Somerset News: September 2012

SOMERSET NEWS: SEPTEMBER 2012

The Huntsville Film North International Film Festival came to a close on September 22, and I was honoured to be in attendance on the closing day to present our short film "Missing".  For those of you who have been fortunate enough to attend the festival in the past, or even this year, it really is a well-organized and artist friendly event.

We were there for the first annual event in 2010, and were fortunate to take home the antler (the trophy bestowed upon winners) for our short film "The Lake" at that time.  This year, "Missing" did not afford us a repeat victory, but I was thrilled to see the award go to Lewis Hodgson for his film "Morning Zombies" - a film that featured cinematography by Patrick Gilbert, and a starring turn by none other than Kevin Hoffman as the lead zombie (both of whom contributed to "Missing" as well).  Congratulations again to all involved!

The Film North festival is one of my favorite to attend.  The organizers are extremely accommodating and hospitable, and it truly does provide an excellent opportunity to meet and engage with other film makers, both the professional and established, and the similarly situated up and comers.

The post-screening Q&A session featuring (from left to right):

Myself, Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Sheila McCarthy,

17-year-old Director Ben Brook, and Ken Cunningham.

Following our screening, was a Q&A session with the attending film makers, 17-year-old Ben Brook, with "Ostrichsized", and animator Ken Cunningham, with "Zen and the Art of Distraction" (Jim Calarco's "One Wish" also screened, but unfortunately he had to miss the Q&A).  Also in attendance was Lifetime Achievement Award Winner (and incredibly accomplished Canadian performer) Sheila McCarthy, whose outstanding breakthrough performance in "I've Heard The Mermaids Singing" screened during our showcase.  It's always nice to feel like part of the film community (even though I referred to myself as a "hobbyist" during the testimonial video I shot).

I am a film maker, and while I might have a hard time admitting it every now and then, it is something that I am most definitely proud of: when our first film won a cinematography award against an Imax movie; when we won our first International award; and every time our work is accepted and acknowledged by people of discriminating taste - every one of those moments justifies my hobby and makes it worth the crazy amounts of effort that we put in to each production.

So with all the excitement, positive feedback, and networking of the Film North festival, what could possibly be next?

Planning in progress for the weekend shoot.

Up next on the agenda, is a new shoot this weekend on a project called "How To Save A Life".  I wanted to shoot this about a year ago, but I am glad that plans fell through (and then again in the Spring, and the Summer) because we are back to the right time of year for this particular piece.

It's going to be an ambitious shoot, and a quick one with any luck, but I have been thinking about it all week and it is shaping into a solid piece - if the weather holds out.

I'll have an update ready sometime next week.

Festival Bound with "Missing"

The One-Sheet for "Missing"

I am excited to announce that our latest short film "Missing" has been selected as an official entry at the 2012 Film North International Film Festival in Huntsville, Ontario.  This is the third year for the festival, and we were selected out of over 100 submissions as one of 42 films that will be screened over the three festival that will take place September 20 to 22, 2012.

Back in 2010, we were fortunate to be a part of the innagural festival, where "The Lake" won the award for Best International Short.  I had some family and friends there when I presented the movie and Patrick Gilbert joined me later in the day for the awards ceremony and after-party.  It really is an amazing, festival and after the great time and the great hospitality we received at the 2010 festival, I am really looking forward to being back in Huntsville, and a part of Film North's truly unique celebration of cinema.

Film making is a laborious process, one filled with commitment and passion, but it is an awarding one as well.  For me, the true joy of film making is the ability to share my storiies in a unique fashion with a broader audience.  Being in a darkened theatre and seeing our work on a big screen, with an audience full of people, is a truly rewarding experience.  I have yet to see "Missing" with an audience, but I have seen "The Lake" at festivals in North Bay, Sudbury, and Huntsville.  Seeing the reactions of the audience as the story unfolds is an electrifying experience, especially when you are able to see how complete strangers react to our work.  It is one thing to see family and friends react but let's face it, for better or for worse they tend to be a little biased.

 Accepting the Best International Short Award in 2010.

One of the great things about this year's festival, is that there will be an impressive amount of North Bay talent represented.  I will be there to represent "Missing" of course, but there are also a pair of other films in the competition with North Bay connections, both of which Kevin Hoffman worked on:  Jim Calarco's "One Wish", and Lewis Hodgson's "Morning Zomibies" (which Patrick Gilbert also worked on). 

It's going to be a great time for sure, and it is nice knowing that there will be three very different, unique and dinstinct films screening at the festival that will showcase the amazing amount of talent that Northern Ontario, and North Bay in particular have to offer.

I love the festival expereience.  The opportunity that a festival like Film North presents, especially the ability to discuss the process of telling stories on film, is truly unique.

