Becoming a Director
by Karen Margolese
In the early 1990’s I woke up one day and decided I wanted
to see what working in the film industry had to offer.
Coming from a family that was not involved in anyway except
for being able to enjoy a good film or television show, I
needed to explore all my options on my own. So I enrolled in
the Vancouver Film School for one course, “Production
Planning as First AD.” I felt this course was the most
interesting at the time because I wanted to know what was
behind the camera and how films were organized for shooting,
as I knew they were rarely shot in sequence.
I am a “think it through” kind of person so it seemed like
the best option for me. In the course I met a local AD who
was working on a TV series, and invited me to set to see how
things were done. It was then that I got hooked and decided
this was the career path I wanted for myself. So I paid my
$5 to the DGC – yes only five dollars – I enrolled in the
traffic control course, and within a few weeks I had gotten
my first job as a production assistant on the TV series
MacGyver.
Picking up cigarette butts and getting yelled at by angry
crew members was not what I had expected, but I figured I
had to pay my dues, and I was just glad to be working and
learning. It was exciting to be working in new locations all
the time and in places that I would never get to see if I
chose a different career. It wasn’t long before I was ready
to get into the AD department as a trainee and start to
really learn what scheduling, planning, and organizing
really meant. I remember one early morning at 4:00am
standing in the middle of the Lions Gate Bridge while the
sun was coming up and thinking to myself, “wow, this is so
cool”, when else would you be able to stand here and not be
scared of getting run over by traffic. That thought was over
fast as I had to organize the crowds of people (extras) who
were coming towards me for our shoot of a Marathon Scene for
a commercial.
The years went on, and I moved up from PA to Trainee AD, to
3rd AD and finally to 2nd AD. At first, moving up to 2nd was
a tough phase for me because I really enjoyed being back at
the trailers and running the workings of the machine.
Becoming a 2nd AD at first was a challenge in the sense that
now I had to make more decisions and delegate to other
people. I loved my job, and when asked if I ever wanted to
be a director the answer was always “NO”, perhaps a
Production Manager or Producer, but never a Director.
Cut to… After years of work in the industry and having
had many wonderful experiences, I still wasn’t quite as
fulfilled as I needed to be. I needed something else,
something to satisfy my creative and emotional side.
In the spring of 2006, I was traveling in Bangkok, Thailand
where I came across a book called “Welcome to the Bangkok
Slaughterhouse”. The title intrigued me and as I sat by the
pool, I read the book in one sitting. It was about the
Children of the Slums of Bangkok and the suffering they had
endured. My heart was stricken and I needed to go meet these
children. I went to the Mercy Centre Orphanage where over
200 children resided and within seconds I knew this was it,
this was a Documentary that needed to be made, and I needed
to tell the story.
Next thing you know I am back in Canada, writing and
researching and fundraising and organizing and booking
everything to go to make this film happen.
The journey has been tough yet rewarding. In order to start
the funding to get me to Bangkok, I organized and event at a
local club. I had 3 bands play, charged a small admission
fee, received all sorts of donations for a raffle from local
restaurants, hotels, spa’s gift shops etc… It was amazing
how many people are willing to help out a good cause. The
hard work I put into organizing the event energized me even
more in the belief in my project. The support I got that
evening made me truly feel that so many people believed in
me. The only thing left to do was to believe in myself.
My very good friend and wonderful cinematographer, Stephen
Maier agreed to come along to Thailand in March 2007. It
was very important to work with someone I knew I would get
along with and who would understand my vision, and someone
whom I could trust with their talents. Stephen bought a
brand new camera 3 days before we left, the Sony HV1U, HD
format camera. The biggest lesson I have learned, and still
learning in post production is to NOT use the Advanced pull
down setting (24A). It has caused many problems with time
code breaks. I had to have the tapes dubbed into SD for now
in order to cut a small teaser. We are learning that the
advanced setting does not like Final Cut and the workarounds
are very difficult. We are now in the process of
transferring to DVC pro HD and will cut the film Online in
that format, which will in the end save some money and time,
but it is a valuable lesson I learned with making sure how
important it is to do all your homework before going to
camera.
The next biggest challenge is finding a good editor. Someone
who can cut well as well as be a good story teller. As
documentaries are so different than a scripted film, often
the story really unfolds in the editing suite. I have the
basis of my story and the message I am getting across but it
is the magic of the editor that pulls it all together.
To get me where I am now has taken a lot of perseverance,
and dedication and belief in myself. I have learned the main
principals to making this work was; Passion, belief,
research, and honor to keep my word.
I am now a Director, a Writer and a Producer. I made it
happen without even realizing it. I followed a dream and
made it become a reality. I wake up every day and say “wow”
I am a filmmaker now. Years of working on Features,
Commercials, Series and MOW’s I never felt like a filmmaker.
Of course I was part of the machine of making films, but
only now am I actually a “Filmmaker”. I am not going to say
it is easy, it isn’t. I am learning all over again, and
there are days that I feel I am not getting anywhere, but
then I look at my footage, and all the work I have done and
continue to do. Everyday I am closer to finishing my film,
“Slaughterhouse Kids”. Soon I will be able to sit back and
say “congratulations Karen, you did it” You are a Filmmaker,
a Director, a Producer and a Success!!!
In the meantime, I am self promoting by keeping an on-line
blog. I am currently working on a new trailer that will be
up on the internet soon, and I have Website under
construction. (http://www.slaughterhousekids.com)
To end this article, I would like to say go with your heart,
follow your desires. Filmmaking is a passionate art, so if
you feel strongly about your goals and you are passionate
about following through, just keep on persevering and you
can do it.
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Karen Margolese
mailto:slaughterhousekids@gmail.com
http://www.slaughterhousekids.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4880009537
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Copyright (c) 2008 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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