunately we were able to clean up the sound as we shot with external mikes and no ADR was necessary. The next big challenge was foley, putting in the rustling leaves to match the movement on the screen. We think the end result was worth it. Budget? Breakfast of croissants, muffins and coffee, a coffee break mid shoot to warm everyone up and then pizza once we wrapped at the studio.
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/141344208
16 & 17 - What hope is there in a world where contact is forbidden? Completed October, 2014
This was entered into the International Film Challenge issued as part of the Colchester Film Festival. There were over 800 entries from around the world. Just over 200 finished. We did not make the top 20. However, it was an absolute thrill to compete at this level
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The Title - Sixteen & Seventeen
- The Action - Dropping a bucket of water
- The Line: It'll be amazing when it's finished.
- Total length, including credits: 5 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 60 Hours
The project focused on a society where human contact no longer exists, and the day is spent in futile, endless labor.
CAST
16 - Julia Ulmer
17 - Greg Allen
18 - Joey Ulmer
9 - Lena Booth
Orwellian Head - Brian Dorion
Monitor - Danny Dorion
CREW
Written and Edited - Danute Dorion and Cheri Booth
Directed - Cheri Booth
DOP - Danute Dorion
We began with the concept of the numbers and what they meant and both arrived at a dystopian future. We wanted to show a world where most of humanity had lost their humanity. And how somewhere deep inside each of them was a spark that still felt. The death of the child was the perfect way to illustrate that. We also wanted virtually no dialogue and gave all the lines to those who are outside the confines of this bleak world. Where they are is unknown, only that they watch. And we wanted to leave the ending unfinished. What will happen? The biggest challenge was the weather. It got very cold that week-end and we were outside in rain, hail and snow throughout the shoot. Also the actors went without shoes at times on a gravel path. We think the end result was worth it. Budget? A couple of pizzas and coffee/hot chocolate to warm everyone up went we got back to the studio.
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/108069979
This was entered into the International Film Challenge issued as part of the Colchester Film Festival. There were over 800 entries from around the world. Just over 200 finished. We did not make the top 20. However, it was an absolute thrill to compete at this level
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The Title - Sixteen & Seventeen
- The Action - Dropping a bucket of water
- The Line: It'll be amazing when it's finished.
- Total length, including credits: 5 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 60 Hours
The project focused on a society where human contact no longer exists, and the day is spent in futile, endless labor.
CAST
16 - Julia Ulmer
17 - Greg Allen
18 - Joey Ulmer
9 - Lena Booth
Orwellian Head - Brian Dorion
Monitor - Danny Dorion
CREW
Written and Edited - Danute Dorion and Cheri Booth
Directed - Cheri Booth
DOP - Danute Dorion
We began with the concept of the numbers and what they meant and both arrived at a dystopian future. We wanted to show a world where most of humanity had lost their humanity. And how somewhere deep inside each of them was a spark that still felt. The death of the child was the perfect way to illustrate that. We also wanted virtually no dialogue and gave all the lines to those who are outside the confines of this bleak world. Where they are is unknown, only that they watch. And we wanted to leave the ending unfinished. What will happen? The biggest challenge was the weather. It got very cold that week-end and we were outside in rain, hail and snow throughout the shoot. Also the actors went without shoes at times on a gravel path. We think the end result was worth it. Budget? A couple of pizzas and coffee/hot chocolate to warm everyone up went we got back to the studio.
WATCH IT HERE:
vimeo.com/108069979
Good Morning Abby - Abby finds herself in a devolving loop. Completed February, 2014
This an entry into a local Ground Hog Day Film Challenge. It was a last minute thing so it's not my best work. However, a friend asked me to do it as there were only two other entries. The criteria was under five minutes, the prop was a bear, and the line was "He's dead, Jim!" Of course, it had to revolve around the theme of Ground Hog Day. Because it was last minute I had Brian Dorion film and direct and I acted. There was absolutely no budget as we green screened it in the basement.
WATCH IT HERE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_w92pwtqY
This an entry into a local Ground Hog Day Film Challenge. It was a last minute thing so it's not my best work. However, a friend asked me to do it as there were only two other entries. The criteria was under five minutes, the prop was a bear, and the line was "He's dead, Jim!" Of course, it had to revolve around the theme of Ground Hog Day. Because it was last minute I had Brian Dorion film and direct and I acted. There was absolutely no budget as we green screened it in the basement.
