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"Deep Focus" is Flickerings 2002 Highlight Seeking A Common Vision: To See Differently
The seminars were two-fold: an
introduction to independent film, both in content and technique, and a
discussion of what is involved in running a microcinema, such as the
Catacomb MicroCinema, founded by Bevan.
Some of those involved in the Improv Filmmaking sessions were also taking part in another new Flickerings activity, the "Shoot a Film @ Cornerstone!" contest. Imagine having to assemble for a film shoot all the pieces necessary to create the epic location that is Cornerstone! We're hoping to see several films next year by these adventuresome directors willing to capture, or even concoct, stories that have as their background the festival. (Click here for entry information and deadline.)
"The opportunity to connect and give and receive encouragement and constructive criticism was so valuable I cannot really emphasize it enough. I felt valued, appreciated, and encouraged while at the same time being brought to task for excesses that I really need to deal with to make the best movies I can make. The questions that make one pause and think were also extremely helpful. Why did I use that effect? Why did I use that camera angle, or that image, or that kind of editing???"Listening to people talk about their approach to making films, along with watching the films in this year's Showcase, was also helpful to those of us who play a more direct role in guiding the direction of Flickerings' evolution. In the weeks ahead, we'll be preparing some kind of new statement that we hope will serve to focus our efforts and define further the unique identity of this venue and the community of filmmakers gathering around it. We're also hoping to finally make good on the promise to put together some kind of online discussion forum. Let's keep the conversation going. 
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Much of what we learned from the debut Flickerings
program last year had to do with diversity of our audience, and the different
goals they have. Some people just wanted to watch the international and
independent films, though a significant number of these were eager to stick
around and discuss them afterward. Others were more excited about seeing the
short films in the Showcase. But a few of the attendees expressed a desire to
dig deeper than the many who mostly just like to watch movies: filmmakers
needed to be able to talk about technical issues, the more serious film
students wanted to learn about filmmaking by hanging out with filmmakers to
better appreciate films. For this segment of the crowd, we created in 2002
the new Deep Focus program. This program consisted of a seminar
series, an afternoon Improvisational Film Workshop, and a late-night
Filmmakers Only session.
The Deep Focus sessions were facilitated by Kevin Nikkel
and Bevan Klassen, two important voices in the original discussion that
resulted in the founding of this film festival two years ago. Both are
passionate about making and screening independent films in their home town of
Winnipeg, Ontario. In fact, the week after Cornerstone, Kevin was slated to
shoot his first 16mm short, after a series of Mini-DV films and a grant based
on these from a Canadian arts organization. A week later, Bevan was to shoot
his own Super 8 movie, his first venture into celluloid after his own series
of video shorts. Straight from the front lines, then, these two young
filmmakers brought a seriousness and hands-on credibility to our program,
offering compelling models for our audience of filmmakers and film buffs with
whom they shared their knowledge and experience during the course of our
seminar and workshop programs as well as informally.
The key thrust of the
discussion on independent film was simply the notion of "independent," as in
outside the conventional channels of production and audience expectation. One
of the most exciting things to see happening with Flickerings is the
engendering of an atmosphere of questioning the received wisdom on what a
film should look like or do and a sense of artistic accountability, spurring one
another to "think out of the box," and supporting efforts in that direction.
Meanwhile, the idea of bringing MicroCinemas into the discussion follows from
the obvious conclusion that encouraging the creation of short, independent films
makes sense only if you're also encouraging the creation of more venues which specialize
in screening them. (See the 
Those attending the Improv Filmmaking sessions were divided into small groups
which were each given the same short script as a basis for creating an a film.
The scenario was simple: the anatomy of a crime, a theft, at Cornerstone.
After some brainstorming, the teams were turned loose to create their films.
On Friday, they screened the results for one another. "We were really
surprised at the quality of the improv films," said Bevan. "These people had
to edit their stories in camera, and they did very well considering the
limitations. There were also some amazing variations in treatment of the
scenario we gave them. One group actually opened their film
with the crime taking place, and then later flashed back to the events
leading up to it."
Just like last year, some of the best moments of
Flickerings 2002 occurred in the informal settings, filmmaker to filmmaker,
and especially in our "formal" informal settting, the new "Filmmakers Only"
gathering held later in the evenings in the Speaker Hospitality Trailer. We
went into these sessions with only the vaguest notion of what they would
consist of: by the second night, we'd found our way, as filmmakers at
every level found common cause in talking shop, sharing tips, and screening
works-in-progress. Many of us present sensed both that peer discussion of
this sort fulfilled a significant need in our continued development as
filmmakers, and that our discussion at Flickerings was only beginning.
One of the filmmakers who participated wrote us after the fest: