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Filmmaker workshop at Northern FanCon includes Oscar nominee, Emmy winner and Writer’s Guild winner

Marc Bernardin with Kevin Smith
Marc Bernardin with Kevin Smith

The Prince George Citizen’s blockbuster entertainment expo Northern FanCon returns to the CN Centre for its fifth anniversary May 3-5, with celebrity guests including Alan Tudyk, Lou Ferrigno, Amy Acker, and Edward James Olmos.

This year will also feature an offering of particular note for filmmakers called the Creative Corner – a workshop and panel series featuring an Oscar nominee from the latest Star Wars films, an Emmy award winner who served as executive producer on every Batman film since 1989 and a Writer’s Guild award winner from Castle Rock to name only a few.

The Creative Corner workshop and panel series is an ongoing industry development component of Northern FanCon focused on filmmaking and digital content creation. It was developed based on a career fair model, featuring a selection of guest speakers who are film industry professionals including screen writers, directors, producers, sound engineers, and costume designers in order to give the broadest possible exposure to the many career opportunities that exist within the film industry.

Since it’s inaugural year, Northern FanCon has become a local film industry catalyst spawning several  projects featuring past guests of the convention including the feature film The Doctor’s Case, based on the short story by Stephen King, Wicked Ways with Vamp – a television series pilot filming in Barkerville, and multiple projects currently in development. The Creative Corner seeks to lean into this gathering momentum.

This year’s Filmmaker Workshop & Panel series guests are: 

Matt Wood
Matt Wood

Matthew Wood (4 time Oscar nominee, Emmy nominee)
Sound Editor – Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens,  Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek: Into Darkness
Voice actor – Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Rebels
Click here for IMDB

  • Panel:  Sound Editing in a Galaxy Far Far Away (1:00pm Sunday May 3rd) – 4 time Oscar nominated Sound Editor Matthew Wood is interviewed about the characters he has voiced & the effects he helped create on the latest Star Wars movies & video games 

Michael Uslan (Emmy award Winner, co-owner of the film rights to Batman)

Executive producer – Batman (1989),  Justice League, The Lego Movie, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises

  • Screening: Batman (1989) with introduction by Michael Uslan (9 p.m. Fri May 3)
  • Panel: Comic Books & Mythology (4:45 p.m. Saturday May 4)
  • Panel: The History and making of “Batman:  (1 p.m. Sunday May 5) – In 1979, Michael Uslan secured the filming rights to the DC Comic book character Batman. Join Michael as he explains the process behind the development and production of the blockbuster 1989 movie “Batman”. 

Rachel Talalay: (Leo award winner)

Director – Doctor Who, Flash, Supernatural, Riverdale, Sherlock, Tank Girl

  • Workshop: On Genre Directing (5:30 p.m. Friday May 3) – Join groundbreaking director Rachel Talalay as she delves into the process she has refined through the years in television and film
  • Panel: Women in Film (2:30 p.m. Saturday May 4)

Skye Borgman

Director, Cinematographer, Producer – Abducted in Plain Sight (Official selection of the Sundance film festival, currently trending on Netflix)

  • Workshop: Directing & Producing with Skye Borgman: From Indie to Netflix: The 20 year path to overnight success (2 p.m. Sunday May 5) Skye Borgman’s film “Abducted in Plain Sight” has audiences reeling. Join Skye as she shares the long and winding journey to the success she knows today and the lessons she has learned along the way.
  • Panel: Women in Film (2:30 p.m. Saturday May 4)

Marc Bernardin (Writer’s Guild Award winner)
Screenwriter – Castle Rock, Treadstone, Alphas

  • Workshop: Screenwriting Television Pilots (1:45 p.m. Saturday May 4) – Writer’s Guild award winner Marc Bernardin is on hand to share framework and insights on writing a script that will have viewers hooked from the first scene.

Sara Shaak

Producer – Doorman, Cold Brook, Adventure Club
former film commissioner of Prince George

  • Workshop: The Business of Producing Films (11:30 a.m. Saturday May 4)  – As a former film commissioner herself, Sara has a unique perspective on the business of producing films. Join Sara as she takes us through what it takes to complete a film on budget and make the sale to a distributor.
  • Panel: Women in Film (2:30 p.m. Saturday May 4)
  • Panel: Prince George in the Film Industry (4:30 p.m. Friday May 3)

Madison Smith (Leo award nominee)
Actor – Narcoleap, Salvation, Aftermath, When Calls the Heart

  • Workshop: Acting with Madison Smith(10 a.m. Sunday May 5) Leo award nominated actor Madison Smith covers everything from the audition process to securing an agent to being your best on set in this must attend workshop for aspiring actors. 

Attendees are able to freely ask questions of these professionals at their dedicated booths, in addition to attending scheduled workshops and/or panels highlighting a topic specific to their field. All panels are free with the price of any single or three day pass to the convention.

For the full list of Creative Corner filmmaker workshops and panels, head to http://fancon.ca/creative-corner/

Tickets for Northern FanCon are available at  https://ticketsnorth.ca/event/northern-fancon/

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