2019 Year in Review

The clock has ticked down on the days of another year and with the striking of midnight, we move into the year 2020. With this New Year, it brings around the discussion and evaluation of what was accomplished the previous year.

The iFilmGroup team has much to be excited about. 2019 was an exciting and event-filled year. The list of events and accomplishments are more than ever could be listed in a year-end review. We would like to highlight some of the major events of the last year and we reflect on iFilmGroup in 2019.

For those interested in seeing all the events please check out our articles, blogs, and press releases. iFilmGroup has had a busy 2019. With the focus being on finishing two films and taking another film through the entire production process from script to the point of being in post-production.

The iFilmGroup leadership team has expanded by two talented individuals. The team has worked not only on filming but also on the aspect of education and training through workshops and partnerships for training with theatre groups and educational organizations. The team has had a number of requests to speak at various organizations to talk about the film.

Over 2019 there has been a growing interest in iFilmGroup and what the group does.
So let’s share some accomplishments with you…

‘Struggles Within’
Kicked off with iFilmGroup on a number of fronts. The New Year opened up with the announcement that ‘Struggles Within’ received another official selection and nomination at a film festival. The film would finish the year with 1 award and 2 official selections, and 3 official nominations. These were a smaller amount of awards than other recent films that award-winning director Matthew Marshall and the iFilmGroup team have been accustom to recently. But the film was an iFilmGroup ‘associated film’ and not one of their actual productions. iFilmGroup co-founders Marshall and Don Hickey were part of the production team of the film but not at the helm in making all the creative choices.

The film was released originally and then iFilmGroup did some reworking before it was released again in the summer of 2018. Marshall was pleased with the results all things considered and feels it’s a film that not everyone understands when they watch, as it has a deeper level, dealing with mental illness.

The film is a 14 minute telling of a “story through almost all music and dance” about a girl struggling with depression and contemplating suicide. It’s about her choices to find the hope to continue to live. “The story is told through the thoughts of the main character”, Marshall says. The film is a timely story that speaks to what many people in society are struggling with. It’s done in a way that words do not fill the story, but images, dance, and music do, so the viewer can “feel” the story being told on screen. It also can be related to, if the person watching has had experience in their life either personally or through a member of their family with the issue of depression or mental illness.

“Many who have seen the film feel it shows what many people “feel” in struggling with depressions and mental illness.
— Movie Audience

Drama Therapist and a Registered Psychotherapist
added to the iFilmGroup Leadership Team
January 2019 also brought about the announcing of a new member of the iFilmGroup leadership team in Angel Bilagot. She is a Drama Therapist and a Registered Psychotherapist. Angel graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a combined degree in Psychology and Theatre. She completed her Master’s Degree at Concordia University, specializing in Drama Therapy. She continued her training in Drama Therapy in New York City while working as a Therapist at the PTSD Clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. She was provided with the opportunity to have gained professional experiences to work, teach, and develop programs for environments such as the Jewish General Hospital (Montreal), The Canadian Institute for Neuro-Integrative Development (Montreal), The Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, and The University of Alberta (Edmonton).

After being added to the team, iFilmGroup did a drama Therapy workshop. The focus was on expressing emotions and character through puppets and acting.

iFilmGroup Working with Fanshawe College
The month of January 2019 continued to be busy for the team as iFilmGroup and m & s Marshall Productions working to help Fanshawe out in looking for some key roles for an event that school was hosting dealing with its various medical-based programs where they had actors play simulated Patients for student evaluations. Fanshawe also had its large Mock Disaster event which not only need actors to play patients but also dramatic makeup/SFX artists that could do the makeup for Mass Casualty Incident day.

FEBRUARY 2019
Audition Calls for anticipated movie “Not Ready”
Things did not let up in February for the iFilmGroup team. Don Hickey was busy working on the finish touches to his new script “Not Ready” which was to be the summer 2019 production for iFilmGroup. The film follows Professor Richard Pratt as he finds out he has a short time to live due to a medical condition.

Matthew Marshall would direct the film and co-produce with Hickey on the film. Marshall was busy preparing aspects of the production side. Audition calls were put out and Marshall searched for crew for the film. The big search was for cast and finding two individuals to anchor the film leads as well as four secondary characters to secure the second level of talent. The team was also looking for people for an intern role and for nurses and PSW’s to consult and play the medical aspects of the production.

Both Marshall and Hickey were in discussions with medical professions from Fanshawe and Western for research dealing with doctors, nurses and PSW for characters and roles in the film.

