CSIF Board of Directors:

President Melody Jacobson | Vice President Karla Carcamo | Treasurer Michelle Wong | Directors Caitlind Brown, Sara Walde, Rolf Stengl

STAFF

Operations Director Bobbie Todd operations@csif.org

Programming Director Nicola Waugh programming@csif.org

Communications Director Nicola Waugh communications@csif.org

Production Director Yvonne Abusow production@csif.org

Designed and Compiled by Dave Reynolds + Nicola Waugh

Editors Erin Sneath + Nicola Waugh

Advertising Inquiries: communications@csif.org

The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF) is a non-profit, member-driven media arts cooperative that encourages the production and exhibition of independent film.

Suite 103-223 12 Avenue SWCalgary, AB CanadaT2R 0G9Phone: 403.205.4747Hours: Tues-Sat, 10am – 5pmWeb: csif.org

ON THE COVER

A collage of film stills from past $100 film festival films from: Don Best (works in progress), Ben Hayden Trobia (2011), Ross Meckfessel He, She, I Was (2011), Paul Clipson Sphinx on the Seine (2008), John Kneller Kinestasis (2009), Gina Carducci/Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore All That Sheltering Emptiness (2010)

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QUARTERLY MANIFESTO 4

MEMBER’S MISSIVES 5

FILMMAKER PROFILE: LEWIS LISKI 7

I WANT YOU TO MAKE A FILM 12

SCREENWRITING TIPS 14

ON THE SLATE 15

IN THIS ISSUE

CSIF is grateful for the involvement of its members, the network of art-ist-run cooperatives throughout Canada and for the financial assistance of its funders: The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Canada Council for the Arts, Calgary Arts Development, and from its donors, members and individuals.

QUARTERLY MANIFESTO

2012 has always been synonymous with the “end of days”. Apocalyptic prophecies and overwrought popular culture creations have built our neuroses up to the breaking point. The Mayan calendar predicts that on the date of the next winter solstice, December 21st 2012, we will reach the end of a 400-year-old era. Unfortunately for those looking to emulate their heartthrob hero Ben Affleck in Armageddon, the Mayans saw a transition from one period into another, rather than full-blown extinction. Many see this transition as a possible shift in human perspective. It is the coming of a new energy that allows us to break free of the illusions created by ego. There’s little to no elaboration about how this universal shift will occur, but a comforting thought, is it not? We could all somehow simultaneously achieve a higher state of being, without any effort whatsoever. This, to me would be the best Christmas gift of all.

And think of the shift in art and film- suddenly purely honest, engaging pieces of work will emerge. Beautiful films bereft of any preten-tion and insecurity- connecting directly to the spirits of their ego-free audience. Box office targets will seem archaic, celebrity stars will be worth as much as you are, and art in its purest form will reign.

The theme of this issue is Beginnings. If its not doomsday, let it be a beginning. And let it be beautiful.

Nicola Waugh, Programming Director

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MEMBER’S MISSIVES

Reflections on the One-Eight Challenge

by Gillian McKercher

The digital image has all but abolished film. The 2012 Calgary International Film Festival presented their last film reel at Julie Delpy’s screening of Two Days in Paris. Roger Deakins’ dexterity with the Arri Alexa made Skyfall appear like a hotter, older sister of 35 mm. Nothing like a Kodak moment to seal the deal: Kodak, a godfather of film stock and ironically, inventor of the digital camera, filed for bankruptcy early this year.

Yet, film enthusiasts refuse to label the medium as archaic. Quenton Tarantino famously noted there was “no f***ing way…[he’d] ever shoot on video! Celluloid all the way!” and true to his word, his upcoming Django Unchained was shot on 35 mm. Fellow Hollywood directors Christopher Nolan and Brad Bird also remain stubbornly old-school while producing blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. If the digital form is capable of a perfect film imitation, why stay rooted in the past, in nostalgic technology? As a video-blogger less eloquently remarked to me, “why would you do that to yourself?”

I asked myself the same question as I pursued my third attempt at CSIF’s One-Eight Challenge. I had 11 seconds left of available film and 20 million ideas to cover. My crew (i.e. my volunteering friends) were impatient to shoot. I was sweating and I forgot to wear deodorant. Rookie mistake.