WATCH IT HERE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_w92pwtqY
T is FOR TALIO - TALIO is a Latin word that refers to a punishment fitting the crime. An eye for an eye. This is a story of vengeance, filmed with a Dustpunk feel. When an ex-lawman's wife is murdered, he takes up his guns once again to hunt down her killers. - Completed August 2011
Entry into The ABC's of Death - Short film challenge commencing on September 1st, 2011. It had to be less than 4 minutes long - be about death with a taste of horror - And it had to have a title of, "T is for_____", with the filmmaker filling in the blank. We didn't use the full title in our poster art because we wanted to keep what we were doing a secret until we were ready to enter the competition.
SUMMARY
Budget-wise this was our most expensive production to date. Props and costumes ate the largest chunk of change, coming in just under $60.00 for a four minute short. We were fortunate with craft services when Margaret Cook, the homeowner, offered to do our spread, and yummy it was. With other incidentals, including additions to the make-up kit, we came in just under the $90.00 mark.
This has been our most ambitious project to date, and our first foray outside the comfort zone of local film competitions. The process started when we contacted Abney Park for permission to use their song, I am Stretched on Your Grave. With permission secured, we were able to get to work casting the production, as well as scouting locations. We were lucky location-wise when a friend offered the use of their country property, complete with Victorian house and nearby barn, which stood relatively unused. Our cast and crew were assembled from across southern Ontario, including Kingston, Brantford, Toronto, Kitchener and London. Some of them are familiar faces from other SteamWorld productions but a couple of great new talents have come on board. Initial shooting took place in one day. The weather threatened to storm but mostly held off until the bulk of the shoot was complete. We were able to finish off with a couple of nice interior shots. The project was filmed with our new Canon XA10, our first foray into the world of Hi Def. The video and sound are spectacular. The entire project was filmed hand-held except for a couple of tripod shots. This project also marks the first time we used Sony Vegas Pro as our exclusive editing tool instead of our faithful standard program, Movie Edit Pro, as it pre-dates Hi Def and cannot read the footage. So between several on-line tutorials, and able assistance and advice from Kristina at Retrospect Film Group, we finished principle editing. The biggest challenge with this production was wrangling the talent since people came from such diverse locations. This also was the first time we did not shoot locally and that meant making arrangements to get everyone to the location site on time.
CAST & CREWCAST
- Malakai Darien Fox [ Lawman ]
- Marissa Kate Wilson [ Wife ]
- Rachael Steinberg [ Wife's Sister ]
- Cheri Booth [ Lawman's Cousin ]
- Geoff Steinberg [ Homesteader Husband ]
- Emily Schooley [ Homesteader Wife ]
- Lou "Leo" Polstra [ Bushwacker #1 ]
- David Richards [ Bushwacker #2 ]
- James "Jimmy" Diamond [ Bushwacker #3 ]
- Brian Dorion [ Preacher ]
- Ken Cook [ Man with Mallet ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ Director/Writer/Producer/Camera ]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ Writer ]
- Cheri Booth [ PA / Continuity ]
- Emily Schooley [ Fight Choreographer ]
- Malakai Darien Fox [ Fight Choreographer ]
- Brian Dorion [ Still Photographer ]
- Helene Steinberg [ Blood Wrangler ]
- Margaret Cook [ Craft Services ]
- Music [ Abney Park "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" / used with permission]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ Poster Art ]
- Filmed entirely on location at the Cook Homestead, Dutton, Ontario
WATCH IT HERE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29T3M52J-w
Entry into The ABC's of Death - Short film challenge commencing on September 1st, 2011. It had to be less than 4 minutes long - be about death with a taste of horror - And it had to have a title of, "T is for_____", with the filmmaker filling in the blank. We didn't use the full title in our poster art because we wanted to keep what we were doing a secret until we were ready to enter the competition.
