"Focus on Features" research project explores how Ontario filmmakers contribute to culture and creativity in Canada
A study launched this week aims to understand the factors behind the creative potential of Ontario’s film industry and the role that feature filmmaking plays in Canadian cultural production. The study, entitled Focus on Features: The Future of Filmmaking in Ontario, will look beyond the traditional economic indicators that are often used to describe the industry’s status to explore the underlying factors that shape the professional and personal experiences of film writers, directors, and producers.
“Our goal is to tell the story of how talent is fostered in the Canadian-owned, Ontario-based film industry,” said Anna Stratton of the Producers Roundtable of Ontario (PRO). “By exploring the career paths of writers, directors, and producers, as well as the obstacles they face, we want to help chart a way forward to ensure opportunities for success and for Ontario to become a leader in feature film in Canada and internationally.”
Directors, writers, and producers are invited and encouraged to complete a short, confidential online questionnaire (external link, opens in new window) to contribute to the study. The project team also invites other professionals in the film industry to share their thoughts and opinions by writing directly to Jessica Thom, co-principal investigator, at j3thom@torontomu.ca.
The results of the study will be made available in a series of documentary-style visual reports. In addition, a written report of the online survey results, and in-depth interviews with writers, directors, and producers will be made available through the project website at FocusOnFeatures.ca (external link, opens in new window) . The website will provide access for students, industry professionals and the general public to all of these findings, and will also serve as a foundation for continued conversations. These will be available in the fall of 2016.
The study has received funding from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Telefilm Canada, the Harold Greenberg Fund, the Producers Roundtable of Ontario and the Directors Guild of Canada (National office and Ontario District Council). The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is also a participating member in the project.
“Ryerson is home to nine leading schools in media and creative industries. For seven decades, our students and faculty have been at the heart of the evolution of cultural industries – an evolution that is ongoing,” said Charles Falzon, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Design at Ryerson University. “We are happy to be partnering with DGC and PRO to imagine the future of the filmmaking industry for writers, directors, producers, and culture as a whole.”
“Feature film has long been an extraordinarily versatile and dynamic way to reflect Ontario’s many facets to people everywhere in the world,” added Tim Southam, President of the Directors Guild of Canada. “As viewing habits and delivery systems shift it is time to do a deep dive and glean the lessons we need to develop innovative writers, directors, and producers of the future. I look forward to this project’s findings.”
For more information, please visit www.focusonfeatures.ca (external link, opens in new window)
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.torontomu.ca
PRO (Producer's Roundtable of Ontario) is a caucus and coalition of Ontario-based producers of Canadian feature films (fiction and non-fiction) in which they own and control copyright. PRO members work together on advocacy initiatives specific to the development, production and distribution of Ontario feature films.
The Directors Guild of Canada Ontario (DGC Ontario) is a provincial labour organization representing more than 2000 key creative and logistical personnel working in the screen-based industries in the areas of direction, design, production, locations, accounting and editing. DGC Ontario secures work opportunities for its Members, represents their interests through the negotiation and administration of collective agreements, and engages in extensive industry advocacy and lobbying activities at the provincial and municipal levels.
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) represents more than 2,200 professional English-language screenwriters across Canada. These are the creators who write the distinctly Canadian entertainment we enjoy on our televisions, movie screens, and digital platforms. For more information, visit www.wgc.ca (external link, opens in new window) or on Twitter, @WGCtweet.
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