Significant changes within the film industry will be documented within the history books of 2020 and 2021. It will certainly involve the major impact the CoronaVirus-19 had on the industry and all of us.
But in this post, I wanted instead to focus on iFilmGroup’s tremendous ability to adapt and evolve to these challenging times within the Indie Film Industry.
This pandemic has caused devastation for some, and a major inconvenience to all. But throughout all of this turmoil, production people and actors just like you, from all across Canada have played their part, by continuing their vision and offering their services to the indie film industry.
As a collective, I am thoroughly impressed by the adaptive thinking and downright ingenuity of execution that has been brought forth. So, as we move through two turbulent years, I would like to personally thank all the fantastic people that I have had the opportunity to interact with (both virtually and socially distant alike!) during this time.
For me personally (and I know Matthew Marshall would agree), the opportunity to learn from, collaborate with, and produce from a wide range of actors, crew, and new people joining iFilmGroup has been an absolute blessing. I cannot fully express all my gratitude to everyone who has shown support to our Production Team and myself over the past years.
As I look back, I admit there have been many learning challenges. We are feeling absolutely blessed for every engagement we have had along the way. I will look back at these strange times and know that our Production Team, actors, and crew used this period to reflect, adapt, and relaunch. We have never stopped learning from all the lessons 2020-21 introduced to us along the way.
As an organization, we have spent months assessing needs, analyzing options, and implementing solutions for a generally unpredictable future. After all the learning, we are now into the execution stage.
With 'Summer Film Camp 2021' (associated through the teaching program by Matthew Marshall; iFilmGroup's co-founder and Head of Production) and the iFilmGroup Studio renovations in a donated warehouse (for future productions and Workshops), we are steadfastly committed to growth.
It is through the pandemic that delays and/or limited production schedules that we turned to options of ‘safe indoor filming’ due to the pandemic. The enhancement of a warehouse property becoming available to build a Studio has lead to our total property and production assets.
During this downtime, we have been catching up in 'post-production'. It also allowed Don Hickey (co-founder and Community Engagement Manager at iFilmGroup) to engage in the International Indie film market. In talks with international contacts (for over a year) iFilmGroup now has associates in Sweden, South Korea, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA. These associates have already contributed in many ways to our production processes in 2020 and 2021.
The truth is that this process of ‘limited shooting’ has been time-consuming and frustrating at times, but we are confident that the strides we are making will be good for iFilmGroup and our associates, actors, and crew.
We are not funded by any government programs. Our funding comes from the generous funding of corporate and individual donations. To make a donation, please contact either Matthew Marshall or Don Hickey of iFilmGroup.
We are burdened with the costs of renovations in the warehouse as we convert the interior to sound stages. Renovations of the warehouse to sound stages will be ongoing into 2022. We have already shot scenes for the film 'Not Ready' in this warehouse.
Post-production costs for several of iFilmGroup's movies need to be financially covered. We are always looking for donations to support our films. Please consider a financial donation.
Thank you... and we look forward to having you continue with us throughout our journey together. Let’s make movies and win more awards. It's our passion, isn't it?
Don Hickey
Community Engagement Manager
RELEASE SUMMARY
Expansion, International Associates and Fundraising.
iFilmGroup
London ■ St. Thomas ■ Chatham-Kent
Ontario - Canada
WEBSITE - www.ifilmgroup.org