Mike Browne = Busy Bee

Some people may be wondering (or not) the reasons I’m posting far less on my blog since I stopped working at my old gig. I think it’s because I’m far busier now than I ever have been. Making movies happen, a.k.a. producing, as I’m finding out, is no small task. However stressful and sometimes frustrating I am having a ton of fun doing it. I’m learning lots and meeting oodles of creative folks in the meantime who I have a lot in common with, namely a love of film and the biz.

Here’s how things have been going lately:

I’m networking like mad and sending out resumes for work in the film industry to help me pay the bills while working on my own projects.

I’ve joined the IFA, the Independent Filmmakers Alliance of Canada, an organization founded by Andrew van Slee of, among other things, Extraordinary Films. The IFA is “dedicated to encouraging indigenous filmmaking in Canada”. The organization is headquartered out of Lions Gate Studios just ten minutes from here on the North Shore. I recently attended the seminar on “making a feature film for $50,000” and came away with renewed hope of things happening sooner rather than later. Van Slee, who lives in LA but travels back and forth to BC regularly, seems a rarity here in Vancouver as a very organized individual and producer with a track record who is willing to assist up and comers like myself. Just walking on to the Lions Gate lot gave me quite a boost, but it was after hearing Andrew speak I truly felt inspired.

Starting tomorrow I am working as TAD or Trainee Assistant Director (yes, a paid gig and DGC I presume if I’m to be a TAD) a few days on an MoW, movie of the week, called Fire Mountain. It chornicles, documentary style the Mount St Helens eruption of 1980. And before you ask, yes, the old man, Harry Truman, who refused to leave is in the film. Although its a few positions below what I’ve already done It’s a step in the right direction for a number of reasons namely its paid, and I will get days toward possible union membership. Also, as I was offered 3rd AD and turned it down as I would be offset and would prefer to see how the film is shot as the style is one I’m hoping will work for my first film. I got the call to work from John Penhall, the 1st AD from Daingerfield, and am happy to work with him again. What will I be doing?

TRAINEE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (TAD): A candidate who has entered the Assistant Director Department to be trained as an Assistant Director. The work functions of a TAD shall be assigned to him/her and performed under the immediate coordination, direction, and supervision of the 1AD. – DGC TAD job description. So I’ll be working directly with John again.

Just today alone I’ve written a to-do list for the day and am crossing things off as I go. Here’s what I have completed of the list:

• I watched and wrote analysis of a film similar to the one I am going to shoot (I don’t want to give too much away just yet)
• I am rewatching the first disk in HFI‘s DVD Filmschool. Dov rules!
• I watched the full footage of the hoaxy alien autopsy video for research
• Finishing the reading of the Fire Mountain script in prep for tomorrow’s shoot
• Researching funding options through HRDC for self-employment programs. UGH!
• Tweaking the tagline and synopsis of my feature, Zone 63
• Filling out copyright forms, and sending tagline and synopsis, with a money order (that means going to the bank and post office), to the department of congress in the US

As you can see I’m too busy to heavily blog, but I’ll keep y’all in the loop and blog as often as I can.