A question for you

Hello again

Greetings from Cold Lake, Alberta! In case you’ve forgotten I’m here working as a Field PA on a Discovery Channel show. Life here is strange and surreal. We have a small crew that works and lives on this air force base 24/7. We follow the same small group of pilot’s day in and day out. Their lives are fascinating and my co-workers are fantastic but after a few months of the same scene every freaking day… well, you start to lose your grip on reality! Especially on bad weather days. To tell you the truth I’ve been getting fat sitting on my butt when a storm blows in. Not a lot to film when the pilots we’re documenting can’t fly.

Luckily, my sanity was recently given a reprieve as I visited Whistler, BC and pitched Fixing Capitalism to a group of broadcasters, commissioning editors, and other various peoples with money. In case you missed the event you can find out all about Doc Talk and Pitch Fest West here:

http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=152

So there I am, standing in front of about 200 people with my creative partner Alan Goldman. About to “pitch” them. (Pitching is a TV and Film thing, where you entice someone to back your idea). I’m sweating, the lights are in my eyes and my suit is too tight (snow days, remember). Right as I open my mouth, everything clicks. My butterflies disappear, Alan and I do a great job, the feedback is great. Once again, I am reminded of how much I love the stage. If I could stand in front of the whole world and give them one powerful message of peace and hope, I’d do so in an instant. Lately I’m been having dreams where I am on stage about to do that, but I wake just before I start speaking.

In case you’re wondering, no body ended up “backing” Fixing Capitalism. The feedback was tough but very focused. If anything, the next step will be the hardest yet. We have to make that final leap from idea to story. We’re almost there. If we can get do it, we have some people to call back.

As soon I get done this job I’ll have a free month to try and make that next push. Either the story will come or I’ll have some hard decisions to make.

This film might be too radical and intellectual to make it onto TV. The next months will tell a lot.

Funny thing, Capitalism is having quite an influence over Fixing Capitalism.

What else, what else? I’ve been feeling good in general and taking long walks in the woods, taking time to sort though my thoughts and my heart. I’m enjoying my day job and thinking that TV and film could be a real home for me as a career, on top of my activism. Being a filmmaker and a change maker go hand in hand.

Oh, and while I was in Whistler I bought a book to read on those bad weather days. “The Documentary Filmmakers Handbook” by Genevieve Jolliffe and Andrew Zinnes is my new companion on the days I’m forced to ‘stand-by to stand-by’. If I’ve got to sit on my butt I might as well be adding some tools to my toolbox.

Yup. That’s about it. Still in Cold Lake. Had a good ‘Pitch’ at Doc Talk. Feeling happy. Ready to move forward after this gig, even if FC ends up being independently financed and produced.

Here’s a question. Does anyone actually read this Blog? If you do read this please consider making a comment in the comments section on the following question:

Should I continue to work within the Canadian system to get this project on TV (and thus financed) OR should poor my efforts into finding an alternative and independent way to move things forward?

One way or another I am going to see the project though to completion. Nothing is impossible, not even Fixing Capitalism.

Much peace and love to all

Adam J. Cormier