Written by Ken Ogasawara (BA’06)
I have no idea how it happened but I’ve somehow become a filmmaker. At least, I think I am. An actual filmmaker with many titles to his name told me recently after a screening of his film, “If you’ve made a film, you’re a filmmaker.”
This past fall, we premiered our first feature narrative film, THE VOLUNTEER, at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. We shot it two years ago on a budget of $45,000 with everybody involved - including 10 crew members, 30 cast members, and our mothers cooking three meals a day for us – working for free. It was a humbling, inspiring, challenging, and empowering experience.
After the world premiere at Cinéfest, we had a small theatrical run of six screenings at Princess Cinemas, Bookshelf Cinema, and a special screening with Wilfred Laurier University’s film school in collaboration with Grand River Film Festival. (FYI, it’s now available to rent/buy at http://buy.thevolunteerfilm.com ). We had a fantastic turnout from our community who had helped us fund the project and were supportive through the whole process.
In some ways it felt strange to get re-excited about a project we had shot two years ago; since 2012, we had produced a number of projects including a web series, a short documentary, and a short comedy, in addition to the numerous corporate videos that pay the bills.
It seems a stretch to say that my Social Development Studies degree was what propelled me into filmmaking – it didn’t. It did, however, prepare me to be an agile thinker, creative solver of both practical and artistic problems, and a keen observer of the people and events around me – those are the strengths I bring to the table. I am a generalist in a world of specialists.
Finally, my life as a married filmmaker is impossible without the support of my talented, beautiful, and gracious wife, Cheryl. We met while teaching in Japan before I fell into filmmaking and all that comes with it – the unpredictable hours, income, and absent-mindedness. She moved from Vancouver to Kitchener (who does that??) and carved out a new career in sales and interior decorating in a new city and community. It’s thanks to Cheryl that I have the best of both worlds – creative work and a fulfilling home life.
Ken Ogasawara