Lights, Camera, Concordia!
These days almost anyone can purchase a video camera and make a movie. But how many people though can turn a passion for movie-making into a blockbuster hit or YouTube sensation? A few Concordia students, it turns out.
Art education grad student Emily Paige and her partner Daniel Gies won the jury prize for Best Animation in the online film and video category at the 15th Annual Webby Awards for their short film Do You Know What Nano Means? It was highly acclaimed for using an engaging format to tackle a complicated scientific concept.
Neither Paige nor Gies anticipated the magnitude of the Webby Awards. “The Webby Awards are considered the Oscars for the Internet and digital world,” explains Paige. “It was a celebrity fest! Lisa Kudrow was the host for the ceremony.”
“We were rubbing shoulders with big Hollywood directors, producers and actors,” adds Gies.
He points out that celebrities, such as Will Ferrell and Adrian Grenier, participate in the Webby Awards not as actors, but as artists exploring their own personal projects.
The win was a dream come true. “Once Dan and I were on that red carpet, it hit us that our hard work actually paid off,” says Paige excitedly. Gies says, “I really tried to talk to as many people as possible because I was genuinely curious about people’s projects.”
Another Concordia student walked the red carpet recently, this time at the Montreal World Film Festival (WFF).
Colin Riendeau, who is a third-year student in communication studies, produced his short film, The Kidnapping, at the university. It is a dark comedy about a man kidnapped by two hit men who are having an unusual conversation.
A motivated individual by nature, Riendeau also worked as Aaron Eckhart’s personal assistant for the upcoming film The Expatriate, which was shot in Montreal. “I’m in a position where I worked in the lowest position for a Hollywood film and now I entered the festival as a producer,” says Riendeau.
The young filmmaker was astonished by how many people from around the world attended the festival. “I got such a different perspective on how the industry works internationally. I couldn’t even imagine how much variety is in the world of cinema worldwide,” explains Riendeau, who took advantage of the festival to meet as many directors, producers and actors as possible with the hopes of expanding his network.
Film production student Jessica Baum was also at the WFF with her short film Breathing. She was at the festival last year too. “I was a 100 per cent convinced I wouldn’t get in and my brother really pushed me to apply. It was actually a very simple process.” Baum is thrilled that she got invited back. “Even though this is the second time I got into the festival, I am so impressed with all the other films that I still get that feeling that they are better than mine.”
Her film is an experimental project showing different people struggling to breathe. “Every video I have made to date represents me and how I feel. I believe it is very important to express how I am feeling by expressing myself with images,” explains the young filmmaker. According to Baum, Concordia has helped her develop a style: “I learned a lot so far from my program. We use equipment that I never used before.”
Concordia programs as Communication Studies and the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema provide tools and experience for students to take their work to the next level. According to Riendeau, his program provides a huge networking opportunity and gives him the skills to launch him into the professional world. “My experience at the festival is something I can take back to my classroom and apply positively to the work that I do and collaborate with others,” he says.
Journalism student David Adelman is an intern with Concordia’s University Communications Services.
Related links:
• Emily Paige on Vimeo
• Do You Know What Nano Means? on YouTube
• Colin Riendeau on IMDB
• “Fine Arts Student Wins Webby Award”
• The Kidnapping on Facebook
• Jessica Baum on IMDB
• Breathing on Vimeo