FEBRUARY 2019
Western Smartphone Film Festival (WSFF)
February 2019 also brought about the 4th annual Western Smartphone Film Festival (WSFF) at the Western Film Theatre. Marshall was asked for the second year in a row to be a judge on the panel. The event was the showing of the top ten films of the 2019 festival. The theme was “Perception verse Reality” and the ten finalist filmmakers did not disappoint as there were five of the ten films that were contenders for the top prize. The festival is a student-run organization at Western University in London, Ontario that is focused on developing youth in the field of film and entertainment by means of an annual smartphone short film festival. The 2019 theme was “Perception vs Reality”.

The winning team was a group of Sheridan College students under the title of EMG Productions who came together to make a film called “Filtered” about two best friends walking home from a party only to be attacked by an unwanted follower. The entire film is told through the footage on a cell phone and when Marshall first saw the film he admits that he was not entirely in favour of it due to the film being presented in a vertical format verse tradition horizontal. “The film broke the traditional rules of film, and as a filmmaker, it bothered me at first, but then I started looking at it more closely.

“The Film would win at the WSFF and go on to win “Best Canadian Film” at the Toronto Smartphone Film Festival.
— Matthew Marshall of iFilmGroup

FEBRUARY 2019
Stanton Academy in London, Ontario
Also in February 2019, the month finished with Matthew Marshall being the guest presenter at the Stanton Academy in London, Ontario. He spoke to a group of students from the Academy about being an award-winning film director, film making and the iFilmGroup. The students were working on small film projects either on their own or in small groups. Many were focusing on stop motion animation while others were working on scripts, short films, and trailers for film ideas they have.

MARCH and APRIL 2019
Scripts, Editing and Casting Calls. Scouting Locations and More Auditions.
The months of March and April 2019 would seem to some outsiders much calmer for the iFilmGroup team as publicly the team was not as visible, but much work was going on behind the scenes preparing for filming and scouting talent. Hickey was working on the “Not Ready Script” and consulting professionals to get all the details of the film from a medical perspective accurate. Marshall was watching various plays and film as well as putting out “casting calls” for upcoming auditions. Marshall also had started editing on his short film “Malicious Attack” and looking to find the location needed to finish filming his other film “Blue Love”.

The team was also having production meetings to define procedures and where things were headed in the New Year after such a fast start and further growth within the group. “ I would call March and April 2019 very much a plowing and planting season for the team,” says Marshall. They were preparing the ground for the upcoming months.

MAY 2019
Scripts, Editing and Casting Calls. Scouting Locations and More Auditions.
After the calm before the storm, May started the non-stop ride that would continue until the end of 2019 for the team. iFilmGroup held auditions in May for their upcoming film “Not Ready” written by iFilmGroup co-Founder Don Hickey. The film is about a professor named Richard who is facing death straight in the face and has to look at his life, the time he has spent with his loved ones, how he has used his time and whose lives has he changed. The auditions were held at Elgin Theatre Guild in St. Thomas and were attended by close to 30 people ranging in ages from 10 years of age up to seniors.

Some familiar faces from iFilmGroup’s recent past were in attendance as well as some new faces from London and surrounding areas. “We had people from London and St. Thomas but we also had people come in from as far away as Sarnia and Toronto audition as well”, says Hickey.

When Auditions were done the two main characters of the film would be brought to life by a pair of actors from Toronto. The team believes that they had found the right combination in David Parisian and Diane Newling to play the Pratt couple. Secondary characters in the film would be played by some familiar faces with Max Steinberg, Zachary Wilson, Talia Mielke, and Shelby Simpson. Also, the iFilmGroup team found some new faces that would become a bigger part of the iFilmGroup world in the months that would come.

Auditions were followed up with the addition of a new Production Team member with Sharon O'Leary who specializes in marketing, promotion and fundraising. She has been a part of several community organizations in London and area and was a welcome addition to the team to help in the area of marketing, promotion and fundraising.

Busy movie director and producer Matthew Marshall found time during his busy schedule preparing for “Not Ready” to visit the Elgin Theatre Guild and be the VIP guest prior to their Youth theatre production of ‘The Exciting Exploits of an Effervescent Elf ‘. The day was during one of their last rehearsal and Marshall offered some additional advice to the youth to the young actors dealing with acting and lines. Some of the cast from the ETG production were cast to be part of “Not Ready” so Marshall thought the day was a benefit on several levels. Lesley Chapman, President at Elgin Theatre Guild (Community Theatre) said, “It’s a great event when we have professionals like Matthew coming by to visit our actors. The boost of energy and excitement is seen in the actors. Matthew is keen on sharing, teaching and definitely re-enforcing skills and attitude of our actors and volunteers”.

JUNE and JULY 2019
Productions and Guest Appearances
The team during June turned its focus toward preparing for production of “Not Ready” as the start of filming loomed large with the 10-day production schedule starting at the end of June start of July with the first four days of filming in London and area. The filming would take place at the local establishment of the Cardboard Café, Western University, and a local residence in London.