CSIF’s One-Eight Challenge is the ultimate exercise in directorial self-discipline: one role of Super 8 mm stock to make an in-camera film. No second chances, no revisions, and no mistakes. Did I say no mistakes? Excuse me, I

Gillian McKercher

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mean there is no mistake that every weakness, tick, and limitation that is caught on film is shown in its complete, natural form. And it’s the best experience a filmmaker can have.

My first shot at CSIF’s One-Eight Challenge was two years ago. I was keen to produce the best in-camera film ever; after all, I was a one-take wonder like Clint Eastwood, but younger, more daring, and better looking. I had a storyboard that was hailed as “awesome” by a classmate who conveniently had a crush on me. I had everything in my head, but as I was soon to find out, nothing in my hands. The shoot was messy, like the first time you barfed on tequila. I learned that ten different locations twenty minutes apart is not prudent for a one day shoot, let alone a One-Eight Challenge. I learned that I wasn’t telepathic; actors actually need verbal direction to know what I want. I also learned to trust my eye. I measured each of my shots in meters and shifted the focal ring in feet. Amidst dejected tears I vowed, “never again”.

One year older I was wiser and definitely ready to conquer the One-Eight Challenge. This time around, I pursued a didactic, intimate, avant-garde vision questioning the guilt of religious women following pre-marital sex. At least, that’s what I planned on telling my would-be-suitors at hipster scenes like Broken City. I had skinny jeans and Simone de Beauvoir references and dreams of a modern day Belmondo, oh yeah, and a film to make. The shoot was much better than the year previous and I was certain of success. My feelings screening the film were like a mother’s when her child says “I hate you”. Every shot was deliriously out of focus, a result of a wide-open aperture. Immediately, I learned that more light is better than enough light. I tried to convince myself that the lessons learned were worth a night’s worth of tears.

My most recent attempt at the One-Eight Challenge wasn’t motivated by a third time charm or a hunger for perfection, although it rumbled in my belly. I realized I was returning to the source of heartbreak and hard work

because film is not so much about an image as it is about a process. There’s nothing so delicious as capturing a carefully planned take and knowing you got it. There’s nothing like fist-pumping the air when unanticipated spontaneity elevates an idea beyond anything pre-conceived. There’s nothing like a One-Eight Challenge. Why have balance when you can have ups and downs? Sure, it’s disappointing when something goes wrong, but the euphoric highs are incomparable.

"No second chances, no revisions, and no

mistakes"Film may have become archaic, but it is always relevant, at least to me. This time around, 11 seconds of remaining film made me sweat, anxious and more electric than the Energizer bunny. I’m saving my tears for when I view the final product, and hopefully with every finger crossed it’s a realization of my vision. If not, well, there’s always next year.

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FILMMAKER PROFILE: LEWIS LISKI

By Dan Zimmerman

Lewis Liski cut his teeth through protest art, and an interest in the food industry’s misuse of the words “real food.” He has quickly found his niche documenting Calgary’s contempo-rary art scene with an expansive first film Alternative Currency. Liski has been a propo-nent of independent film for years and a CSIF member since April 2012.

Dan- How did you become interested in filmmaking? Lewis - I guess it started with my interest in documentary films specifically. It might not be the greatest reference but the first I remem-ber is Super Size Me, by Morgan Spurlock. Companies like McDonald’s were suddenly exposed and critiqued. D- How did you go from an interest in documenta-ries as a spectator into creating your first full length documentary coming out this year. What happened in between? L- I guess I thought documentaries as a me-dium captured things other mediums couldn’t. It took me a long time to figure out a project that could engage an audience on that level. The transition from food to the story of the contemporary art scene was that I didn’t know anything about the food scene. Obviously I ate food and I read lots of books trying to educate myself, but within that arena I didn’t know if I could make something that was compel-ling enough to get people interested. That experience started to get me interested in the community I was a part of already, and what I could do to create dialogue and productive conversation.

