"This Beautiful City" is one of about 20 feature films selected for the 2008 Vail Film Festival.
Ed Gass-Donnelly
Leading up to the 2008 Vail Film Festival April 3-6, Plum Vail gets to know some of the filmmakers. Meet Ed Gass-Donnelly, Canadian filmmaker whose feature film, “This Beautiful City” will be screened at the festival. The movie portrays five individuals in Toronto whose lives converge after a tragedy.
Plum Vail: How did you get involved in film?
Ed Gass-Donnelly: My background was originally as a theatre director. Eventually I began adapting excerpts of plays by some of my favorite playwrights into short films. My shorts Pony, Dying Like Ophelia, Polished, and Pink were all adapted from theater.
PV: Please give a brief overview of your accomplishments as a filmmaker:
Ed: My short films toured to over 100 festivals and won several awards along the way. This Beautiful City is my first feature film and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. It will have its US premiere at The Method Fest in Los Angeles next week and then screening in at least seven more festivals in April. The film just swept the ACTRA Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the SAG awards) winning both Best Actor (Aaron Poole) and Best Actress (Caroline Cave).
PV: What are the largest challenges faced in making a feature-length film versus making a short or directing a music video?
Ed:
The sheer amount of money required to make a feature film is naturally the biggest obstacle. While films can be made for very little, we wanted the film to look a certain way and wanted to work with professionals so that forced us to a minimum six-figure budget. Trying to manage a large group of personalities on that kind of budget level is also exceedingly difficult. People are often willing to suffer for a day or two to make a short, but they can be less willing to do the same for six weeks.
PV:
How do you go about finding actors?
Ed:
With my background in theater I know a lot of actors in Toronto. However, we were very lucky to get a great pair of casting directors, Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay, who came on board and allowed us to see tons of new people I had never seen. I ended up casting a lot of people I’d never worked with before…in fact I’d only worked with one of the lead actors before (Aaron Poole) and two of the supporting cast (Tony Nappo and Kat Germain).
PV:
What was your budget for "This Beautiful City?"
Ed:
$125,000 Canadian
PV:
Explain the production process and how it was unique in making this film.
Ed: We decided early on that the greatest production value in the film would come from the performances, so we tried to prioritize our production schedule and resources to support. We shot for 27 days (which is significant for a micro budget film) with an ample 25-to-1 shooting ratio. The both of those allowed me time to nurture performances and allow the actors risks that they might not have if we were shooting six pages a day. The filming process was a real hybrid between a professional production and guerilla filmmaking. While we did have permits, a crew, and a union cast, we often just grabbed a camera and took to the streets.
PV:
What do you know about the Vail Film Festival?
Ed:
I first read about the festival in Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide. I really loved the vibe that was described and thought it would be a great place for This Beautiful City. Artist-run festivals are usually a lot of fun to attend.
PV:
I know you’ve had a number of shorts in many festivals. What is your understanding of how a film is accepted into or rejected from a film festival?
Ed:
It’s a lot like a job interview. There can be a dozen excellent applicants but only one position available. Films are judged not only on quality, but on the genre, premiere status, stars, and whether there are similar films already programmed.
I’ve realized that to give your film the best chance at acceptance you have to apply early. Like REALLY early. I’m currently sending applications in for festivals next fall even though the deadlines aren’t until August. Naturally it is easier for a programmer to see and commit to a film early on. When films come in at the 11th hour programmers have already been watching films for two months and have been making a lot of decisions. They may have already filled half the slots so the competition has doubled for the remaining ones. I’m always curious about which festivals will program This Beautiful City. The violent and sexual subject matter can be limiting, but I have been surprised by several festivals (that I mistakenly presumed to be conservative) who loved the film and supported it.
PV:
What do you think defines "success" as a filmmaker (having a piece accepted into a particular festival, earning certain awards, Hollywood distribution, etc)?
Ed:
I think success is defined by cumulative benchmarks that differ for each film. Some films are simply not wide release films, so why should you feel like a failure if it doesn’t get picked up for 2,000 screens?
I learned an important lesson this year about managing your expectations. Our desire to succeed can really undermine our ability to enjoy and celebrate our successes. We had such high hopes for the Toronto International Film Festival, perhaps even unrealistic ones. But by the third day of the festival I was feeling a little bummed out because we weren’t getting as much press as I hoped. I was struck by the harsh reality of how big the festival is (nearly 400 films) and it is really easy for a gritty indie drama to get smothered by the star studded galas. But then I realized: my first feature is completed, we’re premiering at one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, and we already have a domestic distributor and international sales agent. We were miles ahead and yet hadn’t taken the time to celebrate those accomplishments simply because there were other goals still yet to achieve. So after that I just decided to enjoy the festival for what it is, rather than what I had presumed it to be.
PV:
How do you feel about Hollywood (the ultimate benchmark or hideous monster)?
Ed:
I see it as neither. Ultimately it’s just one part of the machine and it works well for certain products. I will definitely court Hollywood for one film that I am currently writing, but I don’t see it as the ultimate goal. Personally, New York is the filmmaking mecca to which I aspire. I love the films that are coming out of that city…rich, challenging works that can attract stars based on their integrity, and find an audience as a result.
PV:
What distinguishes the Canadian film industry from its US counterpart?
Ed:
Our industry is heavily subsidized. And that is both a great and unfortunate thing. It is wonderful because it gives filmmakers opportunities to make artistic films, but it can also be a like a mother’s apron that people don’t stray from. Unlike an industry financed by private money, it hasn’t mattered whether audiences went to see a film in the theater. No one lost their home because there film failed to make money. Our current goal is to achieve 5% of the domestic box office…and we’re struggling to hit that even with the strong performance of French-language films in Quebec. The government created a nurturing playground for the filmmakers, but that has yet to truly evolve into products that Canadian audiences are excited to see. Ironically, Canadian films do much better outside of Canada. Our close proximity to the US (and the US ownership of a lot of our screens) has lead to our audiences wanting US product. And Canadian films haven’t been able to compete on the same financial level as Hollywood. However, I am really excited by the current directions that the industry is taking. Several producers are finding money outside the government and are creating international co-productions with recognizable stars. I think our industry needs these commercial endeavors alongside the artistic ones. The reality is Americans dominate this industry and there is no sense trying to reinvent the wheel or pretend that the US doesn’t exist. I think we need to follow a more New York model and create exceptional films with smaller budgets that have both commercial viability and artistic merit.
PV:
"I want you to suck?" Explain the wisdom behind this directive you employed with your actors in “This Beautiful City”
Ed:
Actors, especially those that work in TV can become director-proof. They are often used to working with sub-standard material and in environments where they may only get 2-3 takes. Actors have no real control over what ends up in the final cut and no one wants to look like an idiot, so actors will sometimes play it safe and deliver adequate work that ensures they won’t come across as bad. Even if the director is a hack, they’ll look okay. Personally, I’d rather light my crotch on fire than sit through a film with safe performances. The phrase “I want you to suck” came about as a playful way of encouraging them to take risks that might ultimately lead to crap. I wanted them to embrace that fear of failure and dive in, knowing that I would not stop shooting until I thought they were exceptional. I asked that they trust me as an editor and not judge or second-guess their instincts. The results were astounding.
PV:
What is your favorite film? (I know you probably have dozens … Sorry … can you please pick one). Why do you love it?
Ed:
While I don’t have a single favorite film, I do associate certain films with specific memorable developments in my life: Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amorres Perros and 21 Grams both had a major impact on my development as a filmmaker as well as the style of This Beautiful City. His approach to narrative structure is so artful and compelling, weaving mystery into his tightly knit interlocking storylines.
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