When I received an email from CITIZENshift in regards to a project I did back in January 2006, it took me by surprise. A Chill in the Air was an experimental film that I made for the Make Shorts, Not War contest. The goal was to take a pacifist perspective and by using footage of WWI provided by the National Film Board, create a message of peace. Overall, the experience was incredibly rewarding. My film was shortlisted as part of the English top 10 out of 280 submissions across Canada. Each week the public voted online, eliminating 2 films a week until the final 4. A Chill in the Air made it to that final round.
In the end I didn't win, but until checking on the CITIZENshift site I had just been using the 'top 4' credit for the film. What I found out though is that I actually came in 3rd place (perhaps 2nd place in the popular vote?). The 1st place film was the one that received the most votes (people's choice), the 2nd place was jury's choice (judges/organizers of the contest choice), and my film is listed as honorable mention (the leftover, haha).
The 7 other submissions are listed as finalists. Throughout the contest I was featured in the news in my hometown of Medicine Hat (a small city of 60,000 people). So if having a bunch of strangers vote and share feedback on my film from across the country wasn't enough, being in the local news ended up bringing me back into contact with people from high school who were suddenly seeing my name again. Of course, there was also a great rallying of support from my family and friends who undoubtedly made my experience such a success.
That winter in 2006 was a pretty eventful one for me. It was interesting to be reminded of that, and to rewatch my film again after all this time when I was contacted for an update for the CITIZENshift blog series 'Where Are They Now?'. My answer was, and is, simple enough: still in film school.
Sometimes I get in the mood to edit, but with no new footage I end up rehashing old stuff to make new videos. It's not so much that I plan on doing anything with the video when it's done (although the blog has provided a showcase for my whims) but I do find editing cathartic and relaxing when working on personal stuff. For one reason or another (mostly because I'd rather do anything than work on my history paper right now) I had Vegas on the brain so I started playing. I thought about all of the raw footage I shot on Fremont Street in 2005 and that was enough to go on. It's kind of fun to think of how many random edits of things I could make without shooting anything else. Around an hour later I came up with this.
I remember seeing this ad on TV back in high school and by chance came across it again on YouTube. Molson always had very patriotic advertising (Molson Canadian beer, who would've thought?) but none of them have come close to this one in my view. Have to say that it still gives me chills and makes me proud to be a Canuck. My name is Luke, and "I AM CANADIAN!!"
Seeing as I'm on a bit of nostalgia trip I thought I'd share another VERY Canadian video with you. This one goes as far back as I remember to the late 80's (I would've been 5 or 6 years old) when you'd catch the Log Driver's Waltz on CBC between various morning shows. See how stereotypes bring us closer together? haha.