I am a huge lover of cinema, and as much as it has always been a dream of mine to be a bigger part of the industry, it is a great feeling knowing that festival juries approve enough of my work to present my projects to a wider audience.  It is also cool having my own quiet little corner on IMDB (the Internet Movie Database) where I have credits as an Actor, Producer, Director, and most importantly, a Writer.

I look forward to the day where I have the resources and finances to do this full time, and to be a fixture on the global film festival circuit, but for now, I am thrilled that my work will once again be presented to an audience of unknowns.  And with any luck, a few friends, family, and supporters.  I hope to see you all there.

The festival runs from September 20 to 22, 2012.  No official screening dates are available at the moment, but when they are, I will let you know...

Thanks again for all the support! 

Writers' Block Turns Into Film

The opening scene of About The Girl, shot in late September

at the mouth of Duchesnay Creek.

Writers' Block Turns Into Film

DAWN CLARKE
Community Voices
North Bay Nugget


Mike Humble turned writers' block into an award-winning screenplay ... About The Girl.

He admits he was writing a novel when he came to a gap in the story.

He put the novel on hold and turned his attention to a writing the screenplay, a first film for Somerset Productions.

"I've since finished the novel, but I thought making a film would be different," he said. "It was different; it was a whole different challenge. I thought having others involved would give me accountability to finish it."

So he turned to his friend Patrick Gilbert.

Mike and Patrick started Somerset Productions about eight years ago when they were working on a comic book.

"It didn't go anyhwere, but we have a single copy of a cool comic book, which is kind of fun to have."

Mike admits About The Girl was initially an exercise to see if they could make a film.

The duo brought in their friend Kevin Hoffman and recruited a lot of other friends to do sound, acting, and background. But still, there were problems and the crew quickly experienced its first excercise in creative problem solving.

They had been filming under a bridge on Main Street West.  the weather was bad and the wind continued to blow all day.

It wasn't until they started looking at the footage that they realized that the microphone cord had banged against a post for the duration of the shoot.

Patrick Gilbert, Ed Regan, and Kevin Hoffman prepare to film

a scene at the parking garage in downtown North Bay.

"We re-recorded all the audio inside and synced the actual script to what we were doing on screen and then built in actual layers of ambient noise like cars passing by, busses in the distance, and a little bit of rain," Mike said. "It was the first big challenge we had to overcome."

Because most of the cast and crew had day jobs and families, scheduling became an issue.

Filming started in September when the trees were green, but by the time it was finished the trees were bare and three inches of snow fell the night before the final day of shooting.

the entire length of King's Wharf had to be shovelled so the scene could be shot.

"It was a testament to our commitment to get our scene," said Mike.

There was one more step before About The Girl would be ready.  Mike sent it to a friend in New Liskeard.

"He wrote the music for it and it made the world of difference," he said. "You tend to think of film as a visual media, but you realize very quickly sound is just as important as what is on the screen."

Everyone was excited about the final product and they realized it was much different than they had anticipated. They decided to tak a chance and submit it to film festivals.

"We won best cinematography at the Northern Ontario Film and Music Awards," he said. "we were up against an Imax film about the Great Lakes and the rest were all heavily granted with government and BRAVO money.  It inspired us to keep working at it."

That was just the beginning for Somerset Productions. The follow up film was The Lake, which proved to be a bit more ambitious than its predecessor.

"We had a whole scene set in the 50s which presented a series of unique challenges," said Mike. "We went to Canadian tire on a Tuesday and recruited some of the vintage cars and we rented a few vintage bathing suits from a costume house in Toronto."

Bob Clout agreed to be aprt of the movie, and Mike admits he had the local veteran actor in mind when he wrote the script.

The crew set up a shot on the last day of shooting About The

Girl. From left, Kevin Hoffman, Ed Regan, Jeremy Cormier,

Mike Howard, and Michael Humble

"Kevin approached him with the script and he liked it," said Mike. "This put pressure on us. We had actual talent. With the first productio, we would rehearse the day before, or when we were setting up."

This was not the case with Bob who insisted on several weeks of rehearsal.

"The Lake is a simple story that I wrote in high school," said Mike. "It is based on a pretty naieve adolescent view on lov. I had to change quite a bit of it. Hence the difference between a story that works in print and one that works on screen."

Again, everyone was proud of the finished product and again it won the best cinematography award in Sudbury and the best international short at the Film North International Film Festival in Huntsville.

Next came the movie Missing and Mike, who wrote, produced, directed, and acted in it, said they surprised themselves.

"Pat did most of the shooting and used different angles and editing techniques," he said.  "Kevin edited and made some interesting choices as far as the music was concerned. It was a collaboration between the three of us."

Right now, Mike is developing a mockumentary, which he explained is a documentary with some not-so-real elements.

