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There will be a LOW Registration Fee, no meals, and no hotel.
The Saturday Program will begin at 11:00 a.m. (coffee will be served at 10:30) and close at 10:00 p.m. There will be coffee breaks and adequate lunch and supper breaks to allow everyone time to get something to eat in one of the many modestly priced restaurants within easy walking distance of the auditorium.
The Program will include the SCCA AGM, several Guest Speakers, plus a screening of the winning films and videos from the Annual SCCA Competition and the Presentation of Video Awards and Honours.
The Annual General Meeting will be held in the morning, after the Opening and first speaker, just before lunch. All members of the SCCA are expected to attend the AGM, and nonmembers are invited to attend as nonvoting observers. Those who choose not to sit-in, need not arrive till 1:30 p.m..
Immediately after the meeting and tour there'll be a lunch break. There are several fast food outlets and a few family restaurants within a couple of blocks from the auditorium.
The meeting will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. with a program of Speakers and Videos.
Speakers
Don "Tinker" Svob, of Wellandport, Ontario, the Do-It-Yourself Guru of Amateur Video who has played most SCCA affiiated clubs in Canada, is the "poor man's Noxon Leavitt". From rigging a small tripod to mimic a steadicam, to building a simple device to smooth out wave action when shooting from a canoe, "Tinker's" ingenuity seems boundless. Some devices rely on the principles of physics, some depend on electricity, and some seem to come out of a keen power of observation crossed with extreme parsimony. Don will present more of his hints, tips, and economical solutions to video makers' problems.
Chris Doty, London writer, researcher, and television producer, is a fortunate filmmaker. He has come to a point in his documentary career where he can be selective. He will only make a film if the subject is something he is really passionate about. "Whenever I decide to go out and make money, it always ends up a disaster", says Chris, who describes his film making as a hobby that threatens to become a career.
Chris graduated from the University of Western Ontario's journalism school in 1991 and has since worked in various freelance positions. He's done everything from producing corporate videos to writing spin-off pieces from his films for the London Free Press. He makes about one film per year, which is fine with him. "I don't know if I'd do it full-time. I'd probably do a lot of projects I didn't like."
In eight years his hobby has produced eight documentaries, including "Lost April" about the 1937 flood of London. In 1998 Chris produced the first comprehensive historical documentary on London, "Vagabonds and Visionaries: The London Story", in conjunction with Rogers Community TV. His current project is a film on the history of the Grand Theatre, which will be released for the 100th anniversary in 2000.
Chris quickly admits that his films are very subjective. "There is no such thing as objectivity. What you are seeing on the screen is my vision. I want to do stuff that pleases me. If I get excited in the editing suite that is enough of a reward."
Susan Coverdale is the Development Officer for Film in the Hamilton Film Liaison Office. She has been a staff member of the Economic Development Department for the City of Hamilton/Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth since 1994. She describes her role in the HFLO as both rewarding and exciting because of the direct benefit to the community and the abundance of activity that surrounds the Film & Television Production Industry. In her presentation When Hollywood Comes Knocking Susan hopes to share some of her experiences and highlights from the industry.
In 1999 Hamilton experienced tremendous increases in filming
activity and saw the development of the Greater Hamilton's "Reel Choices"
Film Production Resource Guide. The Economic Development Department
plans to develop additional tools to assist the industry throughout 2000,
continuing to play
a major role in this thriving growth sector.
Susan is currently enrolled at the University of Waterloo in the Economic Developers Association of Canada Certification Program to become a Certified Economic Developer.
Special Guest Speaker
Colin Chilvers
List of Credits
Colin Chilvers was a scheduled Guest Speaker for the 1999 SCCA Convention in London when he had to cancel on rather short notice because of the production schedule of a major film on which he was Director of Special Effects. Now, after almost a year of work which included 18 weeks of shooting (about 14 weeks in the Toronto area and another 4 weeks in Hamilton, mostly at the Canadian National Railway Station on James Street) his job is done. X-Men will be released on July 14 so you will be hearing a lot about it at about the same time as Colin's appearance at the Regional Meeting.
London (England) born Colin Chilvers is a member of the British Academy, the American Academy of Film and Television Arts and Sciences (Visual Effects Selection Committee), and the Directors Guild of America.
Colin trained for his chosen career through Hornsey college
of Art, and working first as a trainee animation director, he soon moved
on to special effects as a junior in the special effects department of
the movie "The Battle of Britain".