D– It’s interesting that many of the themes you were working with in your food-based work, such as conversations about the importance of local commu-nity, became the focus of Alternative Currency, your survey of contemporary art in Calgary? L- I guess I just focused on the community I know the most, and that’s the local arts com-munity in Calgary, specifically the visual arts community, because that’s the system I was educated within (editors note: Lewis gradu-ated from ACAD in May 2012). I noticed lots of gaps in the conversation about young emerging artists, and the contemporary art scene in Calgary as a whole. I just wanted to facilitate a conversation and my hope was that a successful documentary would do that. I started out with this thing that was naive, I thought I would just start and profile artists who were mostly my friends, and that was kind of enough at the beginning. It was dis-couraging though because there wasn’t a lot of initial interest

D- You also met a quite a bit of resistance within the pedagogical system, specifically the grading system. Some teachers weren’t really sure what to do with you. This was new territory. How do we grade some-one like this? Your project’s scope as your grad piece transcended the May 17th convocation and the final grad show and entered into post production almost a month after you had finished your formal education.

L- One thing I learned from the beginning was that you just need a few people that believe in what you’re doing and then from there you will hopefully get more people to become interested. First ten people wanted to

continued on page 10

Still from Alternative Currency (2012)

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be involved/interviewed then twenty, then a hundred, then too many. There are still people now that even as we are finishing the post-production, even when it’s almost done, want to be part of it. Not in the sense they want to be featured; they want some screen time, but also have opinions about a community they are passionately engaged in. I also get a lot of referrals about others they think should be interviewed. “You should talk to these people, you should talk to these people,” but you get to a point where you’ve got to narrow it down and figure out what story you want to tell. D-Can you talk specifically about the project? L- Alternative Currency is a documentary about the Cultural Capital of Canada for 2012: Calgary, Alberta, its broad contemporary arts scene, and five artists about to enter into it. It also includes interviews from writers, curators, and working professionals involved in the Calgary Arts Community.

I think it attempts to aim more at younger artists in general, maybe younger artists in Canada. It is specific to Calgary, like everyone involved is from Calgary, but a lot of them have pretty comprehensive worldviews that have been fostered and developed by other arts communities around the world so they have a pretty knowledgeable take on what’s working in Calgary and what needs to change. And I think a lot of the change that needs to happen is happening from the younger generation of artists. There is a gap in age that has existed for so long and a gap in opportunities for younger artists to build a career off of. Like one of the first things we are all taught at ACAD is that only 1 percent of us is only going to make it.

D- I’m not sure where that statistic even comes from or how “making it” is measured but yeah I was told that in my first week too. L- There needs to be more support for that community, like it sounds corny but its true D- Can you talk about the role of indepen-

dent film in Calgary and how (if at all) ACAD informed your work? You came from a visual arts school background not a film school background. L- I think ACAD’s limited film program was really great for its broad spectrum. Professors like Rick Silva, especially facilitated that broad range. His knowledge of experimental film and video was invaluable. ACAD is good at teaching you to think about your ideas in a way that is a lot different than a film school might, just because you’re exposed to a way different side of the industry. People aren’t as concerned about rule of thirds and cinematography and all the technical things like lighting and white balance, they just make compelling images regardless of story, they just do things in a way different way. I’m going to make a machine with cameras on it and I’m going to put it on a mountain (breaking the cinema away from the screen) or I’m going to make a film in 3-hour parts. I’m going to make it unwatchable. D- Yeah, they’re testing the limits of cinema, you’re exposed to this base of people that are doing that already. Its already been pushed this far… L- …and you ask yourself where do I fit in to this? How do I contribute to that? Julian Schnabel is a great example of a director that came from a fine arts background. He was a painter first. I think his fine art background contributed very well. Just look at a film like “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” D- There are a lot of questions about how one is going to finance and produce independent film. There are so many factors involved. It seems sometimes with art house films that since their isn’t really a thought of them being “picked up” that the end goal becomes so different. L- I don’t want to say too much about financing indie films in that regard I don’t know anything about that shit really. Maybe fringe film critic Mike Hoolboom would have

continued from page 7

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Through all of that I was able to take on an editor and I was able to hire an animator and sound designer. That money was quintessential to the succe ss of the project, but it’s a loan. I have to pay it back. I’ve been doing a lot of documentary work for other clients though. I’m also currently the head of videography and documentation for Nuit Blanche Calgary. D- What are your future plans?

