Imagine ordinary people across Canada being as passionate about drama as they are about hockey. It can happen if we set up 180 small teams of professional movie makers to be community artists in residence across Canada. Each team will mobilize and work with their home communities to create dramatic features or series that involve ordinary citizens in the process – much the same way hockey is coached and nurtured. When community projects are completed, they would go to regional competitions, then to national and the top ten would receive world marketing budgets. Ordinary Canadians will tune in -or log on to Canadian drama in numbers that will astound industry experts. A democratic revolution in Canadian cinema will blast a wave of participatory creativity around the world.
This renewal requires an investment of 90 million dollars that can come from re-purposing a fraction of Canada’s existing development and production revenues. It would employ at least 3600 professionals from coast to coast and it would result in 180 community driven dramatic features or series pilots. Each project will be geographically and culturally distinct. All productions will not only be 100% Canadian – each one will be owned by the community that makes it. Best of all, each production, no matter what standard of technical quality it is measured by, will be a community accomplishment and the very process of making the movie will stimulate and transform people for the better.
A whole new genre of dramatic film and television will emerge and distinct communities across Canada will be its originators! Canadian film and television festivals will see a radical growth in attendance because each competitor will have a whole community attached to it. The best dramas from every region and locality in Canada will be as avidly followed as hockey teams are now. And the whole thing will be more meaningful and relevant to ordinary citizens than ever.
Skeptical? Post a comment. Let’s debate this vision and improve it.
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Interesting idea but you lack any sort of empirical proof in your theory. Who is to say that this concept would be the glue that binds some sort of strong Canadian foot forward? Also, who’s to say that the tastes and Canadian identity of one area will reflect nationally. Canada is too small of a country to expect regional productions to thrive on a massive scale because their target audience is way too small.
Audience participation is one thing but is it really good for television? I’ve found working in the creative media fields of Ontario and British Columbia very stifling due to process by committee. Often, you end up having power people dilute the idea so that it is safe neutral and possibly salable to an outside of Canada audience. Ridding the process of the old establishment people wont help much because there’s always someone there to jump into the position of committee killjoy.
I say if we want to create a booming media industry we have to look at the technology we have at hand. The best one for a nation as large and diverse as Canada is the internet. Broadband allows us to transmit and broadcast our content to any Canadian anywhere. This can also be used to transmit movies and said content to remote communities where such treats have been rare traditionally.
I also feel we have to approach the model with a more economically minded approach. Producing content for the web entails a much lower budget and puts the hands into the content producers not the corporate bosses and lawyers. It also lacks regulation which means we can define ourselves, not the government nor the big broadcasters.
We shouldnt be afraid of advertising, rather use it wisely to pay the producers and actors. It will help us to free ourselves from subsidy and sponsorship and also give us a performance indicator to determine success. Maybe that we we can stop things from dragging on far too long. On the flipside the lower cost of production online allows a show that is floundering somewhat to gain its bearings and become a success. This doesn’t happen in contemporary media.
I think you’re argument is a step in the right direction but we need to make our media self sufficient so it is determined by the people and not by Bell Globemedia. There is a growing disconnect in the media with people and the media isnt adapting. This is a prime opportunity for people to take advantage of the situation and make a change. I think we can do it for a lot less, get people invested in creating their own production companies and establish a people run network that is Canadian and independent.
my 0.02 cents.
Thanks, Jamie, for being one of the first brave souls to wade into this discussion.
I will comment on your reply one point at a time.
First, you say I have no empirical proof for my theory. This is not a theory. It is a fact of dramatic art that has proven itself countless times for thousands of years. Namely dramas that are made by communities for communities always sell out. Need examples? Every school play and every community theatre event. The Women of Wolfville just presented their latest original variety show and it not only sold out, it was arguably more artful than most professional productions I have seen – and I have seen lots. If fine art is about waking people up to new possibilities and better ways of being human, this example shines.
Second, you express concern about audience participation and the dreaded problem of art making by committee. I understand these concerns well and have had personal experience with them. But these challenges are not insurmountable and they are no less onerous than trying to second guess a ruthless world market. I would argue the case for community inspired drama as a more daring artistic challenge because the dramatists have to deal directly with people who are passionate about their own community. This process of serving people directly in this way is ultimately healthier for all concerned.
Thirdly, you suggest correctly that we should use the technology that is within our grasp. It is true that video on demand services like Google Video and a host of others have dramatically changed the power structures of world wide distribution. Artists have never had such direct access to mass audiences. However the temptation for making self serving productions by individuals has never been greater. What we need now more than ever is a renewal of collaborative art that stimulates the nobler character of human society. Drama has always had this potential and, as I alluded to earlier, it has the capacity to energize communities at the grass roots which is where true power lies in all civilization. Yes, we can make use of new technology, but we must also risk sharing the creative power of motion picture art with ordinary people. In essence we must share the language of motion pictures and teach it to all who will receive it. For this is the most effective way to improve the fine art of motion pictures and it will also contribute significantly to the health and well being of Democracy.
Fourth, you are concerned about economics. I am too. Passionately. The process of making movies and television can stimulate communities culturally, spiritually, intellectually and economically. Current industrial standards of motion picture production are a dogma that is rarely challenged. What if communities were guided by experienced film and television artists to express their stories in such a way that the majority of local citizens are excited and engaged? Would not these “local” productions stimulate local business? Would not local landmarks make it to the screen? And when these community collaborations appear on Google Video, won’t they put local businesses on a more equal footing with multinational corporations hell bent on dominating and controlling the world market? What better way to advertise a small business in a small community than by sponsoring the community film or television production. This is an organic way of growing economies in a balanced way from the grass roots. A film and television industry rooted in the lives of real people in what were once marginalized communities will enjoy more social relevance and passionate support.
This is an unfolding vision. Please carry on the dialogue. Thanks, Jamie.