In my previous post, I highlighted a group of women active in the Montreal art and technology field. I enjoy sharing about people Bis Films has worked with and who are important to us. Writing that post, I realized how many more amazing women surround us but just didn’t fit into the narrow field of “art and technology.” That is why I want to take advantage of a recently released short video, Be Peace, featuring Jo Willers and Janie Pelletier, to share my experience in making the video.

Both Janie and Jo are in the final stages training as Moksha Yoga instructors. To complete their training, they have to propose 10 projects based on the Moksha values. For their final project, they decide to feature a video dimension. Here is the short version of our “experiment”: We chose various locations in downtown Montreal that would not necessarily be associated with meditation. Jo and Janie would perform a short meditation routine that I would capture by taking shots that would portray them in their environment. We left the process open to improvisation as we felt the unforeseen interactions between the two Js and their surrounding environment was rich with potential but could not be planned for.

Thus, we set out on a snowy Monday in December. A routine quickly developed. We would arrive at our location and choose where the 2 Js would meditate. Once my gear ready, the two of them would walk up to their perch, sit down, close their eyes, and go into a meditative state within the hustle bustle environment. With my camera, tripod, and Kessler Pocket Dolly, my goal was to find angles that emphasized the tension that reigned between the meditating girls and their frenetic setting. When finished, I would gently let the 2 Js know and they would finish their meditation with a final bow. We repeated this routine nearly a dozen times in locations that ranged from a foggy mountaintop (the Mont-Royal lookout) to a busy shopping street.

It was fascinating to see the range of reactions passersby would show with regards to the two meditators. Some walked by, trying to understand what the pair was up to. Others spotted the camera, then turned their head away or showboated for their friends. A handful actually stopped to look at Jo and Janie, either contemplating the scene or taking a smart phone snapshot. And then there were those who just walked by without noticing the unusual change in their environment. In the end, only a handful of the many reactions made it to the final edit.

As the filming advanced, I found myself harboring admiration for the endurance Jo and Janie displayed. The initial goal of the experiment was to challenge people by presenting them with an unusual situation to show that one could be at peace, regardless of their surroundings. Being at peace in a hectic environment could not be difficult for these two trained yoga instructors to achieve… or so we thought. As time passed, the cold started taking a toll on the 2 Js’ mind and body. It proved to be physically challenging for them to sit in a single position for extended periods of time. More so, it was mentally demanding to repeatedly shut out the aggressive surroundings (the cold, passersby, nearby cars, etc.) from their mind. At the end of the day, Jo described to me how she never knew if a passing car would splash her with slush. She wondered how she would have reacted? She never was splashed, but she made me realize how trying the repeated meditations must have been for the 2 Js, despite their apparent calm.

Something else pleasantly surprised me. I expected to take on the role of mere cameraman. Instead, I too became intricately involved in the meditation. Although my eyes were open and I was free to move around, unlike the 2 Js, I found myself dropping into a contemplative state in which only the steady movements of the camera remained. A feeling of peace descended upon me, unexpectedly.

I am proud of the work we did as well as the impact the video had on its viewers. Although this is true of most projects we work on, the process of making Be Peace left a distinct impression upon me; that calm can be found everywhere, especially when one is performing something he or she loves.

A last note, Be Peace was Jo’s and Janie’s final project, and it was accepted. They have officially completed their training and are now full fledged yoga instructors. Congratulations ladies!

Be Peace from Bis Films on Vimeo.

Today is International Women’s Day and we would like to celebrate it by giving a little shout-out to some of the women in our community who we think are doing remarkable work and who impress us on a regular basis. May their passion and hard work be a source of inspiration and pride to us all. Here are just a few:

- Sasha Endoh
Sasha is a freelance web designer and graphic artist extraordinaire. We first met her while looking for someone to help us develop websites. As we got to know her professionally and personally, we were blown away by her sheer energy and seemingly endless source of creativity. The passion she has for her craft has lead her to a host of side projects that impress us each more than the next. Follow the wealth of info she shares on Twitter and don’t forget to download her free monthly Desktop Wallpaper Calendar on her blog.