SUMMARY
Budget-wise this was our most expensive production to date. Props and costumes ate the largest chunk of change, coming in just under $60.00 for a four minute short. We were fortunate with craft services when Margaret Cook, the homeowner, offered to do our spread, and yummy it was. With other incidentals, including additions to the make-up kit, we came in just under the $90.00 mark.
This has been our most ambitious project to date, and our first foray outside the comfort zone of local film competitions. The process started when we contacted Abney Park for permission to use their song, I am Stretched on Your Grave. With permission secured, we were able to get to work casting the production, as well as scouting locations. We were lucky location-wise when a friend offered the use of their country property, complete with Victorian house and nearby barn, which stood relatively unused. Our cast and crew were assembled from across southern Ontario, including Kingston, Brantford, Toronto, Kitchener and London. Some of them are familiar faces from other SteamWorld productions but a couple of great new talents have come on board. Initial shooting took place in one day. The weather threatened to storm but mostly held off until the bulk of the shoot was complete. We were able to finish off with a couple of nice interior shots. The project was filmed with our new Canon XA10, our first foray into the world of Hi Def. The video and sound are spectacular. The entire project was filmed hand-held except for a couple of tripod shots. This project also marks the first time we used Sony Vegas Pro as our exclusive editing tool instead of our faithful standard program, Movie Edit Pro, as it pre-dates Hi Def and cannot read the footage. So between several on-line tutorials, and able assistance and advice from Kristina at Retrospect Film Group, we finished principle editing. The biggest challenge with this production was wrangling the talent since people came from such diverse locations. This also was the first time we did not shoot locally and that meant making arrangements to get everyone to the location site on time.
CAST & CREWCAST
- Malakai Darien Fox [ Lawman ]
- Marissa Kate Wilson [ Wife ]
- Rachael Steinberg [ Wife's Sister ]
- Cheri Booth [ Lawman's Cousin ]
- Geoff Steinberg [ Homesteader Husband ]
- Emily Schooley [ Homesteader Wife ]
- Lou "Leo" Polstra [ Bushwacker #1 ]
- David Richards [ Bushwacker #2 ]
- James "Jimmy" Diamond [ Bushwacker #3 ]
- Brian Dorion [ Preacher ]
- Ken Cook [ Man with Mallet ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ Director/Writer/Producer/Camera ]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ Writer ]
- Cheri Booth [ PA / Continuity ]
- Emily Schooley [ Fight Choreographer ]
- Malakai Darien Fox [ Fight Choreographer ]
- Brian Dorion [ Still Photographer ]
- Helene Steinberg [ Blood Wrangler ]
- Margaret Cook [ Craft Services ]
- Music [ Abney Park "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" / used with permission]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ Poster Art ]
- Filmed entirely on location at the Cook Homestead, Dutton, Ontario
WATCH IT HERE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29T3M52J-w
8:12 FROM YUMA is a story that centers on a family whose tyrannical patriarch is returning after an unexpected departure and they must decide if they want to return to their previous lives or take a bold step to free themselves of an oppressive and abusive presence. Completed April 6, 2011
8:12 FROM YUMA was a 48 hour film challenge entry. (Still under the old Ratling Productions umbrella). The competition was sponsored by Ed Video in Guelph, Ontario as part of their annual Spring challenge.
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The number 8:12 had to appear in the film in that order
- Pay homage to a director`s style
- Must include a vote or show the electoral process
- Total length, including credits: 6 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 48 Hours
SUMMARY
The total budget for the project was $30.00 for pizza on brainstorming night.
After several hours of discussion, the team decided to go for the distinctive style of the old Sergio Leone western. Interestingly, everyone had western attire for costumes. How cool is that? Having 48 hours on this challenge seemed like a luxury after the previous 24 hour challenge we had participated in. This time we actually spent time scripting the story which made for a better film. We even had a team member writing via Skype from British Columbia. Cool! In the end, we spent roughly 8 hours filming. - The day was extremely cold, and as we were filming outdoors for the entire shoot, we had some issues with batteries running down quicker than we would have liked. On the upside, we had a second camera available and that helped since we could still shoot while batteries recharged. On the downside, the video quality between the two cameras made for some challenges during the editing process. One camera used memory cards which made downloading of footage easy; the other was an older model and needed a firewire to download. It was a slow process, as the clips downloaded one at a time and the program needed to be reset after each clip. A royal pain in the neck. In the end, 14 hours was spent editing the film; most of which was spent color correcting the footage from the two cameras so they matched as close as possible. There was also the issue of image quality that need to be cleaned up. As always, the first cut was far too long, just over 12 minutes and we had a 6 minute time limit. So with tweaking, tweaking and more tweaking, we had a final cut of just under the 6 minute mark. Sepia was then applied to give it that old Western look. It was awesome how the whole team worked together not only on camera but also behind the scenes. Everyone was so conscious of continuity which made editing so much easier. For a project like a timed film challenge it really helps to have a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. Kudos to all!
