Blogging on film

Thanks to the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival for inviting me to screen my new short film, The Man Who Built My Childhood. One more screening tomorrow: Saturday, June 20, 2009 at Noon at the Cumberland 4.

Here are some things I've noticed while wandering the streets of Toronto. Click on the pictures if you want to see them bigger. Since I blog at a leisurely pace I figured I could wait for a whole hour, so all pictures were shot on film the old-fashioned way.


Funny reference from a seemingly elderly graffiti artist.


Toronto takes its mayonnaise-substitutes very seriously.



My room at the Madison Manor. You can tell it's classy because the fireplace has an 'on' switch.


Detail of the stain-glass window in my room.


I did an interview at Bravo! for the their Bravo!Fact Presents show and they took my picture and printed me this visitor ID badge. For some reason I kept it stuck on my bag, and the next day the word 'STOP' magically appeared.

George Sprott, CKCK, and the Glory Days of Local Televison

For my money, the best cartoonist working today is Seth. The Guelph-based graphic novelist and illustrator has been putting out quality work for about 20 years now, and it just keeps getting better and better. As a collector and fan of music, films and comics there are lots of artists I follow, but nothing excites me like the arrival of a new work by Seth. What follows is an account of the multiple layers of joy, surprise and reflection that I found upon reading Seth's new book, George Sprott.

First of all, it’s a gorgeously designed object, unique in many ways. It’s huge, measuring 14 inches tall, with a beautifully embossed hardcover and wonderfully printed interior pages in multiple two-tone hues. It's so sumptuous in its details, it's hard to know whether you should read it or lick it.

Then, there’s the subject matter. As you open the book the first image is of a black, white and grey test pattern for an ancient television station called CKCK. For the purposes of Seth’s book CKCK is a fictional Canadian TV station based in the fictional city of Lakeside, Ontario, but as anyone from Regina, Saskatchewan knows, CKCK TV was the real deal. CKCK Radio and CKCK TV were powerhouse prairie broadcasters that served Regina and area with style and grace for many years. As a young kid I worked at CKCK Radio in the 1980’s. This was at the tail end of the glory days of AM Radio, and it was a thrill for me to be a part of it. At the age of 17 I began as a midnight-shift disc-jockey, and I couldn’t believe that I was left in charge of this broadcasting legend. Among other notable things, CKCK Radio gave the world the first ever live broadcast of a hockey game, in 1923.

Brian Stockton, 1983, self-portrait in the CKCK Radio control room. This control room survived until the early 1980's when a more modern room was constructed across the hallway.

George Sprott, inside front cover.

With the fictional CKCK TV as the backdrop, Seth's book is about George Sprott, an explorer, raconteur, and television pioneer. Sprott's life is examined in multiple short graphic stories, the bulk of which were commissioned by The New York Times Magazine and published serially. For this book Seth has expanded the story to turn it into a complete 'picture novella.'

I don't know if Seth is aware of the real CKCK or not, but his book is the perfect compliment to the real memories and artifacts from CKCK Regina, and pretty much every other local TV station in Canada. George Sprott celebrates the oddball characters from local shows that were once so common across Canada: The children's show star, the host of the late-night movie, and the local talk show host. The fictional George Sprott had a show called Northern Hi-Lights, in which he recounted tales of his trips to the arctic while showing reels of silent film like they did on The Red Fisher Show.

Seth's tale follows Sprott's story to the demise of local television. Like at the real CKCK, the local shows at fictional CKCK disappeared in the 1980's. "Only local news survived. The remaining airtime was filled with shitty American shows." says the narrator.

George Sprott, detail.

As we look back, those old shows seem so ancient now, so stuck in the past, that it's hard to imagine local shows existing in the present. Of course they do, on broadcasters like SCN, Knowledge Network, TVO, community cable and Moses Znaimer's CITY TV brand which was bold enough to imagine a new kind of local TV. CITY TV still exists—sort of—under media conglomerate Rogers. When I lived in Toronto in the 1990's and early 2000's, CITY TV was part of the Toronto experience, much like CKCK Radio and TV were as a kid growing up in Regina.

Seth's book has come out at a time when a debate about local TV is raging in Canada. I don't really have anything to add, except to say that Seth's book seems to have landed in the right place at the right time. Like all of Seth's work we are forced to think about the present while immersed in a story about the past. As Canada's private broadcasters make their plea to 'save local TV' Seth's book makes it crystal clear that what we're really talking about is 'saving local news' because 'local TV' as we used to know it, has been dead for years.

Some good stories from the front lines of local TV debate can be found here and here.

Seth's book also brought to mind local Regina celebrity broadcaster Johnny Sandison. While the character of Sprott is nothing like Sandison, there is a passing resemblance between the two.


Johnny Sandison (1926-2004) , George Sprott (1894-1975)

Johnny was the titan of local broadcasting in Regina. For many years he did double duty on CKCK Radio as The Morning Mayor, and on CKCK TV as weatherman, talk show host, and whatever else they needed. Johnny Sandison was Regina's biggest celebrity, but was not much known outside of Saskatchewan. No doubt there are Johnny Sandisons and George Sprotts all over map of Canada's broadcasting past.


Seth's style is clearly suited to his subject matter in George Sprott. Here's a detail of the fictional CKCK schedule, and an artifact from the real CKCK.


As the owner of the CKCK collectible plate, I guess that makes me this guy.



The imagined, and the real.

For those interested in more pictures from the glory days of CKCK TV Regina, try here. As always, Seth's work is published by Drawn and Quarterly of Montreal.