- Amanda Piedimonte
What doesn’t this girl do? A web strategist who has grown in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, she is presently working for Adviso, allowing for her web-oriented mind to blossom. Notably, she was a leading figure on such award winning initiatives as Le Devoir’s “Comparateur Politique” conceived for the 2012 provincial elections. We are confident her multitalented character will lead her towards ever greater endeavors. You can catch her on Twitter or in person, this Sunday, as she will be moderating a panel at Casa d’Italia Montreal on the contribution of women of divers origins to the development of society.

- Aude Leroux-Lévesque
One of the Bideshi Films duo, we met Aude during our university years at Concordia U. She eloquently combines her passion for storytelling and her sensitivity to social issues into the documentary film work she produces. We were really inspired when she came back from Bangladesh with a touching documentary about a transgendered outcast, Salma. Her work at L’Institut du nouveau monde allowed her to stay ahead of Quebec society’s ever complex social issues. She and her partner Sebastien Rist created a timely documentary analyzing the student movement in the spring of 2012 from a citizen’s perspective. We are always excited to get together for a coffee or beer as she fuels our creativity and inspires us to be better filmmakers.

- Meaghan Johnstone
It’s hard to talk about Aude without talking about Megan. Another beautiful person we met while in university, Megan has much in common with Aude in terms of interests. She embarked, however, on a different path, doing her master’s a UQAM. She is working on completing a full length documentary about Palestinian women living in refugee camps on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. Her passion for this project and the drive needed to complete it are things we appreciate and celebrate in this unique individual. We will definite keep you posted about her work.

- Katherine Macnaughton
When Meg and Aude are around, Katherine is not far away. The female element of the Bis Films team, Kat steadfastly guides our company and the projects we accomplish with a graceful balance of artistic flair and entrepreneurial spirit. I cannot express how honored and grateful I am to work with this strong personality. She is behind the beautiful cookbook recently published by The Foodie Collective raising funds for Santropol Roulant.

- Amy Blackmore
Acting as producer for the Montreal Fringe Festival, Amy is a symbol of strength, perseverance, and resourcefulness in the local artistic community. She has been dancing, choreographing, teaching, and producing for a solid decade and is nowhere near the end of her rope. You can follow her on Twitter.

Bis Films was recently contracted by Rickard’s Blonde to create three short cooking spots featuring local chef Jean-François Plante, owner of l’Aromate here in Montreal. These three recipes use the new Rickard’s Blonde beer as one of the ingredients. This project was over before we knew it, but our palates were tantalized by some of the food preparations we witnessed and feasted upon during the shoot.

My personal favorite was definitely the Fish ‘n Chips recipe (watch the above video). Using the beer in the batter and making his own tartar sauce with a little bit of Sambal Oelek hot sauce, Jean-François executed this classic dish to perfection. Crispy and spicy, I would eat this every night of the week if I could pretend I didn’t have a cholesterol problem.

You can watch the other videos on our Vimeo page.

It all started on a cold December night. A small group of friends gathered around a small kitchen table and attempted to wow each other with their favorite pasta recipe. Eight unique dishes were served, grades were allotted, a winner was proclaimed. Thus, The Foodie Collective was born.

The passing months have seen these friendly “throwdowns” get more sophisticated, greatly anticipated, and properly documented. A blog now describes the events, illustrates the recipes, and disseminates the food porn photos taken by yours truly (check out all photos here).

In an initiative to kick the throwdown events into multimedia high-gear, we at Bis Films created a trailer for the Sandwich Throwdown.

This short stop-motion animation was shot over a 4 hour period with the trusty Canon 7D and comes with an original soundtrack and sound effects. We had a blast putting this together and are very proud to share it with you.

If you are a foodie, be sure to check in often and contribute!

Finally, the sketch comedy group known as Uncalled For has decided to bridge the great divide. No more will their improvisations and comedic shenanigans be forgotten due to the fickleness of  live performances. It was this last Tuesday, at MainLine Theatre, that Dan and Anders hosted the launch of weareuncalledfor.com. This web portal will be displaying a new video every Tuesday, presenting Uncalled For’s crazy and twisted perception of reality.

