Updates

March 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TIFF 2012

Hey everyone, it’s been a really long time since I’ve done any updates, but that’s for good (read: busy) reasons. Fall 2012 was busier than I expected it would be, and January/Feb brought about some great opportunities, so I’m just now doing some site updates.

Highlights:

DIRECTING:
-Attended TIFF as an industry delegate for 10 days
-Attended Women in the Director’s Chair Workshop at the Banff Centre in Nov and Jan/Feb – shot a scene from my feature film
-Wrote a feature film script

CINEMATOGRAPHY
-Shot a short film and photos with Canadian celebs Jane MacLean, Corey Sevier, Cristina Rosato, DJ Miguel and Daniel DiSanto
-Was cinematographer on short film Roomies
-Shot two music videos, for London Swagger and Gold Teeth
-Was cinematographer on a corporate film in January

I’ve updated the site with a new Cinematography section and will add more work as it becomes available.

WIDC 2013

Guy vs. Girl Shoot

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Inspiration: Sam Roberts, Rumbleseat, After Effects

July 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m currently working on one of the hardest projects I’ve ever done, so forgive me if my posts will be a bit slow these days. For this project, I’ve been learning Adobe After Effects… and getting really excited about the possibilities.

Here are some videos and songs that get me all jazzed about things:

RUMBLESEAT
One of my fave short films/bravoFACTs ever…

SAM ROBERTS – BRIDGE TO NOWHERE
Some pretty cool comping in this. I like that Sam’s videos aren’t super slick/polished.

SAM ROBERTS – HARD ROAD
This video has pretty simple effects, and I do feel more could have been done with it, but an amazing song nonetheless.

AKIDO – LES HUMAINS
I’ve loved this video forever…

INCUBUS – MEGALOMANIAC
Directed by the one and only Floria Sigismondi…

Filed Under: Inspiration

Queen of Clubs Now Online

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

QUEEN OF CLUBS

Last week was another busy week as I attended both the Female Eye Film Festival, and Breakthroughs Film Festival. Both events were huge successes… on Friday night, my short film Queen of Clubs played to a sold out crowd before the feature film Beat Down by director Deanne Foley. Beat Down drew a crowd and rightfully so – it’s a hilarious film about an eighteen year old girl who only wants to wrestle like her dad once did – but he’s doing everything he can to stop her from getting sucked into that world. It was an honor to screen before this film and alongside two other really great short films – Bill, Please! and Lady Bare Knuckles. It was a solid program overall.

On Saturday night I was at the inaugural Breakthroughs Film Festival, hosted by Octavia Films. They are a new not-for-profit in Toronto and focus on fostering female filmmakers under age 30. 12 short films, including my film BODYMAX screened that night, and they were all very strong. It was also great to see such a variety of genres and styles.

So, because it’s now done it’s festival run, I’m officially releasing Queen of Clubs online. We made this film in spring 2011 as part of the 24-hour Toronto Film Challenge.
I apologize for the long wait, but finally I can share it with you, an online audience!

If you haven’t already seen it, also check out BODYMAX which recently won first place at the 48-hour Toronto Film Challenge just recently.

Finally, a big thank you to both festivals for screening my films! Hosting a film festival of any size is no small feat, and it’s great to know there is so much support out there. I hope to do it again next year!

BODYMAX

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Filed Under: Cinematography, Directing, Events, News, Short Films

Screenings This Week!

June 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Queen of Clubs TEASER from Christine Buijs on Vimeo.

Just a quick post for now – I’m about to head off and register for the Female Eye Film Festival which kicks off today in Toronto. Later this week one of my films will be screening and this is officially my first time in a film fest!

The Female Eye film fest celebrates films created by – yup you guessed it – female filmmakers. There are also lots of free panels. More info is on their website:

www.femaleeyefilmfestival.com

And in some interesting timing, the Breakthroughs Film Fest, which features short films directed by women under 30, is happening Saturday night! There really aren’t enough initiatives for women in this category who are emerging and building experience, so kudos to the Breakthroughs team for the work they’re doing.

I’d love it if you could come out and support me, and other young female filmmakers and check out the screenings! Here is all the info:

QUEEN OF CLUBS screening as part of the
CANADIAN FEATURE PRESENTATION
FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL
FRIDAY JUNE 22nd
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Carlton Cinema
20 Carlton Street at Yonge
Tickets $10 at the door
Festival link: http://www.femaleeyefilmfestival.com/program-events/feff-program-2012/

BODYMAX screening as part of the
BREAKTHROUGHS FILM FESTIVAL
SATURDAY JUNE 23rd
7:30-11pm
The Projection Booth
1035 Gerrard Street East
Tickets $15 at the door
Our film will be in competition so it’s up for awards!
Festival link: http://www.octaviafilms.com/breakthroughs/

BODYMAX

Finally, one last plug – this week I saw an amazing theatre production called The Loyalists put on by my friends over at Single Thread Theatre Company. Based on the War of 1812, audience members not only watch but actually participate in a story where the town of York (Toronto) has been occupied by American troops, and attempt to resist the occupation and take back their land. This production is unlike your usual sit in a theatre and watch show… you get to actually participate and are given tasks and can roam around and take in one of many possible storylines. It’s the type of show you can see more than once, and has been getting great reviews from audience members and critics. Check it out while you still have the chance – it will be an experience to remember. It closes Friday night. Tickets and info are on the Single Thread website:

www.singlethread.ca

Filed Under: Directing, Events, News, Uncategorized

The Worldwide Short Film Fest and I: Goin’ Steady

June 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Opening night

Jean-Marc Vallee Master Class

Well, it’s that time of year… summer has started, and the Worldwide Short Film Fest was hosted last week from June 5-10 here in Toronto. Last year I attended for the first time, took in as many screenings and symposium events as I could with my do-it-all combo pass, and came away inspired and encouraged. I had a great time so it only made sense to do it again!

Wow… what a fantastic event. My last five days have been jam packed with symposium events, screenings, and parties. I am exhausted today but it’s all been well worth it!

This year was a bit different, because I got to actually participate in the festival because my short film script was accepted into the Working Lab. I submitted to this in early May and just got the notice on May 18th that my script had been selected, and I was really excited. Along with two other writers, we sat down with industry mentor John Galway from the Harold Greenburg fund, and gave each other feedback. This was hugely valuable for me for many reasons… because I’ve been so busy with shooting and directing, I haven’t had many outlets lately for writing, so it was nice to just focus on the writing for once. It’s also always a great idea to test your script with actors or writers so that any holes or issues can be figured out before you spend lots of money on getting it made! I got lots of valuable feedback and also some inspiration and advice as far as getting it made, which is my next step.

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Filed Under: Events, News, Short Films
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