Inspired by all the early City Symphony films from the 1920's and 30's that I saw in my first year of uni, in the summer of 2003 I attempted one of my own. On a day trip up to Calgary my friend Andrea and I were playing tourist and I ended up shooting a ton of footage from the top of the Calgary Tower. Mixed with some other footage I shot of the old hotels and buildings by the tracks in Medicine Hat, I cut together a vignette of a growing urban landscape.
Like those early classics, Urban Jazz is a contrast between the old city and new city, between structure and chaos, the beauty and decay. Having shot the project almost entirely from above, there are some pretty interesting vantage points and patterns. What makes these city symphony flicks so unique in my view is that as they age they gain even more depth. The city changes, growing and shrinking, and the technology, from the cars to the signs, begin to date the footage.
While this project showcases some of my novice, and rather playful editing, it's also an example of my focus to branch out and experiment (I was 19 at the time). I hadn't really made any serious 'avant garde' flicks before this one, and the year in university that came after this essentially opened the flood gates. To me it's just another reminder that as quickly as time has gone, I created a lot of stepping stones by trying new things and making videos purely to entertain myself. To say the least, I'm happy that motivation hasn't faded.
Late in the summer of 2008 I was anxious to make a new video and was feeling motivated by the fact that for the first time in years I didn't have to pack up and head off to university. More than anything, I wanted to create a personal piece about what I was feeling at that very moment, about how things suddenly seemed so wide open again after years of school had left me feeling stuck and uninspired. By August I had saved a bit of money, my student debt was finally on the decline and I was comfortably settled back home. It had been 4 months since I left, and all in all it took about that long just to gain perspective on what I'd left behind and what exactly my new focus was going to be. In short, Day Dream Day was made to mark the end of a chapter.
Being in a nostalgic mood to start, I wrote a short poem to use as the structure for the project. The rooftop seemed like a good location to base my shoot around, not only because it felt symbolic in referencing my childhood neighbourhood, but because it was literally a place to have my head in the clouds. Throughout high school I remember climbing on the roof countless times during the summer just to be alone, and on occasion to catch the exhibition fireworks.
Day Dream Day, simply, is about the passing of time in pursuit of my own dreams/goals. I always get a little closer, and then naturally the dream gets bigger. I think we can all relate to this. Hence, the spacing in the title: day, dream, day instead of merely a 'daydream' day.
I've received many mixed reviews about how this short was concluded, despite general appreciation for the overall piece. I can't expect everyone to respond to the movie the same way I do, especially when it represents something quite personal. However, my choice for the conclusion was clear.
The poem/narration is about my continued focus on making movies, editing, and pursuing film as a career despite the risk and competition. To show this, in the conclusion of Day Dream Day I'm walking around on the roof, but here's the point - those walking clips are of me setting up my shots, moving the camera between takes, and putting the project together. After musing about creating new edits and projects, the conclusion is my attempt to show you - it's the candid footage between takes of me actually constructing Day Dream Day. It's done with the point of connecting the dream to the reality of what I want to do, and how I'm already doing it, how the very project you're watching serves my goal.
It's an otherwise clean cut little movie, about the summation of a not-so-clean cut journey through an education in filmmaking.
Day Dream Day (2008) Written and Directed by Luke Fandrich Day Dream Day Poem: Perched on the roof with the street at a glance, An afternoon devoted to pondering chance. The neighbourhood's silent, the possibility's there, But you think to yourself, and you shift and you stare. It's nice to be free, it's nice to be young, Your potential, you reason, is so out strung. You glance at the windows, the roofs, and ground, It's a long way up, when the there's just pavement around. The world is my oyster, the future my now, So many questions, but most of them how. I want to be seen, and I want to be heard, But so high up, I think, there's only the birds. So I'll get back to the ground, get my head from the clouds, I'll shuffle and mingle, shake hands with the crowds. I'll do what it takes, and I'll work the late hours, I'll sacrifice some sleep, some meals, some showers. I'm just another dreamer, another guy with some hope, Just a man on a leash, tugged by someone elses rope. But from here things look fine, with camera in hand, I'll shoot what I'll see, I'll edit and I'll land. All at once I won't do, cause I don't wanna fall, I'll just ease myself back, while admiring it all. But maybe not yet, not just for this minute, I want to dream a bit more, and find myself lost in it.
In an effort to put some of my down time to use, I started putting together a new DVD portfolio of some of my work. I recently upgraded my editing software to play with some new transitions and filters, and revising my portfolio seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them out. This preview will play as a lead in to my main menu on my reel where anyone can view samples of my projects. It's a brag fest, but I guess that's the point.
Inspired by all the early City Symphony films from the 1920's and 30's that I saw in my first year of uni, in the summer of 2003 I attempted one of my own. On a day trip up to Calgary my friend Andrea and I were playing tourist and I ended up shooting a ton of footage from the top of the Calgary Tower. Mixed with some other footage I shot of the old hotels and buildings by the tracks in Medicine Hat, I cut together a vignette of a growing urban landscape.
