Whistler Film Festival - Melody Makers
Melody Makers chronicles the birth of music journalism during the zeitgeist of rock n roll - it is based on the photographic archive of Melody Maker magazine's Chief Contributing Photographer, Barrie Wentzell (1965-1975).
Interview with Writer/Director Leslie - Ann Coles
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was initially inspired by the photography and the stories behind the images. Barrie Wentzell and his colleagues were truly the unsung heroes of rock n roll and I felt compelled to tell their story.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Melody Makers chronicles a unique period in music history and tells the story of the rise and fall of a seminal magazine, Melody Maker.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
"Melody Makers", embraces my passion for photography and appreciation for authentic storytelling. Universal themes are reflected in the political and social ideals expressed by the interviewees.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
"Melody Makers" took some time to complete...it began as an intimate artist portrait about a rock photographer and evolved into a larger story about the magazine Barrie worked on when I received development funding from the OMDC, and traveled to the UK to interview Barrie's colleagues and others who worked on the magazine during its heyday.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Whistler is the premiere and I was delighted Melody Makers was including in the ten TOP PICKS OF THEFEST. The response from the audience this far has been fabulous!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I certainly feel pleased to know the documentary has been received this well and it has made me optimistic about the documentary's future as it moves forward.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I do hope visibility on wearemovingstories will attract more interest to Melody Makers so that I may grow the audience and introduce new people to my work as a filmmaker.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s messages?
I do seek sales agents, buyers, distributors, and journalists to review the documentary.
I'm also looking forward to having "Melody Makers" screen in other festivals.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like the film to enlighten audiences to a unique time in music history when Barrie and the journalists had unprecedented access and confidences were kept. In the grand scheme, I do hope for a healthy festival run in the international film festival circuit, a theatrical run, as well as, international sales. Ideally, I hope to launch the documentary series off the back of the feature, "Melody Makers".
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What if anything has changed in music, music journalism and music photography?
Would you like to add anything else?
Really enjoyed Whistler Film Festival and Whistler as a whole. It was really great having the premiere on Canadian soil!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Working on getting this documentary to market and developing features and a series.
Interview: December 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Melody Makers
Melody Makers chronicles the birth of music journalism during the zeitgeist of rock n roll - it is based on the photographic archive of Melody Maker magazine's Chief Contributing Photographer, Barrie Wentzell (1965-1975).
Length: 95 min
Director:
Leslie - Ann Coles
> Producers:
Leslie - Ann Coles
Richard Hanet
Mark Sanders
Writer:
Leslie - Ann Coles
About the writer, director and producer:
Leslie - Ann Coles - Director, Producer - of LA Coles Fine Art Films is an independent filmmaker. A former modern dancer and choreographer, Leslie - Ann transitioned into film and TV in 2000 with her award winning debut film, "In The Refrigerator" that screened at 35 film festivals and garnered thirteen international awards for Best Debut Film, Best Picture, Best Short Film, Best Avant Garde and the Grand Jury Award for Filmmaker In An Acting Role. Leslie - Ann, a Women In The Director’s Chair (WIDC) alumni won three CTV Banff Fellowships for her original series, all optioned.
The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) awarded LA Coles Fine Art Films a Development Grant for "Melody Makers, Should've Been There". Leslie - Ann has written an interactive digital media project which follows Melody Makers titled, LENS ON MUSIC aka F-STOP and she has other projects in various stages of development, and post production.
As Founder and Executive Director of the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) est. 2001, Leslie Ann previews over 300 independent films annually. She recently completed producing ten (10) short films directed by Aboriginal youth under the FeFF Young Filmmaker Development Workshop. These films will premiere at the FeFF 2016. To date the FeFF has produced forty-six short films involving youth including youth at risk. Having viewed and programmed films at the FeFF for the past fourteen years Leslie - Ann has a keen eye, and appreciation for good documentary film making. The Female Eye is regaled for its fine programming.
Richard Hanet - Producer - In addition to his law practice, Richard has acted as an executive producer on various projects including the feature film “One Week”, awarded a gala presentation at TIFF 2008, and successfully released with a Canadian box office exceeding $1,250,000; the 2010 feature film “Score: A Hockey Musical”, which was the opening film at TIFF in 2010; and, most recently, Michael McGowan’s “Still Mine”, a drama starring two Academy Award-nominated actors – James Cromwell (“Babe”) and Geneviève Bujold (“Anne of the Thousand Days”) – which premiered as a special presentation at TIFF in 2012 and was released worldwide in 2013 to achieve a world wide box office in the range of $2,000,000 to date.
In the documentary area, Richard is executive producing two theatrical feature docs being Melody Makers and the soon to be completed $750,000 picture “Athenaeum Enterprise” (aka “A History of Receding Horizons”) directed by Alison Rose. Richard has had numerous theatrical and documentary credits, only a portion of which are noted on IMBD, including a credit on the Academy Award nominee documentary “Prisoner of Paradise”. By way of background, Entente Entertainment Inc. was incorporated June 2, 2004 out of the ashes of Alliance Atlantis by Richard Hanet and Andy Thomson to catalyse Canadian factual production by co-ordinating international financing opportunities with Canadian producers and broadcasters, either as a consultant or a producer itself. After a successful first few years, Richard assumed full control of Entente after the retirement of Andy. Since then it has further expanded its mandate to include involvement in the scripted area. As well as providing the services of Richard as an executive producer as noted above, Entente is presently is developing, either independently or as a co-producing partner, a number of projects, including factual series and feature films and continues to expand its business to assist new, ground breaking projects to unprecedented successes.
Richard is often recommended as a co-production partner by Telefilm and the OMDC, particularly to mine the experience of Richard in managing the production of complex projects, or alternatively, to assist newer producers or creative types with the production of their projects.
Mark Sanders - Producer - For over 25 years, Mark has worked in a creative capacity on over 50 films and 400 episodes of television. As owner of Film PaniK, Mark produced several multi-award winning films that have been presented at over 100 film festivals worldwide. Mark had a longstanding working relationship with film maverick and mentor, John Dunning of Cinepix, Canada’s first independent studio, now known as Lionsgate. As a founder at Berkshire Axis Media, he exercised his executive skills, although he's most known for being in edit suites and the trenches with the film crews. After four good years and four feature films, Mark returned to his own independent production company.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Funders:
CBC, The Documentary Channel, NFB andf OMDC Development
Made in association with: LACOLES FINEART FILMS in association wioth FilmPaniK
Release date: 2017
Where will it screen in the next month? TBA