documentary

Bryan Darrell on the creation of “Tournament”

Michael — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 17:12:09 +0000

The Black Invitational Basketball Tournament was a gift Bryan Darrell left to the black communities of Nova Scotia. Bryan took some time to tell me about the first year “Tournament” was held and the reason he started it.

The post Bryan Darrell on the creation of “Tournament” first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

Tournament – Vince Williams on Community

Michael — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:11:35 +0000

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Tournament Doc – Post 2

Michael — Wed, 10 May 2017 00:39:37 +0000

I had the chance to sit down and talk with Carl Gannon. He was involved with the Black Invitational Basketball Tournament from the very beginning to the very end. He’s played in, sat on the Board of Directors and was a huge part of the yearly organization of the tournament for over fourty years. Here’s a small snippet of his thoughts on how the tournament grew and benefitted the community.

The post Tournament Doc – Post 2 first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

TOURNAMENT DOC Post #1

Michael — Fri, 05 May 2017 17:19:10 +0000

We are under way. Research of the fourty plus year history of the Black Invitational Basketball Tournament in Nova Scotia has begun. I’ll be posting regularly with quotes from interviews, found footage and updates about the project “TOURNAMENT”. Here is a quick clip from tournament veteran Jaysen Bundy from my talk with him the other day. Thanks to everyone who has responded to me so far.

If you were involved in, went to cheer someone on, refereed in, volunteered at, DJ’ed, BBQ’ed, witnessed your best friend get dunked on or have some great pics or video get back at me.

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Digging Into NS Basketball History

Michael — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 18:45:11 +0000

Call To Action

There are some stories that I think should be told and some histories that should be recorded and archived. That is what led me to begin “Breaking Ice”, The Birth of a Canadian Surf Culture. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to dig into a project like that. Freelancing, teaching, and raising a young family takes up an incredible amount of time. Anyone who has ever made a documentary knows the work and care that needs to go into the process to make something that does your subject justice.

Well, here I go again. I’ve started the process of researching the over 40 year history of the Black Invitational Basketball Tournament in Halifax. This is a daunting task but I believe that this story should be told. I’m asking anyone out there that has information, contacts, or has played, coached, organized, refereed, volunteered and even spectators to let me know if you are interested in talking with me over a coffee.

I’d like to build a series of video short stories as teasers in hopes to eventually find funding to help this project come to life. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

The post Digging Into NS Basketball History first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

Opening the Vault

Michael — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 13:39:13 +0000

We just wrapped up the Advanced TV Doc workshop at King’s College on Friday. The class had a packed screening along with an in depth Q&A about process, the do’s and don’ts and advice for the next group of hopeful documentarians to pass through the university doors. I am extremely proud of all of them for what they accomplished. I am also sad to see them go.

With a little time off over the weekend I went back to revisit my final documentary project at Vancouver Film School from 2005. It’s a short doc called “Bleeding Blue Walls” that I co-created with Rosan Sashida Duffour. It’s a historical piece about the history of Canada’s oldest blues bar The Yale. My favourite part is still the narration by the late, great Jack Velker. Enjoy the watch!

The post Opening the Vault first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

The Students and Their Stories Part 2

Michael — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:21:42 +0000

The Documentary: East Side Till the Grave

Introspective yet vibrant and provocative, East Side Till The Grave offers a glimpse into the world of 25-year-old African-Nova Scotian rapper MAJE (mah-jay). Through MAJE’s story, the film touches on obstacles within the hip-hop and rap community in Halifax, and the genre’s influence on the city’s culture.

The Team: Bronwen McKie & Victoria Walton

Bronwen McKie is a fourth year Journalism and International Development honours student at the University of King’s College. She’s keen about science and nature writing, yoga, hiking and being in the ocean. This is her first documentary and she hopes to explore filmmaking and storytelling into the future.

Victoria Walton is a fourth year Journalism student at the University of King’s College, with combined honours in International Development studies through Dalhousie. She’s interested in social issues and international reporting, and enjoys exploring new cities. Victoria will graduate this spring and hopes to gain experience in video production. This is her first film.

The Documentary: Whisper of Freedom

Love, food and shelter are only a few things that Angela Welburn provides to the sick and senior animals at her rescue centre. She gives them a home and the opportunity to live their last days with dignity.

