“Tired, Terrified, and Terrific” replied the three directors Mike Moring, Sean Bruce, and Michael Morritt after having their short films showcased at this years Arts Week in Peterborough. In a Q&A session that followed the screenings at Market Hall, the featured directors were asked, “How are you feeling?” following their respective film premiers.
Mike Moring confessed that he was fairly tired. After completing shooting on the 2nd of September, Moring had to edit his feature film endlessly in order for it to be completed and ready for showtime on the 7th. Moring showcased three of his more recent films. The first was a short film that parodied the “Christian Bale Incident” that occurred on the set of the Terminator Salvation. Moring’s twist was replaceing Bale with a porn star having a tantrum on the set of his latest porn production. The second was a trailer for a web series called “Jobless” that featured a character with no money doing costly activities. The third, “A Certain Kind of Monster”, delved into a darker storyline that featured two characters with only one surviving the film. Moring displays great use of technical equipment, editing skills, and use of make-up to create a genuinely scary story. It was by far the most shocking film showcased at the opening night of Arts Week and by far the most interesting. All three films were well received.
Second to answer was Sean Bruce, who immediately admitted that he was terrified. Unsure of how his web series was going to be received by the audience, he anxiously sat in his seat hoping the audience would like it. The quirky and vibrant characters lighten the mood in the Sci-Fi post – apocalyptic world of Grimwell. The special effects and recognizable locations made Grimwell a fun series to watch. Bruce appeared to be very shy in the Q&A but his performance as an actor within the web series was nothing short of spectacular. With the first season now complete, Bruce anticipates starting work on the second season.
Michael Morritt simple answer was that he he felt terrific. Morritt decided to show five short films that he had created over the past several years. The first was called “Manatee Und Flaveur” which he co-wrote with collaborator Morgan Glass and was originally created for a comedy film festival in Peterborough. The second was “The Death of Morgan Glass” which was entirely created with footage found from the internet. The third film was a series of fake campaign ads for a fake American politician and was a riot for the audience. Morritt’s fourth film was a silent movie that depicted the end of a relationship between two lovers. His final film was called “Modigliani Space Shuttle” which featured Trent University actors. Morritt’s films were generally well received by an audience.
The directors continued through the night discussing life in the low-budget film industry. With next to no money to shoot films in Peterborough, the directors don’t fret on how they’re going to fund their next projects but instead look at the benefits of filming in a smaller community. According to Michael Moring, “filming in Peterborough allowed me to easily find actors that would work for free.” When the directors were asked how they would improve their films if they had a ten thousand dollar budget, Moring and Bruce joked that they would actually pay their actors.
At the opening night of Arts Week in Peterborough, the featured directors demonstrated how working with the local community could improve the quality and standards of the low-budget film industry. With the help of local sponsors, a growing art scene and an enthused audience; the possibilities are expanding for these local directors. Events like Arts Week bring out the best in local artists and it certainly had that effect for Morritt, Moring, and Bruce.
Correction (November 25, 2018): A previous edition of this article called Morgan Glass “Murno Gladst.” Morgan Glass is a real person with whom Morritt collaborated. Murno Gladst does not exist. Apologies for the confusion!