He worked on many movies as an assistant until given a chance to supervise the MGM movie Inspector Clouseau starring Alan Arkin. Colin supervised the effects on Tommy, Lisztomania and The Rocky Horror Picture. Show, and many others.
He was then asked to direct the special effects for Superman,
The Movie,
Superman II and Superman III. He was
honored by both the British Academy and the American Academy with
the Special Achievement Award (an OSCAR), for Special Effects on Superman,
The Movie.
At the beginning of 1986 Colin joined Michael Jackson to direct his next promotional video Smooth Criminal, which received many awards, including Best Video Of The Year from the British Music Awards.. From a video it soon developed into a full length feature film, and Colin and Michael worked together for two years developing what became the movie Moonwalker.
Following completion of that project Colin was called to Toronto to direct the two-hour TV pilot of War of the Worlds and subsequently the Walls of Jericho. Then Colin went to Florida where he directed five episodes of the TV series Superboy for Viacom.
His wealth of special effects knowledge and his
ability to communicate with actors, an eye for design and camera technique,
plus his editing skills, coupled with his knowledge of budget and scheduling,
make Colin a valuable asset to any production. Although recently he has
devoted some of his time to highly technical and dramatic television shows
and commercials as a director, his first love is Special Effects, whether
on his own projects, advising his acclaimed nephews Chris Chilvers (three
James Bond Movies) and Neil Corbould (Fifth Element, Private
Ryan, The Vertical LImit), or working with his long time friend and
associate Martin Malivoire.
Colin Chilvers will be on the program
unless forced to cancel because of the vagaries of the top level motion
picture business.
Evening Program
We will break at 5:00 o'clock for supper and the evening
program will begin at 7:30 p.m., (coffee at 7:00) and include the Presentation
of SCCA Honours, Presentation of SCCA Annual Contest Awards, and the Screening
of the Winning Entries. We will adjourn at 10:00 p.m. to allow time for
those who must make a long drive home that night, but we hope to see them
again in the morning.
Bus Tour
Sunday, June 25
Chum
Television, consists of 27 radio stations, six local independent television
stations led by Canada’s largest independent television station, Citytv,
and ten specialty channels across Canada which include MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic,
Bravo!, Space: The Imagination Station, Star, and CablePulse 24. Here at
John and Queen they produce programming which is seen in over 130 countries
worldwide. But we will be here on Sunday, when there is very little production,
and certainly NO TOURS! HOWEVER …,
Associated with Citytv is the MZTV Museum of Television whose mission is to preserve the technological history of the TV receiver and to contribute to the understanding of the impact of television by collecting, displaying, documenting and interpreting television sets and related ephemera. The museum presents educational programmes, makes its library and resources available to scholars and students, and intends to tell the story of television by involving the public in the MZTV oral history project and by using electronic kiosks and computer websites.
Founded by broadcaster and media innovator Moses Znaimer, the MZTV Museum has evolved from a personal holding of late 1950s designer TVs, mainly Philco Predictas, to a collection of some 250 sets of outstanding historical significance. The museum is a non-profit organization open in its first year by appointment only. Thereafter it will open to the public year round.
And our Tour Guides will take us through the museum AND Citytv!
Michael
Adams is Producer/Administrator of the MZTV Museum, and a Director
of the MZTV Museum Foundation, became involved in television at a young
age. His family started one of Toronto's first television sales, repair
and antenna installation companies in the 1950s, where he landed his first
job at the age of 6!
In 1992, for the 20th Anniversary of Toronto's radical
and popular independent Television station, Citytv, Michael began coordinating
an exhibition focusing on the evolution of television technology and design. The
presentation featured Moses Znaimer's original collection and eventually
grew into the MZTV Museum's "Watching TV", launched at the Royal Ontario
Museum in 1995. Initially scheduled for a 2 1/2 month run, the show was
extended to a year because of its success with audiences and critics.
Monica Lin, Associate Producer, joined the MZTV Museum in February of 1998 as Associate Producer. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Monica has worked in media and television for InterActive Entertainment, Citytv/MuchMusic, and Bravo! At the MZTV Museum, Monica Lin is responsible for rights clearances, general administration and archives.
Our
next call will be the Paramount, Famous
Players' new Toronto flagship theatre and the
first new cinema to be built in downtown Toronto south of Bloor St. in
13 years. Located
in the Festival Hall retail-entertainment development, the Paramount Theatre
features 13 screens plus an IMAX 3D Theatre, a beer and winery café
and a wide range of concession items.
