Fourth-year students in the University of Victoria’s writing and film production class recently found out during a class project what kind of dedication it takes to transition from theoretical students to hands-on filmmakers.
The students, including one who teaches dance at Camosun College, filmed The Cult of Quick Repair over a couple of very long days. The short film includes three intertwined stories about grief, dissatisfaction, and loneliness.
“The shoot was pretty quick and dirty,” says Connor Gaston, the film’s director and co-writer, along with Ryan Bright. “We didn’t have much time.”
But a lot can happen in a short period of time, as the crew learned.
“The fire department came because our crafty toaster set off the fire alarm on one of the days,” laughs Gaston. “And one day it started snowing, and for continuity we couldn’t use it, and our actor was getting close to hypothermia. As always, there are obstacles and we had to rush a few things. That’s just the way it goes.”
The film’s sound editor, Desiree Armstrong, the Camosun dance teacher, says the making of the film was a collaborative and ultimately rewarding experience.
“It was very long, but it was good,” says Armstrong. “It was just really inclusive and everyone had a say. Everyone worked really well together; we worked from six in the morning until seven at night.”
The experience of working on the film has left an impact on Armstrong.
“I feel that my whole four years at UVic, I learned the most in this class out of any class I’ve ever taken—it’s really hands on,” she explains. “Any class where I learned anything about film, textbook-wise, didn’t really apply until I was on set holding all the equipment. I actually didn’t think about going into sound and now it really kind of pushed me into that direction.”
The students aim to have The Cult of Quick Repair ready in time for Sunscreen, a student film festival taking place at UVic in April. But Gaston and Armstrong both say that they’re aiming higher; they hope to submit the film to the Toronto International Film Festival later this year.
“It’s a really cool movie,” says Armstrong. “Even after reading the script 1,000 times, when we were filming I’d have to stop myself from laughing, even though I knew what was going to happen next.”