The Team: Sofia Ortega & Kieran Leavitt

Sofia Ortega is a journalism student from Guadalajara Mexico. She has a degree in marketing and most of her work experience is focused on that field and communications. Her main passion is the visual story telling and meeting people from all over the world.

Kieran Leavitt is a student in the one-year baccalaureate of journalism program at the University of King’s College. Even though he has focused heavily on video and documentary film making in school, he will be doing his internship at the Canadian Press in Halifax, N.S. Kieran hopes to one-day work on feature length documentary films.

The post The Students and Their Stories Part 2 first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

The Students and Their Stories

Michael — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 02:25:53 +0000

Here’s a chance to check out two of the student groups from the Advanced TV Documentary workshop at the University of King’s College in Halifax. Learn a little about them, and the stories they’re telling this Friday, March 24th, at The Big Day.

The Documentary: Live On

In 2012, 15-year-old Olivia Jollota passed away from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Her mother, Dale, tells Olivia’s story to illustrate the dangers of experimenting with prescription drugs and to ensure others do not make the same mistake.

The Team: Jessica Hirtle & Delaney MacKay

Jessica Hirtle is a fourth year journalism and international development student at the University of King’s College. She is interested in making documentaries about social justice issues. Her story “From print to paywall” is published in J-Source. Hirtle will be interning with filmmaker Teresa MacInnes at Sea to Sea Productions in April.

Delaney MacKay is a fourth year journalism at the University of King’s College. She enjoys writing stories about cultural and social issues. MacKay’s story “How can journalists regain society’s trust?” is published in J-Source. In April, she will be interning with CTV Atlantic.

The Documentary: 9-0-2 Dodgeball

Nova Scotia Dodgeball was founded in 2015. It came to be because there was not a dedicated dodgeball league in Nova Scotia. They play dodgeball because they love the sport, want to stay active, and; in some cases, want to prepare for tournaments.

The Team: Mark Moffat & Thomas Cobbett Labonté

Mark Moffat is a 24 year old student in the one year Bachelor of Journalism program. Before King’s, Moffat graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science. Moffat wants to be a sportscaster after graduation. He first got into sports journalism as a reporter for the Journal, Saint Mary’s student newspaper. Then, he joined the Saint Mary’s Sports Communications department where he reported for multiple varsity sports. At King’s, he had the opportunity to do several sports stories across multiple platforms. After this workshop, Moffat will be doing an internship at Eastlink TV.

Thomas Cobbett Labonté is a journalism student doing the one year bachelor’s at the University of King’s College. He is originally from Montreal and fully bilingual. He has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Philosophy from l’Université du Québec à Montréal. He is moving back to Montreal in April to do a one month internship at CBC Montreal. He hopes to continue to do journalism in Montreal and eventually direct a Documentary short by himself.

The post The Students and Their Stories first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

Weekend Watch

Michael — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 17:24:12 +0000

https://vimeo.com/blog/post/staff-pick-premiere-skateboarding-on-frozen-sand

I was looking for some creative inspiration on Vimeo yesterday when I came across “Northbound”. Jørn Nyseth Ranem’s short film about skateboarding the frozen sands of Norway’s Lofoten Islands is beautiful and authentic both in subject matter and execution. The article attached to the short film is a great read about his process. Enjoy something a little different and have a great weekend.

The post Weekend Watch first appeared on Horizon Line Films.

Big Day 2017

Michael — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:10:22 +0000

It’s been a couple of busy weeks for the Advanced TV Doc workshop at The University of King’s College in Halifax. Teams made it through their shoot days in weeks three and four with few issues. Week five has seen every single one of them jump full throttle into their edits. This group is full of self starters, and I’ve noticed a bit more of a creative edge this year. They are a determined lot, and their docs are eclectic in story and characters.

I will be profiling each group over the next week with a bit of a synopsis of their ten minute doc. For now here’s a quick rundown of the documentaries screening on March 24th. Everyone is welcome, so come on by and take in some great student documentary work.

4×4 Short Documentary Showcase

9-0-2 Dodgeball
Live On
East Side Till The Grave
Whisper of Freedom

Friday March 24 2017, 1:15pm

KTS 2nd Floor, New Academic Building

University of King’s College, Halifax

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