It seems that there are now two standards for IMAX theatres
and screens. The original format, now called "Grand Theatre", and a new,
smaller standard, called "Small Rotar" recently developed for the explosion
of IMAX theatres going into the new multiplex complexes. The Paramount
is a Grand Theatre! (58’X 80’). The extra screen real estate can be used
for the sweeping IMAX vistas we’ve grown used to, but now with real depth,
or scenes played out over the head of the person in front of you, with
no miniaturization.
The Paramount Theatre has introduced to Toronto a second
major improvement. Stereoscopy depends on the presentation of different
camera views to each eye. In the stereopticon and Viewmaster this is accomplished
by a physical "wall" between the viewer’s eyes and the stereo pair. For
projected films it was originally accomplished with red and green filters
but the invention of polaroid filters made it possible to show 3D films
in full colour. However, the very best polarizing filters are only about
98% effective, so a little of the left eye image gets through to the right
eye, and vice versa, resulting in "ghost images", especially on very contrasty
scenes with a bright subject against a dark background.
The Paramount uses a new, high-tech method – liquid crystal "shutters" in the glass of the goggles, activated by an infrared beam and detected by an infrared eye on each person’s goggles. The starling result is perfect 3D with no ghosting! By the way, the goggles look heavy and uncomfortable but are actually neither. After adjusting the size for a comfortable fit, they seem to just disappear on your head and cause no discomfort.
But technology isn't everything, and a system like this deserves the very best creative efforts. The film we will see promises that. Seen by an audience of more than 23 million worldwide, Cirque du Soleil has reinvented and revolutionized the circus arts. Now, these breathtaking international performers bring their spellbinding talents to IMAX® 3D in Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man, a mesmerizing motion picture experience filmed on location throughout the world. From the depths of the ocean and forest to Berlin's Brandenberg Gate, Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man is a celebration of the human spirit.
Our final stop will be Harbourfront, where you'll get an excellent opportunity to put your camcorders to good use. The more adventurous will (for an additional charge) board the Kajama, a 164' three-masted gaff-rigged schooner, for an hour-and-a-half cruise through the harbour and out into the lake. Launched as the Wilfried in Germany in 1930, the Kajama traded under sail for nearly 70 years. She was a familiar ship in ports from Northwest Spain, through western Europe, and as far north as Norway and Russia. In 1999, the Kajama was delivered transatlantic by Great Lakes Schooner Company and restored to her original profile.
Those not wanting to sail can remain with the others ashore who choose to explore the sights and soak up the atmosphere along the Harbourfront. We understand that some would actually prefer to poke around Harbourfront Antique Market than journey through time under sail. And if the weather is bad we might even be with them!
By 5:45 we should be headed home, with a slight detour to return to our first stop. People who live in Toronto won't need to come to Hamilton to join the bus tour: they can meet us at 11:00 a.m. at John and Queen Streets. Those people coming from other locales (such as Ottawa and the Quinte region) far enough east of Toronto to require spending Friday and Saturday night in Hamilton, should join us at the Spectator parking lot on Sunday morning, follow the bus in their own cars to Citytv, and join the tour there. By dropping the Torontonians at their cars in Toronto we'll save them an hour's drive to Hamilton in the morning and two hours getting home. Those spending Saturday night in Hamilton and going home Sunday evening will also be spared the one-hour bus trip and a one-hour car trip returning to Toronto, so they can start home from John and Queen shortly about 6:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 p.m.
To encourage the largest attendance possible on Saturday there will be a low Registration Fee of only $10 for either or both days. HOWEVER, the bus tour will require an additional payment of a $20 ($13.50 U.S.) Bus Tour Registration Fee. That will cover the charter of the bus and the entrance fees to the IMAX 3D Film and the Citytv/MZTV Museum tour, but no food. We need a minimum of people to make the tour feasible. Therefore, we are requiring advance registrations, with prepayment, for the bus tour.
If we don't have sufficient prepaid registrations by June 16, we'll have to cancel the tour and return the prepayments. On June 16 we'll confirm with the bus company and once we've passed that point-of-no-return, we'll accept additional bus reservations up to the capacity of the 48-passenger bus, and up to the moment of departure Sunday morning, on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis.
There will be an additional charge of $16.95 ($14.95 Seniors) for sailing on the Kajama, payable at boarding time. We understand people's reluctance to commit in advance when they can't predict the weather, so we will not book any number for the cruise. However, to ensure a place, we will have to phone ahead to make a reservation for a firm number on Sunday morning.
If you want to see it happen, send in your Registration Form now.