Today's generation has an inherent comfort with the tools of communication technology. Local children in elementary school have YouTube channels that display their homemade video selfies. Groups of friends routinely get together to film themselves doing bike tricks or skateboarding feats, showing off their latest GoPro experience or drone footage, then posting them online. Youth today are primed for making films, even if they aren't formally doing so.
The organizers of Northern FanCon and screen arts institute SchoolCreative have partnered up for this region's young people who are interested in the film, television and web industry. A short-film competition is now underway.
"This is for northern B.C. high school kids," said FanCon chief organizer Norm Coyne. "We are calling for students who have made a film of any kind that is 1-7 minutes long. We aren't putting any categories on this, we don't want to inhibit creativity. We want whatever is out there."
Each filmmaking team is eligible to enter one film. The acceptance window is March 1-31 and it will be done via download to the Northern FanCon website. Coyne wants to put the call out now so kids have time to shoot and edit whatever it is they might want to submit.
"I'm super interested to see what comes out of this," said Coyne, who has been involved himself in directing and producing a number of film projects. "There's a level of talent young people have in any art form, but this generation is shockingly comfortable and skilled with this technology. You can make a perfectly excellent movie with your smart phone, and it's getting done around here already, so we want to encourage that to keep happening and getting kids to be focused about it."
From all the submissions, organizers of the competition will filter through a long-list of competitors. All those teams that make the long-list will receive a pair of passes to Northern FanCon on from May 11-13 at CN Centre.
The convention is far more than a celebrity splash. One of the FanCon components is Creative Corner where screen arts professionals in many disciplines of the industry are assembled to talk to aspiring artists. Workshops, discussion panels, one-on-one conversations and more are a free bonus for the youth who receive those tickets through the door.
Some of the talent available to meet this year in Creative Corner include:
- writer Marc Bernardin (Marvel and DC comics, editor at Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter, screenwriter for the shows Alphas and Castle Rock, co-host of Fatman On Batman);
- sound designer Jen Lewis (involved in films like The Lost Legion and 13 Steps and a host of video games like the Warhammer series, the Company of Heroes franchise, Shellrazer and many more);
- film director Rachel Talalay (the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise, seven episodes of Dr. Who, director of Tank Girl, and now a mainstay on the DC Comics family of television shows).
"FanCon is built in part to inspire the next generation of filmmakers from northern B.C.," said Coyne. "We are really only now seeing the first wave of directors making movies and TV here on a regular basis, and that's the foundation we want to build on. Some very good work is being done here, but it is new and just getting on its feet as a local industry, but when it's rolling it will be a big bonus for the local economy and you're going to see some amazing stories get told on the screen."
After the long list is made, a shortlist will follow with the very best getting a chance to be seen on the big screen at Northern FanCon, and five awards will be announced: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance and Best Screenwriter. All of those winners will get a $2,000 education package at SchoolCreative.
Those interested in submitting a film to the contest is asked to polish up their best stuff and get ready to hit the Send button on the www.fancon.ca website throughout the month of March.
