By Julia Taleb
Independent filmmakers and movie fans gathered for great film and popcorn at the Arts Court for the monthly Super 8 Club movie night.
The Super 8 Club was established in 2005 as part of the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa (IFCO). It gives Super 8 filmmakers, both novice and veteran, the opportunity to screen their films on the big screen before an audience, said Roger Wilson, the technical director for IFCO. It is a chance for filmmakers to discuss films and techniques they use, he added.
Super 8 is a motion picture film format that was developed in the 1960s. It was an improvement of the older 8mm home movie format.
Located in the Arts Court, IFCO is a non-profit, artist-run organization promoting independent filmmaking since 1991.
The organization is the only one to provide filmmakers in the Ottawa area with the facilities, training and funds required to make Super 8 films.
Patrice James, filmmaker and executive director of IFCO, said there would be a significant void for artists in Ottawa without the resources IFCO provides.
“IFCO provides a supportive environment for local artists to express themselves through the application of one of the greatest mediums, celluloid film,” she said. “Our members enjoy both learning about the film aesthetic, and creating films themselves.”
About 15 people with an interest in Super 8 film, both in viewing as well as learning about the film format, came to the club’s monthly meeting. The participants are usually filmmakers who also bring their friends and family, Wilson said.
The Super 8 Club screened six short films ranging from three to 10 minutes long. After each film, the members stopped to discuss the flickering sepia-and-white films, reminiscent of old home movies.
Computer programmer by day, filmmaker by night, Deniz Berkin has made about 20 films in the last two decades. His two-minute film, “Someone Is Watching Me,” was awarded the Best Experimental Film at the Reel Island Film Festival in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on 2004.
“I enjoy the whole process from beginning to end, from casting the actors and crew to drinking booze at the screenings,” Berkin said.
Berkin said the feedback at the meetings has helped him edit his films.
“When you spend so much time working on a film you tend to lose sight of whether certain elements work or not,” said Berkin.
As before every screening, Berkin said he was excited to show his uncompleted experimental horror and fiction film “Every Six Months…” and get critiques from the viewers.
After watching Berkin’s fictitious romance set during World War III, some viewers raised their hands to comment on the soundtrack, or their favourite shots.
Berkin was not the only filmmaker to show his film for public insight.
Sheila Mackinnon and Ainsley Walton are art conservators at the National Art Gallery who screened their first film.
“Cooking with Cronos and Rhea” at the meeting hoping for constructive criticism concerning both technical and conceptual issues, said Mackinnon.
Mackinnon said the feedback is a critical part of the creative and learning process.
“Input from people with different levels of skills and experience, as well as a diverse range of backgrounds, creative and non-creative, offer valuable insights to each other,” Mackinnon said.
The three-minute film is based on the Greek mythology of Rhea and Cronos, said Walton. It is a funny and odd film about a woman and a man baking cookies that look like babies and eating them.
Berkin said that Super 8 Club provides a supportive crowd and it is a place to show his films before presenting them to the public.
“At IFCO whether you are six or 66, everybody shares a passion for film and we all have that in common,” said Berkin.