Release and premiere Alternative Currency and finish the Nuit Blanche documentary. To just continue doing documentary work and videographer work for a while too – I’m very fortunate that I found a niche; I’m trying to ride the wave as long as I can. I want to make more films like Alternative Currency. If I can get to the point where I do that full time I think that would be awesome.

To find out more about Lewis please visitwww.longstoryfilms.com

more to say on that? There is a community of those people that never expect an audience for their films outside of their friend’s basement. There are different communities to learn from, the experimental community comes from a place of just that and it’s really done for the love of it all, but then definitely there is a lack of production… and maybe those conceptual ideas filter into larger projects.

D- How are you financing this? How are you paying the bills? What is your thrival job? L- I’m going to be as transparent as possible; my family has really supported me, especially Alternative Currency. They’ve come to see how many people are involved and how many people are interested in seeing the film. My dad specifically has loaned me $20 000 for my production company, Long Story Films and $11 000 of that sum specifically allocated for Alternative Currency, and then we did a fundraiser at Haight Gallery.

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... to Make a Film for The Hundred Dollar Film Festival

James Morison

When the festival first began, the idea was that you could make a film for under $100. Now, twenty-one years later, is that still possible?

What qualifies me to talk about this subject? I’ve had eight films in the festival over the years, with films in both the first festival in 1992 and the twentieth in 2012. I also started the festival.

A Short History

The story of the festival starts with my own journey into filmmaking. By 1989, I had played around with short home movies for many years. Most of what I made were what I call “two minute backyard monster epics”.

In 1989, I got serious about filmmaking. I took some night classes on filmmaking at SAIT. One night I learned about the CSIF. I rushed over the next day and signed up.

The CSIF exposed me to films that were very different from anything I had seen before. This opened my eyes to new possibilities. I began work on two of my own projects, but by early 1991, neither of these efforts had produced anything. The failure of these projects discour-aged me.

Around this time, the CSIF had a meeting to discuss ideas about how to encourage more people to make more films. The CSIF was fac-ing an uncertain future. Some people said that in five years, everyone would use video and nobody would make films.

I developed many ideas, but none of them got me excited. Eventually, I asked myself why aren’t people making films? Then, to make

the issue more personal, I asked myself why I wasn’t making film?

My first answer was that films cost tens of thousands of dollars to make. My second an-swer was that the quality of work achieved by other filmmakers at the CSIF intimidated me. My third answer was the fear that if I made a film, nobody would come to watch it. Making a film is itself an achievement, but that was not enough. I wanted to make a film that would connect with people and make them glad they had seen it.

I still didn’t come up with any thrilling ideas, so I retreated to reminiscing about the “two minute backyard monster epics” I made years earlier. My thoughts focused on two of my films The Smiling Corpse and Extra Special Care. I thought it would be fun to make and share films like them. I asked myself, why doesn’t someone start a film festival?

Now I had an idea that excited me.

The idea quickly developed into the $100 Film Festival.

The Challenge: Make a Film

It’s a bit late to talk about how to make a film for the 21st festival. But, there is always the 22nd festival.

The festival rules have changed over the years and it doesn’t need to be constrained by the original intentions, but I hope that films made to the original limits will always be welcome at the festival.

When I first came up with the idea for the fes-tival, the kind of filmmaker I aimed it at was someone who had just begun to make films. That was what I was back in 1991. Maybe they were someone who had never made a film, or who had only made a few small films. Their interest would be to learn and develop their skills, and, of course, to have an audience for their films.

I became aware of a different group of film-makers who were also interested in the festival. These were experienced people look-ing for a challenge, or a chance to have some

I WANT YOU

fun when they made a film. I know that some looked at these films as a way to reinvigorate themselves after a frustrating project.

The challenge came in the constraints on how they could make the film. In the first festival, the cost was not the limitation, as implied by the name. Instead, we set a limit on how much film the filmmakers could use to make the film. The limits were five rolls of black and white, four rolls of colour, or three rolls of sound. With a shooting ratio of 3 to 5, the final films would be 2 ¼ to 5 minutes long.

