Female filmmakers offer personal perspective of industry in Calgary
With the Academy Awards being handed out this weekend, talk in Calgary will be on the Oscars and the art of filmmaking.
A group of female filmmakers — Leah Nicholson, Kenya Weaver, Rachel Haugan, Anna Cooley and Alexis Moar — will take that conversation a step further when they sit down to talk about their own experiences in the film industry during a panel discussion beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday at Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters in Mission (2207 Fourth Street S.W.).
Tickets are $20 and include a $10 Phil and Sebastian gift card.
Cooley is the founder of Erratic Pictures — a Calgary production company that makes documentaries and fictional films — and has worked on a few locally filmed shows like Heartland, Hell on Wheels and The Revenant.
She appeared on The Calgary Homestretch on Friday afternoon to discuss the event and below is an abridged version of that conversation.
Q: Tell us about the event [on Saturday]. What's it all about?
It's a panel of industry professionals here in Calgary of various different backgrounds, both crews and technicians as well as writers, directors and designers.
Q: Why is a conversation like this important to have right now?
There's been many panels of filmmakers over the years and most of them are entirely comprised of men ... But really we're just industry professionals looking forward to answering questions and talking about our work.
Q: Who are some of the other women on the panel?
Most of them I'm looking forward to meeting for the first time, but we have Rachel Haugan, Kenya Weaver, Alexis Moar and Leah Nicholson. So we have art directors, writers, production designers, camera operators, cinematographers, directors and actresses.
Q: How did you get into filmmaking?
I first got into filmmaking as a child with the family handicam. My parents were artists. I grew up working on art projects, sculpting and painting. So my first step into filmmaking after I went to SAIT for their film and video production program was through the art department, starting on the pilot of Hell on Wheels.
I kind of worked through the art department, set decoration and props, providing labour on bigger projects, things like Heartland, Hell on Wheels and The Revenant. I really enjoyed being on set so I got into props, working really closely with the action right on set, with the director and actors and directors of photography.
Q: So you have done pretty much everything then?
I have done most jobs on set at least once, but I specialize now in directing, producing, writing and production design.
Q: What kind of challenges do you face as a woman in the industry in a position like that?
Every position in the industry is challenging no matter what gender you are, but as a woman, or any other minority voice on set, there's a struggle to be taken seriously, and then on the other side, to get funding.
People like to put money where they know they're going to get results and when you have traditionally a narrow group of people who have been given opportunities to provide those results, the playing field is a little narrow.
Q: Have things changed at all since you came out of SAIT?
Yes. I'd say the last eight years have seen a massive shift in the industry, especially when it comes to dialogue, which is of course where these things start, with the #MeToo movement and the push for 50/50 by 2020 (parity around diversity in Hollywood). The conversation around diversity in front and behind the camera is present and people are aware of it as an issue, so it is slowly, I believe, getting better — but it still has a ways to go.
Q: You started your own production company, so not only are you directing films but you also have to raise money. What's that like?
Once again, it's a struggle for everyone, no matter what their background is but even if you look at all the organizations pledging to diversify crew and creative personnel, you see the funding is not quite going as far, so even if 50 per cent of your projects are being directed by women, they're only getting 20 per cent of the budget that you have allocated, so we're working with a little less.
Q: What kind of advice would you give up and coming filmmakers who want to get into the industry right now?
There's lot of opportunities in Calgary and we have a really lovely independent community that works together and works on each other's projects. If you're interested in going to school, both SAIT and the University of Calgary have programs for filmmaking, and if you're just trying to get your toes wet, there's various options.
I recommend going to the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers. There's also Emmedia and the Quickdraw Animation Society. They all have wonderful communities and a low price for entry.
Q: What are you currently working on?
Right now I'm working on a very large grant application to get a virtual reality web series made. I'm adapting a local playwright, Elena Belyea's site-specific roving theatre production, Everyone We Know Will Be There, into a virtual reality web series.
With files from The Calgary Homestretch