Here is a little back story for those of you who might not be familiar with the group. Uncalled For have been making people laugh for over a decade through their improv shows and sketch comedy. Originally from Montreal, they have a list of hit shows that have somewhat become legendary amongst local improv and sketch comedy fans. Although I missed Thunderspank back in 2007, I was completely overwhelmed by their performance in Blastback Babyzap in 2008. This solid piece of sketch comedy was followed up by Today is All Your Birthdays (2010), Hypnogogic Logic (2011), a bunch of improve shows (such as the annual drunken St-Patrick’s Day Improv show), and appearances in Robin Henderson’s hit Dance Animal (2010). What is truly unique about their comedy is how they create absurd scenarios in which characters deal with a twisted reality in ways that are always pleasantly surprising.

The web videos that the group will be putting out from now on will be a mix of sketches from previous shows, such as Audition Practice (from my favorite Blastback Babyzap show) and new material. This will give a chance to all those who have not yet discovered the Montreal comedy group, due to being geographically challenged or having bad friends, to do so.

Return often and share the site with your friends!

Even though the earthquake that struck Japan seems so far removed from our everyday reality – notice the few and far apart newspaper articles these days – a group of Montrealers led by Joe Allen have organized a fundraiser to help in “picking up the pieces.”

This Saturday, the 14th of May, will see a full day of art related activities happening at OFF Interarts, 5143 St-Laurent, with the humble goal of raising money for the Japanese Red Cross. There will be a mix-match of  art, film (I will be showing my film, Circle Haiku), craft sales and traditional Japanese performances from noon to 5pm. The night will then change gears around 7:30pm as local musicians will be taking the stage: Steve Cohen, Alex Robshaw, Melina Soochan and Shaking Judy.

Check out the Art for Japan website for more information.

Something I am definitely looking forward to this week is the opening of a new performance piece at the M.A.I. Bird Messengers is the new performance piece from aboriginal artists Moe Clark (whom I worked with on the film Circle Haiku) and Emilie Monnet. The performance combines storytelling and song that celebrate ancestral ways of prayer, peacemaking, and healing from Indigenous peoples across the Americas. Check out their Facebook page.

The show runs from Wednesday the 4^th of May to Sunday the 8^th at the M.A.I. (3680 Rue Jeanne-Mance). Reserve quickly as the first two dates are already sold out.

Another event I am very excited to share with you is a vernissage happening this Friday. Among other works presented, there will be a short documentary I have been working on for over a year. The Empress, tells the story of the 1927 Sherbrooke Street Art-Deco theater that has been abandoned since 1992. Although NDG residents have formed a committee with the hopes of transforming the historic building into a cultural center, their decade long battle now seems to be at a crossroad. The film casts the building in its past glory, its present state of decay, and its ambiguous future.

The Empress will be presented this Friday the 6^th, starting at 7pm at Café Shaika (5526 Sherbrooke St West), during the public launch of the multimedia community art project Imagining NDG, directed by documentary filmmaker and Con U. professor, Tim Schwab. This interactive website will explore the past, present, and possible future of the NDG neighborhood through a combination of archival material, contemporary photography, interviews with residents and several short documentaries. Tim Schwab has been working on this project for over four years and Paul Aflalo and I have been involved in it for a bit over a year. More details on the vernissage.

I hope to see you there!

I guess the goal was a little lofty, but we really wanted to explore events that came in cyclical patterns. I cannot remember which theme initiated our thought process but they eventually all fed into each other: the cyclical pattern that can be found in a day (morning, afternoon, evening, and night), in a year (spring, summer, fall, and winter), and in life (birth, youth, old age, and death). What became interesting to us was how these familiar events all had what seemed to be the end leading into the beginning. Our process became one of meditation.