It's about a sasquatch creature that lives in the wilderness around Cobalt that he heard about when he worked as a journalist for the Temiskaming Speaker.

"I thought it would make a great film about friends going in search of Old Yellow Top," he said. "I have a passion for storytelling and when I first heard the story I was pretty sure it was just some of the locals pulling my leg as the new guy in town. But I was surprised when I actually found news stories about it."

While Mike hopes that Somerset Productions will be able to continue making movies, he admits they first have to figure out how to make it economically possible.

"It would be awesome to achieve some sort of sustainability."

Story-A-Day #315: How ' Bout Lunch?

HOW 'BOUT LUNCH?

He sat alone at a table for four, surrounded by noisy, smoking French women.  Their husky voices swirled and melded into a cacophonous symphony of guttural barks and bleats, a barnyard of confusing conversation.  Aimlessly, he picked up his fork with his left hand and sketched out anonymous forms on the cottony white surface of his napkin as he watched a soft, white cloud drift across the cerulean blue sky outside.

It was a beautiful day, that perfect beautiful day that only ever seems to happen during the first couple weeks of summer.  The air was warm and clear, yet invigorating.  The leaves in the trees were slowly unfurling and darkening, from the fresh, light green of Spring into the richer hues of summer.  The sun shone brightly in the sky above, beaming down upon all creation.

“That looks nice,” he whispered to himself.

A woman sitting at a nearby table turned and peered inquisitively at him.  He smiled crookedly at her and she quickly looked away.

"Good-bye," he breathed.

The door of the restaurant opened with the merry jingling of bells and, with a deep, expectant breath, he turned towards it.  There she was, standing there in the doorway, glowing in the backlight of the mid-afternoon sun – an ethereal beauty.  She quickly scanned the room before stepping into the smoky room and walking purposefully across to the table where he sat.  All the men in the restaurant watched her with desire.  All the women watched her with envy.  Sitting at the small table for four, he watched her with love.  She sat down across from him and smiled, a warm and innocent smile.

"You have a gorgeous smile," he informed her.  "It makes me happy."

"Thank you," she replied.  "That is a very nice thing for you to say."  Her smile widened, igniting the twinkle in her eyes.  They were the same colour as the summer skies outside, only cooler, deeper and richer.

A busy waitress bustled over, scrawled their orders onto a tattered notepad and disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.

He gazed longingly across the table at his companion; she was beautiful, perhaps even beauty defined.  She was the stuff of epic poems and angst-ridden ballads.  She was inspiration and inspired, the very definition of what the world should be.  With every effortless smile, her eyes twinkled like summer stars.  She was slim (though she'd hate to be told so) and she had the uncanny ability to put everyone around her at ease.  Even the people who did not know her best immediately felt soothed and comforted in her presence.  She had a boyfriend but that didn't matter.  Friends could love couldn't they?

The waitress returned and delivered their food; typical fast food that they ate around mouthfuls of profound conversation.  The food was greasy, but to them it was divine, a feast of the finest flavours and most sublime textures that no master-chef could hope to usurp it.  They ate slowly, a subconscious attempt to prolong their time together.  Fries saturated with oil and big, juicy burgers; bite by bite it disappeared.

Like all things, however, their meal was not destined to last forever.  The waitress ran over as soon as they were done and delivered the bill.  A busboy trailed in her wake and was quick to clear away their dishes.

Rushed, he thought.  They want us out of here.

He peered across the table at her, suddenly feeling the weight of awkward uncertainty looming over him.  Oblivious to the shadow, she peered back at him and smiled.  There was a degree of finality in the glance that passed between them, a quiver in the faint static current.  There was something that he wanted to tell her.  He’d be meaning to for longer than he cared to admit but there always seemed to be a reason not to.  Today was different though.  Today he was going to tell her how he felt.

“You know,” he began, “you look really real today.”

“Thank you,” she replied.  “So do you.”

“That’s not actually what I wanted to say,” he stammered.

“It isn’t?”  She sounded sincerely confused, as though what he had said made perfect sense to her.

“I, uh, I guess what I meant to say,” he was fumbling, trying to find the right words.  He looked at the floor, hoping to somehow find them down there, scattered about his feet.  “I find this... hard to say, but I guess I should just say it.  I love you.  I always have and I always will.  And I know you already knew this but I just wanted to say it.  To make it real.”

He looked up to see her reaction.

He looked up and she was gone.

She had disappeared in a moment that lasted no longer than the blink of an eye, the shooting of a star, the beat of a lover's heart.  His dream had faded in a swirl of mystery.

He looked up and found himself alone.

EDITORIAL NOTE:  This story inspired our latest short, now titled:  MISSING.  More to follow on that shortly.