-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
I am not sure there was a ‘greatest difficulty’. The challenges we had included making sure my home (our set) was ready for the 1 Day shoot. Clearing the living space to prep for the film. Then challenges with post production had us re-do the VFX we wanted during pre production to make something else work. Sound was a bit of an issue as foley done was not quite done the best way possible.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political
correctness?
I think life around the world has been damaged by political correctness. We have gone from one extreme to another. We worry about saying or doing the right thing that we have lost sight of what is the right thing. We are more focused on doing rather than being… like being kind, being respectful, being grateful, being helpful. At the same time if we do not focus on being politically correct (or put another way – respectful of all sex, race, creed, colour, heritage, culture, etc.), there is the chance we stay with our stigmatisms of hate, prejudices, phobias, etc.
I heard Viola Davis talk about how she has done some amazing things – that even top Meryl Streep… yet Viola does not get paid the money Meryl when she does a movie. Why is that? I am the old white guy – and according to my daughter my archetype (old white men) is the cause of the problems we have today … so I am not allowed to say anything. But here is what I know. The world owes each of us nothing. We need to work for it. Each of us need to go after what we want. We cannot control other people only ourselves. So we should consider letting people do them – while we do ourselves.
Specifically to the film industry, movies derive from experiences people have in life AND life experiences come about from things like we see in movies.
There should not be political correctness… this art. It is very subjective. We all don’t like the same things. And that is ok. Keep creating and sharing your stories is what I say. It will make a difference to somebody and hopefully get them to be their best.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
Greatest source for me is my son. I went to film school at the age of 57 in 2021. My son was working at Toronto Film School after he had graduated from Video Game programming in 2019. There I met my business partners and we created MARKD Productions. This came after my son had left TFS and
decided to get a degree in comp science. He went to Lakehead Univ and did what he did in college. He was top of his class. He got 2 part time jobs. The only difference was he burnt the candle at both ends. On Nov 6 2021, he had a car accident and passed away.
My heart was crushed – but somehow he became my driving force in this industry. The Package was the first production outside of school that we all did. It is a short silent film. It was made to remind us to be careful what you wish for.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would
you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
I am a real newbie in filmmaking and the names I know of are still alive… Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan. They are the most important to me right now. AND my questions are really simple – What would it take for them to consider co-directing or consulting with me on a feature
musical that I have written with the music of a well know 70s band? What would they do if they were starting out as a director in film today (and at the age of 60)?
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
The first time I became aware of Wild Filmmaker was in 2022. My team and I attended TIFF and had the privilege to help provide a story about what was happening. I think the platform continues to grow and gain notoriety. I like seeing how it shines the light on those striving to do good in this industry. I am grateful to have been acknowledged and considered to share my thoughts and insights that I have learned and been exposed to.
