The second year of CineCoup is underway! CineCoup,
the latest variation on crowdsourcing, draws audiences into the filmmaking
process from the beginning by inviting them to judge the films they’d most like
to see in theatres. The contest puts filmmakers through the gamut of the film
biz by challenging them to pre-production missions that pitch their projects to
the public. The winner gets up to one million in production financing and a
release in Cineplex theatres, and the added bonus of a ready-made audience
eager to see the film.
This year’s CineCoup challenge
features two projects by Ottawa filmmakers: Lucidity
and Edith. The teams’ first challenge
is to make a one-minute trailer to pique the interest of prospective fans. Both
projects are genre pieces and both look promising. Both films could use some
help in the early stages, so here’s a quick at the local CineCoup contenders:
Lucidity is the one project of the two
with which I’m familiar pre-CineCoup. Lucidity’s
team features a range of newcomers who have been honing their skills in various
productions and Ottawa film challenges. The film expands upon the team’s entry
in this February’s SPARTA Film Challenge and the trailer features footage from the original short. The
SPARTA judges (including yours truly) gave the film enough votes for it to take
the prize for Best Incorporation of the Catch Criteria, which was a line of
dialogue from a film and a Do It for Daron wristband. (Watch the full short here.)
Lucidity, the SPARTA film, shows some
promise and ambition as Justin Courville and Jordan Ladisa create a trippy
sci-fi film in which players experience the consequences of the gaming world.
The production has some signs of the limits of a project conceived within the
time constraints of a 72-hour film challenge, but the team has a good concept
to build on as they vie for the million dollars. I’m interested to see what they
can do with more time and money.
Synopsis: With the launch of a
new virtual reality game on the horizon, Lucidity will offer players cutting
edge graphics and a never before seen artificial intelligence system. Developed
by a multibillionaire prodigy, he’s been pushing gamer’s experience to its
pinnacle, not only by delivering a game which mimics real life, but also
introduces artificial intelligence into the electronic world. With the game
being in development, it has only been released to a select few programmers. Watch
as Patient Zero makes his way through the wormhole called Lucidity. Remember,
Reality is not what you think.
Team:
Riley Easton – Director/Editor
Jordan Ladisa – Director of
Photography, Editor
Charles Longchamps – Writer/actor
Mission 1: Trailer
Browsing the projects at CineCoup
marks my first encounter with Edith,
but the team features a trio of talents who have appeared in host of local
productions ranging from small to significant. Director Claudia Jurt and
teammate Peter Jurt previously collaborated on the short film Detention, which you can watch in full here. Claudia Jurt has also
acted in several films including TheMaiden Danced to Death, The House at the End of the Street, and Ottawa cult hit Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. Edith’s
other credited teammate is actor/writer Olivier Surprenant, who also has the
credit of House at the End of the Street
to his Name as well as the recent found footage film American Descent. Jurt and Surprenant share the previous credit of
the short film Addicted about a cast
of Justin Bieber addicts. Edith is an
original concept (as far as I know), but the teaser is slick, creepy, and very
promising. The team probably has an edge on the local front since they’re
really on the ball with the all-important social media campaigns that drive
votes throughout the competition, and their network of experience probably
helps, too.
Synopsis: Edith is a small town
that is believed to be cursed. Every few years, since 1988, children go missing.
Team:
Claudia Jurt: Director/writer
Peter Jurt: Producer/ Marketing and
social
Olivier Surprenant:
Producer/Writer
Which CineCoup projects are you
rooting for?