Can It Still Be Done?

A lot has changed since 1991. Can you still make a film the way it was back then? I believe so, although not as cheaply. Super 8 is still available, and you can make films on 16mm in the same spirit as Super 8.

I estimate that films made to the original rules would cost $300 to $550. You can still make a film for under $100, if you shot only one roll of film. Shipping the film to the lab and back can cost more than the film and developing!

There are some further limitations on the films now. Super 8 sound film isn’t available any more. If you want sound, you need to

put it on a CD, or have live sound. With pre-recorded sound, you can’t guarantee sync. It is not as easy to get a 16mm film negative cut and printed these days, so you can’t do effects like dissolves or title overlays, unless you can do them in-camera.

The challenges are not simply technical though. Creativity is central to good filmmak-ing. It is the creativity and vision of filmmakers that allow them to make an interesting film within the technical limitations.

The Future

The future success of the festival depends on the people who make it happen. While in this article I mostly talk about what I did, the success of the festival comes from the many people who took inspiration from the spirit of the festival, and made their own contribu-tion. All of these people deserve credit for the festival.

Just like in 1991, the future of film is unclear. Times have changed. Now people say that in five years, everyone will use digital and nobody will make films. We can still make films now and that should inspire you to make a film.

The Fence (1996)

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SCREENWRITING TIPS“Be Active”

by Neil Champagne

Usually I find myself giving tips based off a resounding problem I found in one of the last screenplays I have read. Today is no different. How your description reads may be the most important tool a writer has to paint his/hers world. In fact it is one of the most rudimen-tary skills a screenwriter needs. I am sure this is not news to anyone, but I still come across many screenplays that lack the “active” element.

When writing description you always need to describe what is currently happening, not what has happened. This means proper description does not operate in past tense. If Nicki is to drink from her mug, describe it exactly as that. “Nicki sips from her mug,” OR “Nicki is sipping from her mug, when…” NOT “Nicki sipped from her mug.” From a cinematic perspective the audience can’t see what has already happened. We as a viewer/reader have to witness what is occurring.

This rule also applies to how you describe your action. You do not need to give justification or an explana-tion. Instead, use physical and active description to get these points across. If a character fears his father, don’t tell, show. Maybe his hands tremble, maybe the character breaks

out in hives when around his father, maybe he clenches his jaw. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s active! With that said, many new writers explain too much. Some of it is active, while other aspects are filler, trying to showcase character. Let your active choices do all the explaining. Now if you can be economic with your active word choices, while using a unique voice, you are on your way to penciling a stronger screenplay. Below is an example of good active description (exert from Looper).

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ON THE SLATEHoliday Closure: CSIF will be closed from December 16 to January 6

Call for Volunteers: We are looking for dedicated volunteers for various tasks leading up to and during the $100 Film Festival (March 7-9 2013). Please get in touch with Karla Carcamo, Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@csif.org or call 403 205 4747Call For Writers: Have an idea for an Answer Print article? Get in touch and get involved for the Spring 2013 issue! Email Erin Sneath at answerprint@csif.org

SCREENWRITING CLUB The second Tuesday of every month from 7pm - 9pm at CSIF participants will meet to review a script or two and give feedback. This is a FREE group led initiative. Bring your experience, imagination (and a few snacks for the group) and become a member of this club.

EXPERIMENTAL FILM CLUBJoin us at the Old Y on the second Saturday of every month from 10am where the film club will be working on different experimental film techniques. Drop in costs vary with the number of the participants and the costs of processing and film stock. The Film club is a collaborative group that shares the cost of shooting on Film as they work on a variety of filmmak-ing techniques.

WORKSHOPS

Basic Camera (16mm)

Date: Saturday April 6, 2013 10am - 5pm Instructor: Philip LetourneauCost: Members $175, Non Members $210 Enrollment is limited to 8 Participants

Grantwriting For Media Artists

Date: April 20, 2013 Instructor: Sandi SomersCost: Members $65, Non Members $110 Enrollment is limited to 9 Participants

To join clubs + workshops contact Yvonne Abusow @ 403 205 4748 or email production@csif.org