During the early weeks of July, Marshall broke away from production of “Not Ready” to again return to the Elgin Theatre Guild to be a special guest of Lesley Chapman’s again for the week-long workshop for the ETG Youth dealing with Scriptwriting. The group came up with a theme of “Then There was Silence” and each of the three groups ( “The Purple Alligators”, “The Unknown”, and “The Bactors”) had to come up with a concept, write a script and then rehearse it and perform it at the end of the week. Many of the youth from last year were back for this year’s workshop.

There were also a number of faces from the ETG Youth who are part of the cast of the film “Not Ready” as theatre kids in the Theatre Guild that is part of the film. By late July the team was back to principle production with three more days of filming for “Not Ready” taking the team over the hump of having most of the film in the can. But still having several more days to finish before the film would be done.

The scenes again took place at a Local London Residence and also took in a day of filming at the Elgin Theatre Guild in St Thomas where a number of the ETG kids got to play “Theatre Kids” that tied into the storyline. Also, ETG Adults like Jessica Fediw played bigger roles within the film as well.

AUGUST 2019
Filming Continued with Several Productions
Filming continued in August with two more days within London. The cast and crew were left with one more date that could not happen until the fall when the leaves had changed. Which took place in October on a nice autumn day with sunshine and warm temperatures. The scene was filmed in Dorchester, in southwestern Ontario. It is the opening scene of the film and included not only the opening scene on a dock fishing but also some drone footage that will be incorporated with previously shot drone footage to be part of the opening. The fall also included a few scenes to finish up some other films that have been pending. After much time a courtroom set was secured to do filming of a few remaining scenes for "Blue Love" by m & s Marshall Productions. Also, a police interrogation room secured to film one other outstanding scene to bring the dramatic film to a full wrap and ready for post-production.

FALL 2019
Wrapping Up the Season with Multiple Productions and 100’s of Actors and Crew
Fall of 2019 also opened up to some new scenes for the bully film “Malicious Attack” were added to enhance the film and deal with some issues that had come up during editing of the film. This opened the door to some new people who had become part of iFilmGroup to be a part of a film they had been interested in but had not been able to be a part of. With these scenes, Marshall hopes the two-year journey of this film is wrapped and it is just down to post-production. “Malicious Attack” will be the featured project for marshal heading into 2020.

“2019 has brought much success for several iFilmGroup members
— Matthew Marshall- co-founder, iFilmGroup

This year has brought much success for several iFilmGroup members outside of being a part of iFilmGroup. Talia Mielke won an Arts & Culture Award and headed off to Sheridan to be part of the BA of Music Theatre Performance program. She has been a part of two of the upcoming films. “Blue Love” as Maizie Dunne and cast in “Not Ready” as Katherine Campbell. George Crosby who played young Richard Pratt in “Not Ready” is now an Original Kids Theatre Company main cast member. He still walks the boards of Elgin Theatre Guild but he will be appearing in Original Kids in London Ontario in various productions in the upcoming year.

Jacob Gagen and iFilmGroup member cast in “The Ace and the Scout” for Electronic Motion Pictures. Jacob Gagen plays Collishaw in the film. He had a small role in “Not Ready” as a Night PSW.

Max Steinberg and Jordyn Taylor have won Joey Awards in Vancouver. Jordyn won for Best Commercial Voice-over Actress. Max won Best Featured Actor in a Feature Film. Jordyn and Max have been part of the iFilmGroup family on different productions. Max is a principal actor in the movie called ‘Not Ready’, that’s in post-production and will be released in 2020. He also had small roles in “Blue Love” and “Malicious Attack”. Jordyn was part of the new scenes of ‘Malicious Attack’, produced by m & s Marshall Production, and was also had small roles in “Not Ready” and “Blue Love”

NOVEMBER and DECEMBER 2019
Catching Up and Forecasting 2020
Late November and December have been a recovery time for the iFilmGroup Team. While they are recovering, they are looking back at all they have done and looking forward to what 2020 has in store for them. The team is still working on much administrative business and making plans for the upcoming 2020 year for workshops and possible productions.

Applications have been coming in from people very interested in being part of the cast in any new productions. Both Hickey and Marshall have a number of ideas for what might be on the slate for 2020. But both have expressed a focus on getting the current three films edited and out. ■

“2019 has been an amazing year filled with great moments for the team and our actors & crew. The team is looking forward with great excitement to 2020.
— iFilmGroup Co-founders

iFilmGroup 2019 Year in Review
London ■ St. Thomas ■ Chatham-Kent
Ontario - Canada
WEBSITE - www.ifilmgroup.org