By: Jenn Sharp, The StarPhoenix
Source: http://www.thestarphoenix.com
Category: Film School Online
Saskatchewan's film industry is experiencing a period of regrowth and development, according to Anand Ramayya of Karma Film. The Gemini award-winning writer, director and producer took a break on the last day of shooting Ferocious in downtown Saskatoon to answer five questions from StarPhoenix business reporter Jenn Sharp.
Q: When and why did you decide to start Karma Film in Saskatoon?
A: "It was 2002 (when I started Karma Film). My father was a filmmaker so growing up I had been exposed to film through him. I finished university here and got a commerce degree from the U of S. I decided I wanted to do something different and thought I'd give this a shot - I wanted to see if I could make a go of it in the film industry. So I started working with a production company here in town as their staff producer. I did a business plan for them and produced some commercials. I got my first show (a documentary called the Psychedelic Pioneers) off the ground and that's when I went independent. That started the ball rolling. I was working with a really good filmmaker and we got the project financed. The next year I got a documentary of my own going through the film board. It was called Cosmic Current and I directed it. It was a personal journey of our family going back to India and it won a Gemini and the ball just kept rolling from there. Instinctively, I really love working with filmmakers so I focused on building relationships with other filmmakers and writers and directors, and helping them facilitate getting our projects off the ground."
Q: Karma Film is described as a boutique production company on your website. What does that mean?
A: "We're not mass producing and we're selective about the types of shows that we do. We're small and we specialize in filmmaker driven projects. Every boutique would have its own specialty and that's what we do. Even in our TV projects, we're supporting what I think are original voices and original ideas."
Q: How has the Saskatchewan film industry changed since you started over 10 years ago?
A: "I started in (the industry in) 1998 and I remember when I first started there was a handful of pretty big, busy companies in the province. Many of them are still working but I think recently there was a lot of television and series production. As it is with everything, our industry goes in cycles.
The last three years have been exceptionally difficult for everyone. I've seen this happen twice since I started. There was a cycle when I first started where the European TV market collapsed and a number of medium to large companies in Canada went under. Things got good again and the last few years they've been really tough. It's back on the mend now. Right now we're at a period of regrowth and rebuilding. Right now it feels like there are some emerging production companies and still one or two of the pioneers of the industry around."
Q: If you could name one thing that you'd like to see happen in the film industry to encourage growth and development, what would that be?
A: "I would say we need to do as much as we can to support the development of filmmakers and storytellers from here. If you do that, everything else will follow. If you can develop a strong pool of filmmakers that are from here that want to tell stories here, they'll start making more and more projects happen. From there we'll build a crew and we'll build pride in the stories that are told here. The community will get invested and I think the business and the dollars will follow. Out of all the work we do, if we're able to produce one or two or three star filmmakers, and they become people that international financiers want to support - that would be huge for the province And it would be cool to walk by the Galaxy Theatre and say 'that's my neighbour's movie!'"
Q: Do you have a favourite TV show or film you've worked on?
A: "It's hard for me to pick favourites because I feel like they're all my babies. I really owe gratitude to Wapos Bay. As a producer, that project really helped build a lot of community here.
It helped a lot of us get established and to have a consistent project that we could keep doing every year. It kept doors open and helped us learn and create and sustain ourselves and do something we were proud of.
It won some awards and was a great start to what I think will grow into bigger and increasingly exciting things."
Source: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Sask+film+industry+grows/5896416/story.html
Source: http://www.thestarphoenix.com
Category: Film School Online
Saskatchewan's film industry is experiencing a period of regrowth and development, according to Anand Ramayya of Karma Film. The Gemini award-winning writer, director and producer took a break on the last day of shooting Ferocious in downtown Saskatoon to answer five questions from StarPhoenix business reporter Jenn Sharp.
Q: When and why did you decide to start Karma Film in Saskatoon?
A: "It was 2002 (when I started Karma Film). My father was a filmmaker so growing up I had been exposed to film through him. I finished university here and got a commerce degree from the U of S. I decided I wanted to do something different and thought I'd give this a shot - I wanted to see if I could make a go of it in the film industry. So I started working with a production company here in town as their staff producer. I did a business plan for them and produced some commercials. I got my first show (a documentary called the Psychedelic Pioneers) off the ground and that's when I went independent. That started the ball rolling. I was working with a really good filmmaker and we got the project financed. The next year I got a documentary of my own going through the film board. It was called Cosmic Current and I directed it. It was a personal journey of our family going back to India and it won a Gemini and the ball just kept rolling from there. Instinctively, I really love working with filmmakers so I focused on building relationships with other filmmakers and writers and directors, and helping them facilitate getting our projects off the ground."
Q: Karma Film is described as a boutique production company on your website. What does that mean?
A: "We're not mass producing and we're selective about the types of shows that we do. We're small and we specialize in filmmaker driven projects. Every boutique would have its own specialty and that's what we do. Even in our TV projects, we're supporting what I think are original voices and original ideas."
Q: How has the Saskatchewan film industry changed since you started over 10 years ago?
A: "I started in (the industry in) 1998 and I remember when I first started there was a handful of pretty big, busy companies in the province. Many of them are still working but I think recently there was a lot of television and series production. As it is with everything, our industry goes in cycles.
The last three years have been exceptionally difficult for everyone. I've seen this happen twice since I started. There was a cycle when I first started where the European TV market collapsed and a number of medium to large companies in Canada went under. Things got good again and the last few years they've been really tough. It's back on the mend now. Right now we're at a period of regrowth and rebuilding. Right now it feels like there are some emerging production companies and still one or two of the pioneers of the industry around."
Q: If you could name one thing that you'd like to see happen in the film industry to encourage growth and development, what would that be?
A: "I would say we need to do as much as we can to support the development of filmmakers and storytellers from here. If you do that, everything else will follow. If you can develop a strong pool of filmmakers that are from here that want to tell stories here, they'll start making more and more projects happen. From there we'll build a crew and we'll build pride in the stories that are told here. The community will get invested and I think the business and the dollars will follow. Out of all the work we do, if we're able to produce one or two or three star filmmakers, and they become people that international financiers want to support - that would be huge for the province And it would be cool to walk by the Galaxy Theatre and say 'that's my neighbour's movie!'"
Q: Do you have a favourite TV show or film you've worked on?
A: "It's hard for me to pick favourites because I feel like they're all my babies. I really owe gratitude to Wapos Bay. As a producer, that project really helped build a lot of community here.
It helped a lot of us get established and to have a consistent project that we could keep doing every year. It kept doors open and helped us learn and create and sustain ourselves and do something we were proud of.
It won some awards and was a great start to what I think will grow into bigger and increasingly exciting things."
Source: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Sask+film+industry+grows/5896416/story.html
