The film tells the story of Brandon & Nathan. Two friends playing a round of golf terribly. While Brandon does his best to distract his friend, every thought Nathan has rests on a looming phone call. A call that will reveal whether or not he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The film stars John Steptoe, Michael Clarke & Alyssa LaPlume. It was written and directed by Jason McKinnon and produced by Eric Gamache.
I had an absolute blast making Playing Through. It was the first film I directed with a professional crew and it was also the first film I edited using Final Cut Pro. Software I purchased along with a sweet new iMac in order to complete the film. I’m extremely proud of the work our cast in crew poured into the short. I also have to thank Clear Springs Golf course in North Bay, Ontario for allowing us to make this film on their course. It was a gorgeous week I’ll never forget. I’m extremely happy it didn’t rain!
Hope you enjoy the film! Pass it along.
There is still one more giant announcement to come regarding this movie in 2012 so stay tuned.
While 17 West Productions didn’t produce any new films in 2011, it was still a busy year. I have a several big announcements to make:
17WEST.CA Relaunch!
The last time I updated 17 West site, it was purely to upgrade the look and integrate The Athletic Nerd a little more. I’ve been blogging online for over 2 years now and I’ve learned a lot about search engines and what it takes to attract an audience. Now it’s time to put that knowledge to good use.
A whole new look has arrived but this time it’s a fully functional WordPress powered site.
A NEW SHORT FILM RELEASED!
The new site just happens to coincide with the release of The Climb. Our new short film which will be up VERY SOON!
On a sad note, Strings has officially been cancelled. The film was in pre-production for over a year but after a couple hitches we’ve decided to move forward with some new ideas. 17 West Productions is now actively developing our next project which will be directed by Eric Gamache. There aren’t any timelines yet but updates will come fast both here and on the new 17west.ca.
I was busy putting the finishing touches on a new short film called The Climb and I realized that space was running low on my main hard drive. So I turned my attention to the original files for my last short film Playing Through.
Almost 4 years ago to the day, we decided to make the golfing drama about a cancer scare and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had so much fun working on that movie. Everything was equal parts excitement and sheer terror. Just about every task I tackled was something I had never attempted before including working with a professional crew for the first time.
When it came time to edit the film, I went out and got myself a sweet iMac with a brand new copy of Final Cut Pro Studio 2. I’m sure any editor out there remembers the day they got their first real ‘setup’. Until that point, I always worked with an ancient version of Premiere Pro left over from my college days.
LEARNING THE ROPES
By the time I started editing Playing Through, I had begun my career as a professional television editor. It was a blast to balance cutting fast paced pieces at work with the slower style of a short narrative. Not too mention at that point, my Final Cut knowledge wasn’t all that extensive.
Every day I would wake up and edit the film for 3-4 hours and then head off to work to edit sports for 8-10 hours. Anyone in a creative medium thrives on projects they look forward to working on. I look back at that time fondly because it solidified my love of editing.
OLD ‘DUSTY’ FILES
Most editors are perfectionists. You have to be. I add my own unique blend of anxiety to my quest for perfection. So I have every file associated with Playing Through backed up on 2 separate hard drives stored in separate areas of my house.
That’s why it was finally ‘time’ to delete all traces of the film from my computer. Of course, I had to load up that finalized timeline one last time and watch the movie again. I scrolled through a lot of unused footage and laughed at the outtakes and moments I had long since forgotten. Going back and watching the raw footage again reminded me of how much I love to make movies and what Playing Through meant to me.
Then I selected the main directories and hit delete. Officially closing the bin on that chapter of my life. In a certain way, it symbolized a step forward as well. I created space for new projects and endless possibilities.
-Playing Through would NOT have happened without my producer and business partner Eric Gamache. Check out his website here and stop by his IMDB page as well.
-Murray Fleming and Danny Sustar, our brilliant sound team. These two talented artists turned a stereo recording into a stunning 5.1 mix I never dreamed was possible. I’ll never be able to fully explain how much effort they put into each and every detail. Murray is also a fantastic musician and has produced a ton of award winning songs for both television and film. You can check out his website here.
-Reuel Meditz created incredible music for the film and delivered beyond what I envisioned for Playing Through’s score. He is an accomplished pianist with multiple albums. Check out all the details here.
NOTE: The music in the trailer is called ‘Reign’ and was produced by Kevin MacLoed. He runs a phenomenal site that provides free music called Incompetech.
-Since Playing Through was my first ‘big’ short film, I really relied on Darrell Faria, my 1st A.D. His ability to run a film set was remarkable to watch. I learned a ton watching him.
-Rose Lagace, our production designer runs an in depth blog about all things Art Department called Art DepartMENTAL. She also writes reviews in addition to providing exclusive interviews and extensive coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival.
-Our amazing make up artist Alex Rotundo has a great site showcasing her work. She came on board The Climb as well and did some amazing work on our lead’s tattoo designs. Check it out here.
-Of course we wouldn’t have a movie without the awesome folks over at Clear Springs Golf Course just outside of North Bay, Ontario. It’s a gorgeous course.
Our entire crew was incredible! I wish they all had sites because I’d feature them all. I had a blast making Playing Through and I have our awesome cast & crew to thank for that..
Recently, Playing Through was accepted into the NSI Online Short Film Festival and we just got word that our film was given an honorable mention for the A&E Short Filmmakers Award!
I’d like to congratulate ‘Remote‘ directed by Marc Roussel for winning the award and I’d also like to congratulate Hugh John Murray for getting an honorable mention as well for his film ‘Desiderata‘. It was the first time there were two honorable mentions.
The NSI Online Short Film Festival is a fantastic collection of Canadian films and we were thrilled to be a part of it. Here are some of the nice things the jury said about Playing Through.
“Solid storytelling by the filmmaker and great chemistry between the actors combined to make a touching and heartfelt film.” Juan Riedinger
“This simple golf afternoon is intelligently layered with complex emotion. I respected its patience and its humble approach in unraveling private anxieties within one simple setting. All elements were nicely in sync in this story – photography, editing, performance, direction, and script. It is a lovely character piece about friendship that is respectful of its medium.” Anneli Ekborn
“This unabashedly sweet and unique portrayal of male relationships captures a moment of reflection on what matters most.” Danis Goulet