CAST & CREWCAST [alphabetically]
- Danute Dorion [ Abigail ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ Maria ]
- Josh Medeiros [ Patrick ]
- Michael Moore [ Jeremiah ]
- Lindsey Quinn [ Cybil ]
- Steve Robins [ Aidan ]
- Daniel Stapley [ Connor ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ director & writer ]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ writer ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ 2nd Unit Director ]
- Danute Dorion [ camera ]
- Steven Robins [ camera ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ camera ]
- Lindsay Quinn [ camera ]
- Ennio Marricone [ music / from: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ]
- www.partnersinrhyme.com [ score ]
THE RESULT
We won the Technical award for Cinematography. The following is the quote from Ed Video regarding the award: [Awarded] for capturing the technical 'spirit' of a western. I felt the cinematography was very well-done, particularly the framing. The pacing was excellent.
WATCH IT HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB0eHaWR6Cg&t=4s
8:12 FROM YUMA was a 48 hour film challenge entry. (Still under the old Ratling Productions umbrella). The competition was sponsored by Ed Video in Guelph, Ontario as part of their annual Spring challenge.
The project had to meet the following criteria, revealed only at the start of the challenge:
- The number 8:12 had to appear in the film in that order
- Pay homage to a director`s style
- Must include a vote or show the electoral process
- Total length, including credits: 6 minutes max
- Time to complete the challenge: 48 Hours
SUMMARY
The total budget for the project was $30.00 for pizza on brainstorming night.
After several hours of discussion, the team decided to go for the distinctive style of the old Sergio Leone western. Interestingly, everyone had western attire for costumes. How cool is that? Having 48 hours on this challenge seemed like a luxury after the previous 24 hour challenge we had participated in. This time we actually spent time scripting the story which made for a better film. We even had a team member writing via Skype from British Columbia. Cool! In the end, we spent roughly 8 hours filming. - The day was extremely cold, and as we were filming outdoors for the entire shoot, we had some issues with batteries running down quicker than we would have liked. On the upside, we had a second camera available and that helped since we could still shoot while batteries recharged. On the downside, the video quality between the two cameras made for some challenges during the editing process. One camera used memory cards which made downloading of footage easy; the other was an older model and needed a firewire to download. It was a slow process, as the clips downloaded one at a time and the program needed to be reset after each clip. A royal pain in the neck. In the end, 14 hours was spent editing the film; most of which was spent color correcting the footage from the two cameras so they matched as close as possible. There was also the issue of image quality that need to be cleaned up. As always, the first cut was far too long, just over 12 minutes and we had a 6 minute time limit. So with tweaking, tweaking and more tweaking, we had a final cut of just under the 6 minute mark. Sepia was then applied to give it that old Western look. It was awesome how the whole team worked together not only on camera but also behind the scenes. Everyone was so conscious of continuity which made editing so much easier. For a project like a timed film challenge it really helps to have a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. Kudos to all!
CAST & CREWCAST [alphabetically]
- Danute Dorion [ Abigail ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ Maria ]
- Josh Medeiros [ Patrick ]
- Michael Moore [ Jeremiah ]
- Lindsey Quinn [ Cybil ]
- Steve Robins [ Aidan ]
- Daniel Stapley [ Connor ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ director & writer ]
- Kristina Kamarauskas [ writer ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ 2nd Unit Director ]
- Danute Dorion [ camera ]
- Steven Robins [ camera ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ camera ]
- Lindsay Quinn [ camera ]
- Ennio Marricone [ music / from: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ]
- www.partnersinrhyme.com [ score ]
THE RESULT
We won the Technical award for Cinematography. The following is the quote from Ed Video regarding the award: [Awarded] for capturing the technical 'spirit' of a western. I felt the cinematography was very well-done, particularly the framing. The pacing was excellent.