George Sprott is a beautiful and affecting work, part of a body of work in comics that is among the best in the field. I highly recommend it for everyone, even though this particular book seems like it has a target audience of me.

Nerves of Steel

A scene from Whitmore Park (The Epic Story of My Life Part 4)

People often ask me if I get nervous before a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, to which I reply, "ME? NERVOUS?!" and then I proceed to eat my own tongue.

I'm joking, it's really not the bad. In fact, by the time I premiere a film I've spent so much time sweating over every detail that part of me doesn't even care how it goes over, I'm just glad it's finished.

The most nerve wracking thing for me at a screening is the technical part. This is particularly a factor at a screening of several short films, because there could be many different screening formats in one program of films and this always increases the chances of something going wrong. At TIFF there's digi-beta tapes, HD Cam tapes, and 35mm film in two flavours: flat and 'scope. There's also different sound formats in 35mm as well. I decided to go Dolby Digital this year because that seems to be the most common audio format and therefore the most trouble-free. For anyone interested in the nuances of 35mm optical sound tracks, see my older post about that.

One of the things I like about making films is the ability to control all the possible details. I'm responsible for every frame of my short movie, it's like I 'approve' every single one of them. So my greatest fear is that one, or several of my precious frames will somehow not see the light of day. TIFF has an excellent projection record and a policy that the film will be started over if something terrible happens, but of course you want it to work right the first time so that everyone can just experience the film.

I find it amazing how something as simple as volume can make a big difference at a screening. One notch too low and the audience might be straining to hear. One notch too loud and they're uncomfortable, wondering if they should cover their ears or go tell someone to turn it down. As a filmmaker you can feel when it's not right and you can tell if the audience is uncomfortable. I've often thought someone should study audience response under different screening conditions just to see how much effect projection can have on the perception of any given film.

I think quality control is going to be a huge factor in the ongoing battle between cinemas and home viewing. George Lucas, bless his geeky heart, had the right idea when he created the THX standard for theatres. His notion was to finally establish some kind of visual and sound standard that cinemas would stick to. The problem was that cinemas had to pay a big wad of cash for the THX privilege, and when money gets tight that stuff goes out the window. With the advent of Blu-Ray—which is unbelievably sharp and clear—people might soon be wondering why they're paying big bucks to watch a large, but possibly blurry picture at their local cinema, when their HD screen at home is razor sharp.

One of the great things about TIFF and other big festivals is the promise of a great cinema experience. The film prints are usually fantastic, often struck from the original negative. The projection has been sweated over by TIFF tech crews and is the best possible. Like I said a couple of posts ago, it's like once a year films are given the respect they deserve.

Hopefully this post has not angered the mighty projection gods, and they will show me mercy at my upcoming world premiere. Look for my film in Short Cuts Canada program 4, at the times below.



cross posted at TIFF08.ca

TIFF08 DAY FOUR: INSTRUCTIONS

My Favourite Moment of TIFF08

I should just pack up and go home because nothing will top the TIFF moment I had at about 6:45pm on Day 2 of the 2008 festival.

But before I get to that, I want to talk about theatres. All of my movie memories are inextricably linked to the cinemas I saw them in. Name any movie going back to 1970, and if I saw it in a cinema I'll be able to name which one. This actually becomes more difficult with recent films because the cinemas are not as singular and distinct as they once were.

With screenings at incredible venues like The Elgin, TIFF allows us all to travel back in time to the era of the grand cinema. For ten days in September movies are given the respect they deserve, and are treated to an evening out in a grand setting with a large audience.

I have been to The Elgin many times, but Day 2 of TIFF08 was my first time inside the Winter Garden Theatre. The Winter Garden is actually stacked on top of The Elgin, an amazing construction dating back to 1913. They are the only Edwardian stacked theatres remaining in the world and they are a sight to behold. Here's a link if you want to know more.

I was in the Winter Garden yesterday to see the world premiere of C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure, by Philippe Falardeau. I sat in the balcony which is always my first choice for a classic theatre because, hey, it's got a balcony! It also allows you to get up close to the ceiling, which in this case is a hanging garden. I've never seen anything like it.

Self portrait, balcony, Winter Garden Theatre.

Inside the Winter Garden

My favourite moment of TIFF08 is coming up. C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure is absolutely wonderful. There's an amazing score by Patrick Watson, fantastic cinematography by Andre Turpin and amazing performances by the entire cast. There is also a very special lead performance by Antoine L'Écuyer as ten year-old Leon. Like the Winter Garden Theatre, I've never seen anything like it.

Here's the moment: after the film Antoine wandered out on stage and was treated to a well-deserved standing ovation. No matter where the rest of his life may take him, I'm sure this will remain as a very special moment for young Antoine, and it was a thrill to be a part of it.

And that, is my favourite moment of TIFF08.


The sun sets on day two of TIFF08

The Good Life

No, the great life. After all, Lake Ontario is not just a good lake, it's a great lake.

One of the great things about going to TIFF as a guest is that it's a wonderful way to experience Toronto. When you live here—as I did for nine years—the days can filled with long commutes, high rents and the general rat race. This is the fantasy Toronto, the one filled with movie stars, free food, free drinks, dawn til dusk screenings of new films, and 29th floor views of Lake Ontario.

On tap for me on Day 2 of TIFF 08 is an afternoon screening of C'est Pas Moi, Je le Jure, the new feature film from Quebec filmmaker Philippe Falardeau.

Day 2 dawns at TIFF08

All Me, All the Time

Check out me in conversation with Toronto International Film Festival programmer, Alex Rogalski. Brian Stockton and a place called Saskatchewan