The Lake - Watch It Now!

Hello again, I've mentioned it a few times now, but our most recent effort is one that we are all very proud of. The Lake was definitely a weird piece, beginning with the effort it took to figure out how to tell the story based on a concept, and continuing right through the successful portrayal of a mid'-50s aesthetic. It is a simple story told in a not-so-simple way and we really do thing that it succeeded nicely. Here is what we wrote about it on the National Screen Institute of Canada's website:

"The Lake started off as a simple concept: two different men from two different generations have a conversation on a bench near a lake. As the script developed, a unique challenge presented itself and we decided to attempt to successfully evoke a nostalgic fifties aesthetic through the use of flashbacks."

"With rented costumes, local automobile enthusiasts, and a few tricks of the camera we were able to create not only the fifties vibe, but also a more dynamic portrayal of the story. It added an extra layer to what began as a simple story of a cocky young man and a mysterious old stranger who might still be living in the past."

Again, we are very proud of our efforts. If you are in Canada, you can see the film here. Those of you who are out of the country will have to hold on a little longer - at least until our festival run is complete.

The Lake - Now Available for Your Viewing Pleasure

Coming Attraction: The Lake on NSI!

Hello again, I had mentioned in an earlier post that our latest project, The Lake, had been accepted into the National Screen Institute of Canada's Online Film Festival. We now have our very own section over there, under the "Coming Soon" banner and if you are interested, you can get a little sneak peek of what is to come. When I spoke with the festival coordinators, they told me that we should be featured in the festival in early February, around the 8th if I'm not mistaken. Our "Coming Soon" page can be found at the NSI website now though.

As an added bonus, once the film goes live, the link to watch it there will too so make sure you bookmark that space now. For any overseas, or beyond-the-borders-of-Canada viewers, I'm afraid the site is only open to Canadians.

We are working on some exciting developments behind the scenes right now though and we hope that these new developments will allow us to make some of our past projects available on a more global scale in the near future. We need to wait out some of these festival runs first though. These festivals work very hard to develop exciting programming and we want to ensure that we aren't stepping on the generous toes of those who select our work to feature in their festivals. Showing a film that can be seen on YouTube isn't exactly a red carpet affair (unless you happen to have red carpets where you do your YouTube surfing).

Anyway, bookmark that page and hopefully in early February, you will be able to see how our hard work paid off on this latest project...

Our hard work paying off
Sam Lafond and Patrick Gilbert

Welcome to Somerset...

Greetings Voracious Fandom,

Yes, like our embracing of film as a medium for creative expression, so too has it taken us a while to embrace the inherent virtues of blogdom. We may be slow to adapt, and slower still to figure out what it is we are doing, but we are here and we hope to maintain this presence for your sake (or at the very least our own amusement). You are our dedicated fandom (hi mum, hello dad) and it is the least we could do for you.

We've had a great run so far, from finishing a whole issue of The Gloaming (in full colour at that!) to our first handful of short films being produced shipped and somehow accepted to a handful of fairly prestigious festivals. Our first filmed effort About The Girl, managed to surpass its nerve-jangled origins to win a handful of nominations, recognitions and even a couple of awards. We were also approached by the producers of a program on a major Canadian broadcast network (cough, The Border, cough, cough) to feature our program in the background of theirs. Not bad for a first attempt.

Shooting The Lake...in the lake
Zachary Govis, Patrick Gilbert, Kevin Hoffman, and Sam Lafond

Our most recent project started out smaller and simpler than About The Girl, a down and dirty shoot that was meant to be over in day, or maybe two if the pull focus wasn't clicking. Of course, good intentions for a speedy shoot always end up in flashback scenes set in the '50s. Not so fast and dirty after all, but there is good news. After some behind-the-scenes reshuffling, we completed The Lake, and the end result is a rather beautiful testament to the enduring power of love - or was it an enduring testament to a crotchety old man (beautifully assayed by Mr. Bob Clout) and the aloof youth he torments for sport? Either way, we are all very proud of our efforts with The Lake and were thrilled when we were notified we had once again been accepted into the annual National Screen Institute of Canada Online Film Festival.

We should be featured in early February so make sure you check back. I'll post the link when it becomes official. Until then, thanks for tuning in, thanks for the support, and thanks for making sure to come back often for more scintillating insights from Somerset Productions! Up next: a brief behind-the-scenes history of our first production About The Girl. I know, it's exciting!