We decided to present our explorations of these patterns in the form of a four-part Haiku video poem. Haiku poetry, a style of Japanese poetry, is a simple way of conveying an infinite amount of information. In its English form, the poem will be set out in 3 lines that have a total of 17 syllables. There are many other characteristics to Haiku poetry, but the one that we gravitated to is the following: Haiku poetry acts as a launching pad for further meditation. With this as inspiration, we created a moving poem, composed of experimental syllables of video and sound that we hoped would trigger vivid emotions in the viewer.

What was truly amazing about the creation of this film was that we received very important support from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Our film was created as part of the Making Music 3 initiative and provided the opportunity of mentorships with veteran filmmakers, film and video editors, technicians of all capacities, as well as the support of two beautiful ladies, producer Kat Baulu and associate producer Melisa Ferero. The film was screened for the first time at Pop Montreal in October of 2009.

Through this film, Moe and I wanted to express vibrating emotions that are present throughout life: existence, experience, nostalgia, and melancholy. We attempted to transform sensations common to all human beings into an audio-visual line of thought. In the same way that Haiku invokes emotion, our film invokes the personal and universal emotions that stir in our hearts.

I would love to hear any feedback and especially personal experiences of watching this film that you might want to share.

I sit, looking at the Bis Films Vimeo page and I think: “How is it that Kat and I both graduated from Concordia Communications Studies and have been pushing forward in the film/video production world since 2008, yet we have so few videos online?” I think it’s time to assert our digital presence on the pages of Vimeo.

Around Halloween, I had posted Katherine’s second year film for all to see. Well, I will continue this process over the next little while by putting up the work we have done in the past, be it fiction, experimental, documentary, etc…

As of today, you may enjoy Katherine’s film, Camille and the Musical Cherries. Why another one of her films rather than something I have done? Saving the best for last..? or not! You be the judge. This 2007 film was a directorial collaboration between Aude Leroux-Lévesque (who went on to make the documentary Call me Salma). It was their final project for Film III in Communications Studies at Concordia University. It won Best Film at the 2007 Young Cuts Film Festival and was part of the official selection at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival.

Be sure to let us know what you think and if you would like to see more like this. You can watch the video here:

That aside, writing a pitch is exciting, especially when there’s competition involved. It’s your moment to show the prospective client what you’re made of; to let yourself shine so to speak. We’ve been getting a lot of practice and have narrowed in on some key elements that are crucial to writing a successful pitch.

Brilliant concept aside, the first, probably most important principle in writing a pitch is to know the client inside out. Understand their fears, their needs, their hopes and you will get a much more profound sense of how you can help them. We recently learned that this is known in the marketing world as “pillow talk”. Essentially, picture your client lying down after a long day of work and he or she is opening up, sharing their worries and such to their significant other. This knowledge is really useful when writing your opening paragraph. If you can illustrate to the client that you get them, you’re warming them up for the next step to come.

Now it’s time to problem solve! At this point, you should have proven your understanding of the client and established a problem/gap that you can fill (but don’t make it sound like they’re doing things wrong!). This is where you present your idea. We usually break this part into two. The first paragraph is for presenting your idea. Don’t be afraid to share your enthusiasm for it and try to be as pertinently descriptive as possible. Essentially, wet their palette! The second part is an explanation as to why you have chosen this direction, how it serves their needs best.

The next question that necessarily comes up is money. The client wants to know how much your services will cost them so they can compare you to other competitors. This part doesn’t have to be too detailed and don’t worry about giving a final figure especially if you have no idea what their budget is. If the client likes your idea and gets a sense that you understand them better than the others, then your foot is in the door and money discussions will come into play soon after.

In our case, we usually provide a production calendar in order to give the client a better idea of the time-line they can expect. This is the easiest part. You don’t need specific days, just months and a short description of what will happen around those times.

Finally, the conclusion. Much like the opening paragraph, use this part to put the client at ease by showing your flexibility and openness to discuss other concepts should your idea and price not suit them. Also, you can use this section to give them brief information on past experience that is relevant to their needs, so they can get an idea of what you’re capable of.

So that’s it in a nutshell. I really believe that if you show a genuine interest in your client and put forth an honest effort, it will get noticed!

Good luck to all of you and keep in mind the hardest part of pitching comes after: waiting for the answer.