WATCH IT HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB0eHaWR6Cg&t=4s
SCAVENGER HUNT tells the story of a warring couple, who on the recommendation of their therapist, use a competition as a form of marriage counselling. Completed April 14, 2010
SCAVENGER HUNT was the first time we entered a short film challenge [still under the old Ratling Productions umbrella]. The competition was sponsored by the Multicultural Cinema Club in Kitchener, Ontario as part of the annual Local Focus Film Festival which they host every year.
The film had to meet the following criteria, which was revealed only at the start of the challenge.
- Prop to be included: A red rose
- Sound Bite to be included: A child crying
- Location to be included: A record or music store
- Theme: Race to the finish
- Total length, including credits: 7 minutes
- Time to complete the challenge: 24 Hours
SUMMARY
The total budget for the project was $60.00, which went entirely into Entry Fees and craft services.
This was a fun little project. As our first film challenge we were not sure what would happen. Once we got the criteria we sat down at a local coffee shop and brainstormed. At the time, running with improv seemed the way to go as we would not need to have to invest any time in writing a script. In hindsight, this is not a route we will go again. While we had a lot of fun, and certainly recorded some wacky dialogue [not used in the film], it was hard to actually achieve proper character developement and believeable closure to the story. However, as with all things, this was a learning experience. All told, we spent about 8 hours of actual filming, followed by roughly 10 hours of editing. The biggest challenge was taking the first cut of just under 11 minutes and bringing it down to the 7 minute maximum time limit. Lots of tweaking and a couple of scenes, while good, were not actually needed to move the story forward so they had to be chopped chopped chopped!
CAST & CREWCAST [Alphabetically]
- Al King [ Store Clerk ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ Carol ]
- Craig Hennessey [ Bob ]
- Josh Medeiros [ Chair Boy ]
- Kengo Muhamadi [ CD Buyer ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ director/camera/editing ]
- Craig Hennessy [ director/camera ]
- Kengo Muhamadi [ camera ]
- Kyle Worrall [ music ]
WATCH IT HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zDoqCMEs0
SCAVENGER HUNT was the first time we entered a short film challenge [still under the old Ratling Productions umbrella]. The competition was sponsored by the Multicultural Cinema Club in Kitchener, Ontario as part of the annual Local Focus Film Festival which they host every year.
The film had to meet the following criteria, which was revealed only at the start of the challenge.
- Prop to be included: A red rose
- Sound Bite to be included: A child crying
- Location to be included: A record or music store
- Theme: Race to the finish
- Total length, including credits: 7 minutes
- Time to complete the challenge: 24 Hours
SUMMARY
The total budget for the project was $60.00, which went entirely into Entry Fees and craft services.
This was a fun little project. As our first film challenge we were not sure what would happen. Once we got the criteria we sat down at a local coffee shop and brainstormed. At the time, running with improv seemed the way to go as we would not need to have to invest any time in writing a script. In hindsight, this is not a route we will go again. While we had a lot of fun, and certainly recorded some wacky dialogue [not used in the film], it was hard to actually achieve proper character developement and believeable closure to the story. However, as with all things, this was a learning experience. All told, we spent about 8 hours of actual filming, followed by roughly 10 hours of editing. The biggest challenge was taking the first cut of just under 11 minutes and bringing it down to the 7 minute maximum time limit. Lots of tweaking and a couple of scenes, while good, were not actually needed to move the story forward so they had to be chopped chopped chopped!
CAST & CREWCAST [Alphabetically]
- Al King [ Store Clerk ]
- Corrina Medeiros [ Carol ]
- Craig Hennessey [ Bob ]
- Josh Medeiros [ Chair Boy ]
- Kengo Muhamadi [ CD Buyer ]
CREW
- Danute Dorion [ director/camera/editing ]
- Craig Hennessy [ director/camera ]
- Kengo Muhamadi [ camera ]
- Kyle Worrall [ music ]
WATCH IT HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zDoqCMEs0