What's going on What's going..

Onnnnn.....TIFF 2024 and Other news!

Well Hi! Remember me? Yeah, it's only been a few months since my last post! But listen, I have like 8 drafts in my folder! I started writing many posts about a vast array of topics. But guess what!? I'm still not ready to share my deeper opinions and thoughts. Writing is just too personal sometimes. So instead I'm going to tell you about what I've been doing lately!

This year has been an exciting one! I recently attended 5 glorious days at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), my second year going with a discounted industry pass (thanks to WIFT). So there I was strutting down the streets with my purple lanyard, hiding my name, and pretending I'm IMPORTANT.

I watched 11 films and didn't dislike a single one (shocking really, I've been going 10 years and never had such a streak!) But my favorite part of TIFF are the conference sessions. Where else can you hear very educated and often famous people talking in real life, only to wrap it up with audience questions where you will surely rethink the adage that 'there are no bad questions.'

My particular highlight was seeing the hilarious Steven Moffat (one of the creator's of BBC's Sherlock) *Not a Cumberbitch* and not just because in the Q&A period an actor asked a very wordy and esoteric question and Steven replied with "I think someone has confused the process for you." People laughed, but it almost felt mean to laugh. Like laughing at The Office (US version). Bullies. But in all seriousness, I did learn a lot at the conferences. I especially value the Sloan Science and Technology pitch. This is an invaluable event that gives a glimpse into a process often shrouded in secrecy. If you aren't in the know, essentially a panel of industry people listen to 4 fifteen minute pitches then give live feedback. This is very educational. Personally I felt 2023 had a stronger session all around, but this year felt a little less intimidating. Not every pitcher had gone to Stanford or Columbia, sheesh. Either way, I applaud anyone who can get on stage and pitch in front of hundreds of people. (Oh but one time I sang in front of 400 people and I forgot half my lyrics!)

I attended many conference sessions but, unlike last year, I couldn't actually get into a lot of them. How can you have 5000 delegates and only fit 32 people in a room? Hey TIFF? Any that weren't in the bigger studio were impossible to get into, so I missed a lot I wanted to see. But because I couldn't get into one like 'Meet the Streamers' (Who wouldn't want to!) I went to one about making production more eco-friendly. This Q&A period was very exciting and angry fingers were pointed! Everything's a circus these days. Yay! I'm actually quite environmentally conscious and it's encouraging that some people are attempting to move our industry in a more world-friendly direction.

Anyway, TIFF reminds me that filmmaking is a business and there are people that get to make a living watching or making movies and it's not all rainbows and butterflies. (Lies, of course they want us to believe that.)* It's inspiring and encouraging, and I love it!

*In case you are a literal person or my outrageous writing voice is not coming through, this is a joke, please don't leave angry comments.

Speaking of the film business, guess who's about to sign another contract in the film industry? YES, ME! And guess who INCORPORATED? YES! I don't want to say too much until the contract is fully signed, but let's just say a mockumentary digital series I pitched is about to get a wee bit of funding which means I'M MAKING A LONGER THING! Someone liked my idea enough to give me money for it! Wow. I mean, I totally believe I have good ideas, but it's nice when other people think you do too. Is it enough money to make what we want? Not really! But as Rage Against the Machine once said 'it has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime...'*

*see what I did there? TWO political song references in one super non-political post.

Oh and this contract also led me to apply (for the first time ever) to an Ontario Creates fund. I happened to be on holiday the week is was due, so I spent most of my holiday working on that application (although it was in a chair beside a pool so...). Submitting that application was one of the greatest feelings of relief I've ever had. I was quite literally uploading documents till the very last second because my internet died and I had to reupload it all! Oh the stress. But it's done, it's out of my hands, and the journey continues! Yay attempting to make a show for less money than it should be made for! Woo, indie filmmaking.

Anyway, that's my update. Does it make sense? I don't know! STOP MAKING SENSE is a great movie, so I'm not going to worry about making sense on my own blog. I have to make sense in all my other writing, surely in this space I can do what I WANT. Afterall, I don't want the AI bots trawling this page to learn about how to write brilliantly, as this post most certainly was.

OK. Goodbye. STOP MAKING SENSE!

-J

*This post was kindly sponsored by caffeine and extreme sleep deprivation